The Snow Drop; A Juvenile Magazine ; [Exceedingly Rare Bound Volume of Twelve Issues of the Very First Children's Periodical to be Published in Canada]

Cushing, Eliza Lanesford Foster (1794-1886); Harriet Vaughan Cheney (1796-1889), Eds.

Published by John Lovell, Printer 1852-1853, Montréal, Québec, 1852

About this Item

Octavo (5" x 8"). pp. [4] (Index to the Fourth and Fifth Series), 33-192; [1], 2-188, with most issues comprising between 27-30 leaves. Period quarter leather over marbled boards, faded gilt rules and lettering to the spine. Replete with delightful engraved illustrations, musical scores, riddles, stories, crochet patterns, recipes, various scientific articles (such as an exposition on the manufacture of glass, Benjamin Franklin, et al.), etc. Leather extremities worn with loss to head of spine, corners rounded, marbled boards quite rubbed and scuffed exposing the underlying board; Binding tender but sound. Internally, however, the twelve issues remain remarkably well-preserved in light of their age, and in contrast to the extremities. Light sporadic foxing (chiefly confined to the preliminary leaves), some worming (confined to pp. 57-71, negligible effect upon the text), short closed tear (no loss) to p.173. Two names in manuscript to the heads of the first and index leaf: "Maude Manhardt" and "Adeline Fitzsimmons". The latter's name also appears in gilt at the base of the spine suggesting these issues were possibly custom bound for her. Notwithstanding, text-block remains largely without blemish (pages 177-191 of the fifth series are bound inverted, likely owing to a contemporary binder's error). Overall, very good, and an excellent candidate for a contemporary rebind. A singular offering of a foundational work in the development of Canadian children's literature. Issues Included: Vol. IV: No. 2 (August 1852); No. 3 (September 1852); No. 4 (October 1852); No. 5 (November 1852); No. 6 (December 1852). Vol. V: No. 1 (January 1853); No. 2 (February 1853); No. 3 (March 1853); No. 4 (April 1853); No. 5 (May 1853); No. 6 (June 1853); No. 7 (July 1853). References: Egoff & Bélisle (p. 24); Egoff & Burke No. 83 (UBC). We locate holdings at the University of Guelph (OCLC #625008671), Princeton (OCLC #177719913), UBC (AP201.S6), LAC/BAC (1651606520). Not found in Fisher, nor in TPL (Osborne Collection of Children's Books). Rare indeed. Launched in Montréal in 1847 by American émigré sisters Harriet Vaughan Cheney and Eliza Lanesford Cushing, The Snow Drop holds the remarkable distinction of being the first Canadian magazine devoted specifically for the 'amusement and instruction of children' (rivalled only by The Maple Leaf (1852-1854), another short-lived children s periodical). The sisters, both accomplished authors with liberal Congregationalist Unitarian backgrounds, had previously contributed to and edited The Literary Garland. Published by Lovell and Gibson, The Snow Drop reflected John Gibson s ambition to cultivate a respectable literary culture in British North America and was partly based "on a plan similar to that of the well known 'Peter Parley Magazine'." [Egoff: Canadian Children's Books, 1799-1939, in the Special Collections at the University of British Columbia. University of British Columbia Library, 1992]. The periodical was explicitly devoted to the "moral education," "progress," and "improvement" of middle- and upper-class youth. Edwards and Saltman note, the articles focused on inculcating charitable feelings, instructing in personal morality, and developing citizenship through the study of British and Canadian history, while reinforcing appropriate gender and social roles. Egoff notes: "However, as in so much of our early literature, there is a strong feeling of condescension toward the Native Peoples". [Edwards & Saltman, Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children s Illustrated Books and Publishing. University of Toronto Press, 2010, p. 24].Susan Mann Trofimenkoff further observes that while the editors invited participation from all readers, responses came exclusively from girls, who appeared to be the primary targets of the magazine's moral lessons. Through short stories, poems, history and nature lessons, "conundrums," and games, young female readers were taught "truthfulness, reliability, goodness, obed.

Seller Inventory # 7877

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Snow Drop; A Juvenile Magazine ; [Exceedingly Rare Bound Volume of Twelve Issues of the Very First Children's Periodical to be Published in Canada]
• Publisher: John Lovell, Printer 1852-1853, Montréal, Québec
• Publication Date: 1852
• Binding: Leather Bound
• Edition: Fourth and Fifth Series (IV-V).
• Seller catalogs:
  • Juvenalia
  • Gender Studies
  • Canadian History
  • Early Printed Works
  • Canadian Literature