A+Short+History+of+Gift+Books+and+Annuals


 * //The Rose: or Affection's Gift for 1847 //**


 * A SHORT HISTORY OF GIFT BOOKS AND ANNUALS: **

Gift books, also known as literary annuals, are a type of published book popular during the first half of the 19th century. Gift books were usually small in size, although as time went on they gained in both stature and ornateness. Most gift books consisted of a pocket-sized book with the textblock protected by a cloth, gilt stamped cover, usually of the publisher's making.

Gift books reached their peak in popularity during the mid 1820's, when they were often given as a keepsake or souvenir, especially during the holiday season. As small, beautiful books containing collections of prose and poetry with complimentary engravings (often reproductions of American artwork by artists such as William Guy Wall, Thomas Doughty and Alvan Fisher) gift books were a popular token of love, friendship or remembrance, and were often given from parents to children, and from one friend or lover to another. For book historians, it is often easy to trace the path of a gift book due to the common practice of including an inscription on the front end sheet of the book. Oftentimes, publishers would include a blank inscription to be filled in by the giver.

Also known as literary annuals, the majority of gift books (such as //The Rose//) were published once a year, usually in late fall so as to be ready and available for the holiday season. Therefore, many gift books, such as //The Rose//, tout the strong moral standards and virtues exhibited by their texts. For example, in the preface of //The Rose//, editor Emily Marshall reminds the reader that,


 * "The moral influence which poetry and fiction always exert, when produced by real genius, will be recognized as one of the chief recommendations which the tales and poetry, now offered to the public, possess."**

and ends with the wish,


 * "A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to its patrons."**

As an object that could be easily personalized through inscription, the gift book or literary annual retained its popularity and reputation as a present for people of all ages and a working example of the "gift economy" (during which time the point of exchange was to promote the continuation of relationships) throughout the 19th century. It was not until the 1860's that gift books began to decline in popularity, and therefore in rate of publication.


 * IMPORTANT DATES: **


 * 1823**: //Forget Me Not//, the first British literary annual is published.
 * 1826**: //The Atlantic Souvenir//, the first American literary annual is published. American gift books were modeled after the literary almanacs of France and Germany.
 * 1847**: //The Rose: or Affection's Gift for 1847// is published.