TWENTY-SIX weeks have elapsed since it became our duty to complete the first series of the WELCOME GUEST, and to announce the features that were to distinguish its future career. We promised 1. Increase in the Number of Pages. 2. Great Improvement in Printing, Paper, and Engraving. 3. Exclusive Originality in the Contributions. It is now our pleasing task to present a perfect volume, an evidence of the fulfilment of our promises, and a realization of the expectations we held out six months ago. As an achievement, we may briefly describe the Book now completed as containing nearly 200 exclusively original contributions, in the form of Novels, Tales, Sketches, Essays, and Narratives, written by Forty-four Authors of well-known position, and Illustrated by Twenty-five Artists and Engravers; the whole comprising 532 pages or 1,064 columns of first-class Literature, enriched with 158 Engravings. The amount of matter thus brought together is equivalent to twelve volumes in the usual threevolume guinea-and-a-half Novel style; and the work is produced with the attraction of Wood-cuts that exhibit a degree of excellence altogether unattainable a dozen years since. But why this contrast? Simply because the public are too apt to be led away by appearances that encourage the idea of material value where, in fact, the real element of essential value does not co-exist. It may be fearlessly asserted, in the case of the WELCOME GUEST, that a larger amount of strictly copyright matter was never before offered at its price. And it is fitting to observe, that under the new order of things certain to arise upon the abolition of the Paper Duty, the relative superiority of quantity of original recreative literature to be found in the WELCOME GUEST will be maintained; while, as concerns its Literary merits, the Proprietors have the pleasure to state that several important accessions will enlarge the corps of writers already on the staff of the WELCOME GUEST, the columns of which are open to meritorious couitions from every source. There is no close borough in its management. Suitability of contributio alone decides selection. As the coming season will carry many of our readers to the refreshing breezes of the sea-shore, the next volume will be enriched with several appropriate subjects. Chief among these we may mention: "Life in the Ocean: a popular account of the Nature, Habits, and Functions of Marine Animals." By Lascelles Wraxall, assisted by Dr. Strauss. Another feature of great public interest will be a series of papers on 'Science in its application to the Detection of Crime." By Dr. Scoffern, Author of "Chemistry of Common Life," &c., &c. In No. 27 of the WELCOME GUEST Commences : I. "Light Literature." By James Hannay, Author of "Satire and Satirists," &c. وو By Albany Fonblanque, jun., Author of "Rights and Wrongs," &c. Illustrated by Percival Skelton. |