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Volumes of the Gentleman's Magazine, 1731 to 1907

Do not be misled by the apparent confidence of these notes, they are superficial. I am not a bibliographer, and am not providing a properly detailed analysis of how this long run of magazines was organized by its various publishers. My main interest is to find out how volumes were numbered and paginated, and to see what indexing was provided at different periods, in order to be able to provide reliable references to articles within. The answer to that problem is that you cannot, unless you read through the magazines, every issue, page by page.
Publication effectively ended in 1907, but a four page leaflet was produced up to 1922, keeping the title of the magazine in print.

Review of Title Pages

  title page
A simple review of title pages provides a handy way of looking at the arrangements of the series. The examples are chosen when there is a change of imprint or some other feature of the magazine.
1731 to 1735
button 1731 volume 1, the first magazine: The Gentleman's Magazine, or Trader's Monthly Intelligencer; monthly contents list, index of names; by Sylvanus Urban - Edward Cave; with F Jefferies.Examples of volume title page, monthly title page with brief contents, contents, and index of names.
button 1732 volume 2: now The Gentleman's Magazine, or Monthly Intelligencer; by Sylvanus Urban - Edward Cave; with F Jefferies and Mr Henry.Examples of volume title page, and monthly title page with brief contents.
button 1735 volume 5: better indexing, on names, essays, poetry, and books.Examples of volume title page and the index headers for the four indexes.
1736 to 1753
button 1736 volume 6: renamed The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle; by Sylvanus Urban - Edward Cave.Examples of volume title page and frontispiece.
button 1740 volume 10.Example of volume title page.
button 1742 volume 12: by Sylvanus Urban; Edward Cave jnr?Example of volume title page.
button 1748 volume 18: by Sylvanus Urban; Edward Cave, jnr or snr?Examples of volume title page, directions for the binder, and list of plates.
1754 to 1780
button 1754 volume 24: by Sylvanus Urban; R Cave, Edward Cave died 1754; with D Henry.Example of volume title page. Brief obituary of Edward Cave.
button 1761 volume 31: by Sylvanus Urban; with D Henry.Example of volume title page.
button 1763 volume 33: by Sylvanus Urban; R Cave; with D Henry.Examples of volume title page and the header of an index to occurrences.
button 1767 volume 37: by Sylvanus Urban; with D Henry and F Newbery.Example of volume title page. This volume has separate indexes for births, marriages, deaths, promotions and bankrupts (not illustrated).
button 1778 volume 48.Examples of volume title page, a poem to Sylvanus Urbane, and a preface.
1781 to 1783
button 1781 volume 51: by Sylvanus Urban; with D Henry, E Newbery, and J Nichols.Example of volume title page.
1784 to 1791
button 1784 volume 54, now in 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with D Henry, E Newbery, and J Nichols.Examples of 2 part volume title pages, month title page and contents, preface, and list of plates.
button 1785 volume 55 2 parts.Example of volume title page.
button 1786 volume 56 2 parts.Example of volume title page.
button 1790 volume 60 2 parts.Example of volume title page.
1792 to 1799
button 1792 volume 62 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with E Newbery, and J Nichols.Example of volume title page.
button 1795 volume 65 2 parts.Example of volume title page.
button 1797 volume 67 2 parts.Example of volume title page.
button 1799 volume 69 2 parts.Example of volume title page.
1800
button 1800 volume 70 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with E Newbery, and Nichols and Son.Example of volume title page.
1801 to 1809
button 1801 volume 71 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Nichols and Son and J Harris.Example of volume title page.
button 1808 volume 78 2 parts; declared as a new series, but no change in volume numbering.Examples of volume title page, and month title page with contents.
button 1810 volume 80 2 parts; pagination for each part separately.Examples of volume title page, and 2 month title pages with contents and different illustrations of St John's Gate.
1810 to 1818
button 1812 volume 82 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with Nichols, Son, and Bentley, and J Harris.Examples of volume title page, and a month title page with contents.
button 1814 volume 84 2 parts; with Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh.Examples of volume title page, and headers to volume indexes to essay, books, music, poetry, and names, and an example of errata, plus a colophon. Also variant indexes for 1815.
1819 to 1833
button 1819 volume 89 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Nichols and Son, and J Harris; with Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh.Example of volume title page.
button 1820 volume 90Advertisement of a General Index to the Gentleman's Magazine, 1731-1818; and statement of aims.
button 1821 volume 91Example of a cancel.
button 1822 volume 92 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Nichols and Son, and John Harris; with Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh.Examples of volume title page, month title page, and list or index of plates.
button 1824 volume 94 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Nichols and Son, and John Harris; with Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh.Examples of volume title page, and index headers
button 1827 volume 97 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with J B Nichols, and John Harris; with Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh.Examples of volume title page, month title page; advertisement for the General Index to the Gentleman's Magazine; and statement of aims.
button 1828 volume 98 2 parts; by Sylvanus Urban; with J B Nichols and Son, and John Harris; with Perthes and Besser, Hamburgh.Examples of volume title page, index to fine arts, publisher's advertsiements.
button 1830 volume 100; 2 parts; 2nd part; by Sylvanus Urban; with J B Nichols and Son, and William Pickering.A preface, statement of aims, etc; notes on confused volume numbering.
button 1830 volume 103; 2 parts; 2nd part; by Sylvanus Urban; with J B Nichols and Son, and William Pickering.Examples of volume title page, month title page, and preface.
1834 to 1843
button 1834 volumes 1 and 2; renamed The Gentleman's Magazine by Sylvanus Urban; William Pickering and John Bowyer Nichols and Son.Examples of volume title page, month title page, and preface with statement of aims.
1844 to 1848
button 1844 volumes 21 and 22; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Bowyer Nichols and Son.Examples of volume title page, and month title page.
1847 and 1848 not seen
1849 to 1856
button 1849 volumes 31 and 32; by Sylvanus Urban; from vol.32 with J B Nichols, J G Nichols, William Pickering, J Parker, J and J J Deighton, Wiley and Punam.Example of month title page.
button 1850 volumes 33 and 33; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Bowyer Nichols.Examples of volume title page, and the end of a preface.
button 1853, volumes 39 and 40.Examples of volume title page, month title page with contents, preface, and advertisement for the Gentleman's Magazine Index.
1857 to 1865
button 1857 volumes 1,2 and 3; by Sylvanus Urban; with John Henry and James Parker.Examples of volume title pages, month title page, and index headers; problems in volume numbering.
button 1860 volumes 8 and 9.Examples of volume title page, month title page with contents; note about placement of month title pages in binding, and pagination.
button 1862 volumes 12 and 13; new title page.Example of volume title page, note about missing month title pages.
button 1864 volumes 16 and 17.Examples of volume title page, note about confusion of part and volume numbering.
1866 to 1870
button 1866 volumes 1,2 and 3; by Sylvanus Urban; with Bradbury, Evans, and Co.Example of volume title pages, month title page, and preface with statement of aims.
button 1868 volumes 5 and 1; new editor and policy, change of title; by Sylvanus Urban; with Bradbury, Evans, and Co.Examples of volume title pages, month title page, and preface with statement of aims; note on muddled months.
1871 to 1876
button 1871 volumes 6 and 7; two changes of imprint; by Sylvanus Urban; with W H Allen and Co, then with Grant and Co.Examples of volume title pages, and month title page
button 1872 volumes 8 and 9; Sylvanus Urban; with Grant and Co.Examples of volume title page, volume index masquerading as contents, and month title page.
button 1875-77 supplements.Examples of the header page of three Christmas extras, the last called The Gentleman's Annual.
button 1876, volumes 16 and 17.Examples of volume title page, and volume index given as contents.
1877 to ?
button 1877, volumes 240 and 241; Sylvanus Urban with Chatto and Windus; reversion to old volume numbering.Example of volume title page; note about volume numbering; note aboout indexing.
button 1884, volumes 256 and 257.Examples of title page, index given as contents, and month title page.
1892-99
1892 to 1899 part 1 not seen; 1899 part 2 incomplete.
1903-06
1903 to 1906 not seen.
1907: The End.
button 1907, vols. 302 and part of 303; Sylvanus Urban with ?Example of volume title page, 2 month title pages, and an index.
1907-22
1907 part 2 to 1922 not seen.

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Transcription

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