Skip to main content

1778 dated Gentleman's Magazine - Americana

Inv# AM2119
Country: England
Years: 1778

Small size "Gentleman's Magazine" measures 5" x 8 1/4". Small excerpt from magazine: George Washington's account of the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse written to the Continental Congress! Last major battle in the Northern theatre of Revolutionary War. Also: British Peace Commissioners Proclamation and American Response. War debate in British Parliament. Escape of American prisoners from British jail and result.

The Gentleman's Magazine was a monthly publication established in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It continued to be published without interruption for nearly two centuries, ceasing in 1922. This magazine was the first to adopt the term "magazine" (derived from the French word meaning "storehouse") to describe a periodical. Samuel Johnson began his first regular writing position with The Gentleman's Magazine. The complete original title was The Gentleman's Magazine: or, Trader's Monthly Intelligencer. Cave's innovative approach involved compiling a monthly summary of news and commentary on a wide range of subjects that would interest the educated public, including commodity prices and Latin poetry.

The magazine featured original contributions from a group of regular writers, along with extensive quotations and excerpts from other publications and books. Cave, who served as the editor under the pseudonym "Sylvanus Urban," was the first to utilize the term magazine in this context. Contributions were often presented in the form of letters addressed to "Mr. Urban." Each issue prominently displayed an illustration of St John's Gate in Clerkenwell, which represented Cave's residence and effectively served as the magazine's "office."

Condition: Good
Item ordered may not be exact piece shown. All original and authentic.
Price: $365.00