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† Special Publications (London)

Some time early in December, 1861, and probably nearly simultaneously with its appearance in America as Dime Novel No. 33, there was issued from the London branch of Beadle & Co., as a special publication belonging to no regular series, Mrs. Metta V. Victor's novel "Maum Guinea." It appeared under the title "Maum Guinea and her Plantation 'Children.' A Story of Christmas Week with the American Slaves." A paper covered edition sold for 1 shilling 6 pence and a cloth edition for 2 and 6.

† This English cloth edition has a mauve binding with a cover pattern similar to those mentioned in this supplement (Vol. I, page 83, col. 2, No. 33, and page 368, col. 2, No. i). It was later also bound in red or green cloth by Routledge, who apparently used unbound copies of the earlier Beadle London edition having the imprint of the printer, Robert K. Burt, on the verso of the title page. At the back of the book are four pages of advertisements of ten American Sixpenny Libraries and four American Biographies, printed on the same heavy paper as the rest of the book. Sixteen pages of thinner and whiter paper, advertising various Routledge books, follow. There is no date to show when the book was published, but it must have been after December 2, 1861, when the last of the advertised dime novels appeared. The wording of the title page differs from that of either the American or English Beadle editions. It reads: "Maum Guinea. A Love Story of Slave Life." Neither of the English editions is dated on the title page, nor does either have a copyright notice on the verso.

† Another Special Publication was issued in 1862. The following advertisement appeared on the inside of the front wrapper of Beadle's American 6d Library, No. 20, which was published October 1, 1862. It was also advertised in The American Scrap Book (London), Vol. II, Part XI, No. 48, September 20, 1862, p. 352:
"The Great Australian Colonies: Their capabilities and advantages. Addressed to the small capitalists and labouring classes of Great Britain by W. Brodribb, Esq.,(1) twenty-seven years a resident of the colony and late member of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria. Price 4d. Beadle & Co., London, 1862. 32 pages."

†A copy of this pamphlet, according to Mr. Denis R. Rogers, is in the Mitchell Library in Sydney, N. S. W. Here also is another pamphlet by Brod-ribb, also published by Beadle & Co., London, 1862. It is a paper-covered booklet of 16 pages and bears the title: A calculation showing the profit of a small sheep-walk on the western portion of New South Wales called the Salt-Bush Country.

Special Publications (London)

London Special Publication

London Special Publications

According to advertisements in English periodicals, the English edition was actually begun less than a year after the American and not two years as stated above.

 




Notes

1 †A biography of Williams Adams Brodribb is given in J. H. Heston's The History of Australasia jrom 1842 to date, S. W. Silver & Co., London, 1879. Brodribb was born in London, May 27, 1809. He went to New South Wales in 1836, where he established cattle and sheep stations and afterwards managed stations for other large holders. He visited England twice, and on his second return to New South Wales, he purchased an estate near Sydney, N. S. W.

† Correction made as per Volume 3.


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