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Description (paste-ready)
Set of four original issues of Frank Leslie’s Pleasant Hours, a Victorian-era monthly magazine “devoted to useful & entertaining reading.” These are from the very first year of publication (Vol. I, Nos. 1–4), dated August, September, October, and November 1866. Each issue retains its original illustrated paper wraps, priced at “15 Cents” on the cover.
Details:
• Dates: Aug 1866 (Vol. I No. 1), Sept 1866 (Vol. I No. 2), Oct 1866 (Vol. I No. 3), Nov 1866 (Vol. I No. 4)
• Publisher: Frank Leslie, 537 Pearl Street, New York
• Condition: Covers show typical age toning and edge wear. August issue missing roughly half of the front page (see photos) other issues have complete wraps with small chips, tears, or spine wear consistent with 150+ years of age. Interiors are generally clean and legible with occasional foxing or small tears. Some pages remain uncut along the fore-edge, as issued — indicating unread sections.
• Binding: Original side-stapled/wrap-bound format.
These first-year issues are scarce in any condition and rarely seen as a consecutive run. Rich in period engravings, serialized fiction, poetry, and moral essays — a wonderful piece of early American publishing history.
