GLEASON'S PICTORIAL. BOSTON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1853. VOL. V. NO. 23 - WHOLE NO. 127. "Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion." [Single issue of the Boston, Massachusetts illustrated weekly newspaper or magazine.]

Paged as 353-368 in sequence with preceding issues (sixteen pages total). Publication folded in half horizontally. Unfolded dimensions: H 37.75cm x L 28.25cm. Paper toned particularly along edges, top half of cover sheet has light moisture stains at fore-edge with small patch of surface abrasion at top right corner above the masthead from removal of past bookseller's sticker, approximate 8cm tear to all sheets at fore-edge side of horizontal center fold, nearly lengthwise long tears to sheets along spine fold as apparently the publication was once stitch-bound (per presence of binding string remnant perhaps indicative of it once being bound within an annual volume). Three-column text per page. B/w illustrations throughout. Bottom half of front cover has illustration titled "Rail Shooting." Pages 360-361 have more-or-less half page illustrations of the Bangor, Maine courthouse and city hall as well as the city's theological seminary. Full page illustration on page 364 titled "James the First Hunting in Windsor Forest." Plus several other illustrations of a less intriguing nature. Only a fair copy at best but complete. Masthead title of the publication is "Gleason's Pictorial" but the title is provided as "Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion" at the top margins of the interior pages. Frederick Gleason published the inaugural issue of his namesake weekly periodical on May 3, 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts modeling its format after the "London Illustrated News" and even perhaps "Harper's Monthly" (started June 1850) and taking advantage of new technology that allowed for timely illustrated printing. Gleason's efforts met with great success and most certainly spurred competitors including "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper" (first issue published December 15, 1855) and the famous "Harper's Weekly" (first issue published January 3, 1857). Gleason purchased the New York "Illustrated News" in 1853 to expand circulation and national appeal (Gleason's purchase and merger of the publishing operations is mentioned on page 365 of this issue) but sold his stake in the venture to editor Maturin Ballou in 1855 whereupon the weekly's name was changed to "Ballou's Pictorial." It later operated as "Ballou's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion" and, after the Civil War, it become "Ballou's Monthly Magazine" followed by "Ballou's Dollar Monthly Magazine." The magazine was sold to Boston publisher Elliott, Thomes & Talbot in 1872 and then to George W. Studley in 1886. The publication folded in June 1893. Description copyright David Hallinan, Bookseller.…