Ashley MS 157

''Blackwoods Young Men''s Magazine'' (First Series, No. 6): a miniature magazine written by Charlotte and Branwell Brontë; 1829. Autograph fair copy, with revisions, written in minute characters in imitation of print on both sides of nine irregularly sized (average 35 x 50mm.) leaves of white wove paper. No watermark. The leaves have been bound by Charlotte to form one gathering of eight and one of two (the second leaf is blank) in brown sugar-paper wrappers. The MS. is initialled and dated on the front cover (f. 1) ''DECEMBER CB 1829'' and signed at the end (f. 10b) ''CHARLOTTE BRONTE''. The magazine forms one of a series produced by Charlotte and her brother Branwell from August to December 1829 and known as ''Blackwoods Young Men''s Magazine''. A second series was produced between August and December 1830. On ff. 10, 10b is a general index of the first series. The initials ''U T'' found occasionally in the index signify Us Two, i.e. Charlotte and Branwell. The other magazines in the series are located as follows: No. 1 (August 1829) : Harvard, MS. Lowell 1(6); No. 2 (September 1829): Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth; No. 3 (October 1829): Harvard, MS. Lowell 1(5); No. 4 (November 1829): Harvard, MS. Lowell 1(4); No. 5 (December 1829): Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth. Ashley Library Catalogue, viii, p. 56. The contents of the present MS. are as follows:

1. ''Review of the Cheif (sic) Geni in Council by Edward De Lisle''. Signed and dated ''C Brontë December 9 1829''. ff. 2-3b.

2. ''Harvest in Spain'': a poem. Signed and dated ''December 9 C Brontë UT 1829''. First published in The Bookman for December 1926, p. 163. ff. 3b-4.

3. ''The Swiss Artist Continued''. Signed and dated ''Captain Tree Dec. 10 1829''. ff. 4-6.

4. ''Conversations''. The poem ''Merry England, land of glory'' on ff. 8b-9 was first published in The Bookman for December 1926, p. 164. ff. 6b-9.

5. Contents of the MS. f. 9.

6. Advertisements. f. 9b.

7. General Index to the magazines. ff. 10, 10b.

53 x 27mm.; ff. 10

Charlotte Brontë, author: Patrick Branwell Brontë, brother of Charlotte Brontë: ''Blackwood''s Young Men''s Magazine'', a miniature magazine by Patrick Branwell Brontë and Charlotte Brontë: 1829: Autogr.