摘要：“‘The Annuals,’ wrote Southey in 1828, ‘are now the only books bought for presents to
young ladies, in which way poems formerly had their chief vent.’ And the young ladies found
them much more to their liking than the manuals of conduct” declares Anne Renier (qtd in
Erickson 30). Literary annuals are early nineteenthcentury
British texts published yearly from
1822 to 1860, primarily intended for a middle class audience due to its moderate retail cost (12s.£
3). Initially published in duodecimo or octavo, 1 the decoratively bound volumes – filled with
steel plate engravings of nationally recognized artwork and sentimental poetry and prose –
exuded a feminine delicacy that attracted a primarily female readership. Published in November
and sold for the following year, the annual became an ideal Christmas gift, lover’s present or
token of friendship. 2
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