Contributions to Annuals and Gift Books

A collection of rare Hogg poems and stories, gathered together from the original Annuals The Annuals of the 1820s and 1830s, like their modern counterparts, were designed as Christmas and New Year's presents.

These attractive pocket-sized compilations of poetry, prose and engravings for drawing-room display recruited well-known authors such as James Hogg, Walter Scott, L.E.L., and John Clare, their work appearing alongside that of young hopefuls such as Alfred Tennyson.

In drawing together Hogg's work for the Annuals and in providing the appropriate context the editors shed new light on Hogg's working practices and his relations with editors and artists.

Material that was previously scattered in rare volumes and in manuscripts is united here and the editors also make a solid contribution to knowledge of the Annual publishing phenomenon itself.

This collection highlights a coherent part of Hogg's total literary output, and in doing so provides new insights to an increasingly popular area of nineteenth-century publishing history, making the volume an important addition to the series.