The Cornhill Magazine. Vol. I. January to June, 1860 [to] Vol. XX. July to December, 1869

London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1860-1869.. Twenty volumes. 8vo. Contemporary brown half morocco over marbled boards, spines with raised bands, gilt lettered direct to two panels, endpapers and all edges marbled. Numerous black and white illustrations. Even fading to the spines, rubbing to the extremities, four volumes with neat joint repairs, with two of these volumes - VI and XVI - slightly worn at the head and foot respectively, a very good set overall. Founded by George Murray Smith of Smith, Elder & Co. as a rival to Dickens' "All The Year Round", William Makepeace Thackeray was appointed as its first editor. This set contains the first ten years of its existence, which also saw the high-water mark of its popularity, providing the first appearance in print for many literary works by some of the most notable writers of the day, including the first serialisations of Anthony Trollope's "Framley Parsonage" (1860), George Eliot's "Romola" (1862-63) and Elizabeth Gaskell's "Wives and Daughters" (1864-66). Although sales dwindled after 1870 the magazine still serialised important works by the likes of Joseph Conrad, Thomas Hardy and Henry James in its later years.