Category:Heath’s Book of Beauty
Title: Heath’s Book of Beauty
Editors: Letitia Elizabeth Landon and Marguerite Gardiner, the Countess of Blessington
Publisher: Charles Heath
Heath’s Book of Beauty was a stylish annual periodical published in London from 1833-1849. The periodical was described as “among the most beautiful and interesting of the annuals,” with its published works as “more than ordinarily good.”[1] Also known simply as The Book of Beauty, it was edited and compiled by Letitia Elizabeth Landon and Marguerite Gardiner, the Countess of Blessington, and illustrated with engravings by Charles Heath. Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802-1838) was a prominent female Romantic poet whose life was plagued by scandal and slander, as she was impoverished and completely dependent on the support of her audience and her editor, with whom it was rumored that she had improper relations.[2] Her poetry greatly influenced several Victorian poets, including the Brownings, and set the tone for the sentimental, romantic, and beautiful literary works published in Heath’s Book of Beauty. Marguerite Gardiner, the Countess of Blessington, became the primary editor of The Book of Beauty after she joined the staff in 1834. She wrote prolifically, submitting works to many periodicals and magazines, notably composing The Governess, which was one of the earliest of many Victorian novels that would address governessing.[3] Under Landon’s and Gardiner’s guidance, The Book of Beauty turned into a widely read and appreciated publication, esteemed for its lavish and entertaining works of fiction and poetry. Although the periodical began with a primarily female audience in mind, it eventually came to incorporate literary works for all audiences, including exotic travel sketches, elegies, and daring adventure tales. In addition to Landon and the Countess of Blessington, notable contributors include Lord Robert Stewart, William Beattie, Walter Savage Landor, and Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley,[4] with frequent works submitted by famous authors like Horace and James Smith, Benjamin Disraeli, and Mary Shelley. This popular periodical was circulated until the countess’s death in 1849.
Notes
Submitted by: Allen, Jessica: section 1, Winter 2013
Articles in category "Heath’s Book of Beauty"
The following 6 pages are in this category, out of 6 total.
