Fulcher’s Ladies’ Memorandum Book and Poetical Miscellany, Illustrations, and the Mapping of Format Change

Abstract

This article provides the first ever consideration of the ways in which the principal publishers of Fulcher’s Ladies’ Memorandum Book and Poetical Miscellany devised a marketable identity defined by topographical illustrative matter. It examines how they adapted the formats of illustration and the design aesthetic of the title over time. The article charts how reviewers characterized the publication and helped to create a reputation for it, as well as what innovations the publishers introduced in order to continuously make their print product appealing. It also studies how Fulcher capitalized on existing plates he had commissioned by reusing them in separately issued collections that assembled the poetry published in his pocket book. Finally, it provides, in the form of an appendix, a listing of the subjects of the illustrations included in Fulcher’s title, as well as the names of the artists and engravers responsible for the production of the plates.