THOMS, William John, ed. Notes and Queries.
A Medium of Enter-Communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. `When found, make a note of.’—Captain Cuttle. Volume Second. May [actually June] – December, 1850.
London: George Bell, 1851.
8vo.; marbled endpapers; three-quarter morocco with marbled boards stamped in gilt; ribbed spine; extremities scuffed.
First published in 1849, Notes and Queries was the brainchild of William John Thoms (1803-1885), a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, who edited the journal for over twenty years. Conceived as “a literary railway…patronized by first-class passengers,” the journal was an ambitious, mid-Victorian mix of items about Shakespeare, local folklore and customs, genealogy, scientific advancement, and commentary on a variety of notable writers, from Chaucer to Macauley. The article about the injustice of seventeenth-century chimney taxes, which contains a reference to Macauley, prompted Grant to make several marginal ticks.