The Bee, or Literary Weekly Intelligencer, James Anderson, Volume Eighteenth, 1793, Edinburgh
The Bee, or Literary Weekly Intelligencer, Consisting of Original Pieces, and Selections from Performances of Merit, Foreign and Domestic, A Work calculated to disseminate useful knowledge among all ranks of people at a small expence. By James Anderson, LLD. Volume Eighteenth.
An engaging and richly varied volume from one of the 18th century’s most distinctive periodicals. The Bee; or, Literary Weekly Intelligencer, edited by the Scottish polymath James Anderson, LLD, was published between 1790 and 1794 and aimed to spread useful knowledge and moral reflection “at a small expence” to a broad readership. This seventeenth volume captures the eclectic nature of Enlightenment publishing, offering original articles and selections on science, art, agriculture, social observation, and global affairs. Anderson, an early advocate of agricultural reform and political economy, helped shape a publication as intellectually curious as it was accessible.
This volume contains an especially wide array of topics: Peter the Great, the raising of silk and cochineal in India, chrystalizing vinegar, the effect of climate on the quality of wool, the Malabar coast, the history of painting in Scotland, 'Alladin the Persian' - an Eastern tale, the best method of heating houses, and a letter of governor Washington, amongst many other subjects.
It combines scientific curiosity with literary entertainment – a hallmark of the Enlightenment press.
Printed by the Editor, 1793 - Vol. VI., Edinburgh. Printing note: the title page uses a date printed as 'M,DCC, XrII' - this is clearly a printer's error as we are able to date this volume to 1793 as it is part of a defined series of volumes.
A good copy of this interesting 18th Century journal. Bound with leather spine and with leather corners. Marbled paper over boards. Covers bumped, scuffed and worn with rubbing and wear to joints. The front cover board is almost detached - only loosely held by a few binnding cords at top.Inner hinges cracked at rear, but holding firm.
The text is very good throughout - bright and clean with only the occasional light scattered spot. A fascinating read, with a portrait frontispiece of William Aikman, Painter, and attractive plate depicting 'Ronia Ferox', a plant, a 'Botany Bay Bird', and 'The Musk Cow and Bull'.
Text in English.
Title + ii Index + Frontispiece portrait + 396 pp + xxvi 'Historical Chronicle' + xxi-xxiii Index (misprinted page number of 'xix') + (1) + 2 Plates.
Dimensions:
Approximately 188mm high x 120mm wide x 26mm deep.
Weight approximately 382g unpacked.