Lippincott's Magazine, October 1885   By: Various

Lippincott's Magazine, October 1885 is a delightful collection of short stories, essays, and poems that provide a fascinating glimpse into the culture and society of the late 19th century. The featured pieces cover a wide range of topics, from the supernatural to the mundane, and each one is expertly crafted with vivid descriptions and engaging language. The standout works in this issue include a gripping mystery story, a poignant narrative about love and loss, and a thought-provoking essay on the state of the world. Overall, this magazine is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the literary offerings of the Victorian era.

First Page:

There are words which have careers as well as men, or, perhaps it may be more happily said, as well as women. Mere words breathed on by Fancy, and sent forth not so much to serve man's ordinary colloquial uses, apparently, as to fascinate his mind, have their débuts . their season, their vogue, and finally a period in which it is really too bad if they have not the consolation of reflecting upon their conquests; for conquests they certainly have. The great captivators the Cleopatras of the vocabulary one easily recognizes; but besides these there is a host of small flirts and every day coquettes, whom one hardly suspects till they have a little carried him away. Almost every one remembers how in this light company he first came across the little word ranch . It had in its youth distinctly the cachet of the verbal flying squadron, the "nameless something," the oenanthic whiff which flies to the head. There are signs that its best days as a word are now over, and in contemplating it at present one has a vision of a passée brunette, in the costume of Fifine at the Fair, solacing herself with thoughts of early triumphs. "Would a farm have served?" she murmurs. "Would a plantation, an orange grove, have satisfied the desperate young man? No, no; he must have his ranch! There was no charm could soothe his melancholy, and wring for him the public bosom, save mine... Continue reading book >>