The People's Friend Special Magazine

29 September 2021

The People's Friend Special - Issue 215 - A feast of fabulous autumnal reading, with 14 feel-good short stories, and 'What Lies Beneath', an eight-page mystery by Ewan Smith. Olivia Greenway explores the beautiful Italian island of Sicily, while Bill Gibb climbs aboard the North Yorks Railway, and Polly Pullar makes the most of wildlife-spotting opportunities on a holiday in the Highlands. Wendy Turner celebrates National Poetry Day, we chat to the authors of a new book about modern manners, and Willie Shand delves into the history of Scotland’s Crown Jewels... plus recipes, nature, travel, puzzles, crafts, and lots more. --- Back in 1869, when the recently widowed Victoria was on the throne and Gladstone was Prime Minister, when Alexander Graham Bell was yet to make the first telephone call and Darwin's "Origin Of Species" had been published just ten years earlier, a brand-new magazine - "The People's Friend" - hit the shelves for the very first time. This is The People's Friend Special. Right from the start, the "Friend's" mission statement was clear: "We intend that fully one half of the 'Friend' shall be devoted to fiction... the 'Friend' being intended for fireside reading, nothing will be admitted into its columns having the slightest tendency to corrupt the morals either of old or young." As the years passed, the "Friend" grew and thrived. Through massive social upheaval, wars, strikes, financial crashes and natural disasters, the magazine continued, dispensing entertainment, instruction, comfort and good cheer to its readers. It became a constant in readers' lives; a true friend to turn to in times of trouble.