The People's Friend Special Magazine

20 October 2021

The People's Friend Special - Issue 216 - Enjoy 14 sparkling short stories from favourite authors, and eight pages of puzzles and brainteasers to keep your mind active. Dawn Geddes chats to the curator of an important archive that records climate change's impact on people, and film-maker Doug Allan shares his passion for the planet with Bill Gibb. Nick Drainey reveals the fascinating story of the real Robinson Crusoe, and Neil McAllister discovers his own tropical paradise in Belize. Laura Brown delves into the history of the ancient art of rug making, and Lisa Crow looks at the phenomenon of misheard song lyrics. We’ve a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett designer quilt for craft enthusiasts, and some tasty recipes from Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen to try... 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.