The People's Friend Magazine

1 December 2021

The People's Friend - Issue 7906 - Unmissable fiction with 18 short stories and 4 exclusive serial instalments to get you in the mood for Christmas in our 144 page issue packed with feel-good reading. If you’re feeling crafty, our cute little angels made from plastic bottles could be just the project for you. We have six pages of recipes for sweet treats that will make ideal edible gifts, too, and our health writer Jackie Mitchell looks at the benefits of enjoying a meat-free Christmas. Other highlights include the little penguins of Australia’s Phillip Island, Britain’s most festive winter destinations, and Douglas McPherson’s fascinating article about the day music’s 'Million Dollar Quartet' played together in Memphis 65 years ago. And don’t miss Janey Swanson’s intriguing feature about Hans Christian Andersen’s visit to Edinburgh in 1847. Enjoy a happy two weeks of reading... Plus more stories, serials, health, gardening, knitting, recipes, travel, and much more inside. --- 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. 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.