The World of Vanity Fair by Bertram Fletcher Robinson [Illustrated] [Paperback]

The latest product of Paul Spiring's researches among the works of Bertram Fletcher Robinson is "The World of Vanity Fair". In his short life, Robinson was a remarkably prolific journalist, editing "The Daily Express", "Vanity Fair" and "The World" in addition to his other literary pursuits. "Vanity Fair", which nothing in common but the name with today's magazine, began in 1868 as a satirical journal -- though we would consider the satire very polite. Its most famous feature, from January 1869 until the magazine folded in 1914, was the series of full-colour caricatures of celebrated persons, with humorous text attributed to "Jehu Junior". The most prolific artists were Carlo Pellegrini, who signed his work "Ape", and Leslie Ward, otherwise "Spy", but there were at least twenty-four others, including James Jacques Tissot and Max Beerbohm. Between 1905 and his death in 1907 Fletcher Robinson contributed fifteen articles to "The Windsor Magazine", under the title "Chronicles in Cartoon", in which he reprinted nearly four hundred -- about a fifth -- of the "Vanity Fair" caricatures published so far, but grouped under headings that began with "Royalty" and proceeded through "Politics", "Music", "Empire Builders", "Leaders of Religion" and the like. "The World of Vanity Fair" reprints those fifteen articles, nearly 280 pages of them, in full-colour facsimile. You'll be keen to know, I'm sure, whether Spy's famous portrait of William Gillette is here. Sadly, it isn't, because Robinson died before his project got as far as "The Stage", but what we do have, thanks to Mr Spiring, is an extraordinarily rich gallery of late Victorian notables.

For any student of the Victorian era this book is a must. The articles reproduced within its pages talk about a variety of notable figures in a diverse set of fields from sport to politics.

The quality (especially with regards to the illustrations) is excellent and, while you may hesitate over the price, the book is worth buying if this era is of interest to you.

Every now and then, you comes across a really sumptuous book, where just turning and looking at the pages takes you into another world.

Such is the case with this one. 'Vanity Fair' was a gentler Victorian forerunner of 'Private Eye'. Subtitled, 'A Weekly Show of Political, Social, and Literary Wares', it appeared between 1868 and 1914. Like the more successful, longer-lasting 'Punch', it began with radical aspirations, intending to expose what [the editor] perceived to be the vanities of the elite social classes. However its satire was gently humorous rather than malicious, and almost everybody who was portrayed in its pages was flattered.

Between 1904 and 1906 the editor Bertram Fletcher Robinson wrote fifteen articles, 'Chronicles in Cartoon', for another periodical, 'The Windsor Magazine', featuring 394 of the 1960 caricatures that had originally appeared in the main journal. The series would have continued for longer had it not been for his untimely death in 1907, and in fact he left notes indicating plans for further pieces on people associated with art, the stage, the navy, and other fields. The articles that he completed and published appear in the present volume, faithfully reproduced in full colour facsimile, edited with an introduction by Paul R. Spiring.

What a feast the result is. These caricatures were much admired in their day, and I had seen some of them reproduced in other books, as well as the odd one or two in places like the National Portrait Gallery. So I was delighted to find them all brought together for perhaps the first time ever.

The articles are divided into categories. First comes 'Royalty' - and it is significant that this section includes the only four women in the book, followed by 'Potentates, Princes, and Presidents', and then various professions - politicians, lawyers, the army, musicians, sportsmen, explorers, inventors, men of letters, and so on.

The quality of reproduction is excellent, and there has been no effort to disguise the ravages of time on the originals. In other words, the occasional brown-spotting or page-crinkling is discernible, though never distracting; on the contrary, it does enhance the nostalgic old-world feel of the material.

So much for the appearance of the book - what about the text? It is fun to read the individual short biographies. Naturally they are occasionally a little sycophantic, and some individuals who are virtually forgotten today are accorded the highest praise. Who today remembers Dr Jonathan Hutchinson, who at the time of writing has for many years held one of the highest reputations amongst medical men in this country? Yet there is not unqualified praise throughout, and we learn that Anthony Trollope was a student and delineator of costume rather than of humanity, and unlike George Eliot (who is not represented, by the way), did not pry into the great problems of life or attempt to show the mournful irony of fate. Also the maverick MP Charles Bradlaugh is damned with ironic praise; his influence, which is great with the lower classes, arises partly from his audacity and partly from an unlimited belief in himself which he has communicated to many others.

Some of the illustrious empire builders, churchmen, army officers and cricketers will only be known today to the specialist, but the pages of politicians, musicians and writers will ring a bell with many. This is obviously a book of rather specialized interest. For somebody like me who is fascinated by almost anything connected with the Victorian era, it is a positive garden of delights, but it will not appeal to everyone. Moreover, it is the most expensive paperback I have ever seen. For all that, it really is a treasure as a work of art.

JOHN VAN DER KISTE
'The Bookbag'
May 2009