The 1860s are considered the "Golden Age" of illustrated periodicals, a time when the "knockabout" humor of the 1840s, which was dominated by illustrators such as Cruikshank, Doyle, and Phiz, gave way to a more considered style grounded in serious artistic principles, allowing for deeper expression and emotion in artistic output. The first book of its kind, Illustrated Periodicals of the 1860s, focuses extensively on the illustrated magazine as a distinct form.

Illustrated Periodicals provides a new and informative approach to the study of "sixties" periodicals, revealing the previously unstudied area of the complex interrelationships between the various parties involved in the production of these magazines: publishers, editors, artists, engravers, and authors. The book considers the effects of these relationships on creative output, both artistic and literary, and in so doing provides a detailed, historical reconstruction of the essential character of the periodicals of that era. The book includes over 120 reproductions of engravings and preparatory drawings, almost all of them original size.

Additionally, the text contains two appendices; the first includes a reflection of the work that goes into collecting and researching these periodicals. The second lists the key illustrators, engravers, publishers, editors, as well as magazines mentioned throughout the text, each including a brief description. This work is an informative and colorful choice for those interested in the history of periodicals, the production of magazines, and art.

Simon Cooke has written widely on the subject of Victorian art and literature. He received his doctorate from Exeter and his teaching qualifications from the Open University and the University of Leicester. Cooke is currently a teacher of English language and literature.

Available outside North and South America from The British Library.