Punch Magazine 1888 Complete 2-Volume Set w/ Jack the Ripper Cartoon

Offered is an original complete two-volume bound annual set of Punch, or The London Charivari for the year 1888, published in London at 85 Fleet Street. These are the original publisher's cloth-bound annuals containing every weekly issue published during one of the most significant years in Victorian history.

This set is especially notable because Volume II contains the celebrated September 22, 1888 political cartoon "Blind-Man's Buff (As Played by the Police)," one of the best-known contemporary satirical illustrations published during the Jack the Ripper murders.

Unlike isolated weekly issues that occasionally appear for sale, this is the complete annual publication, preserving the cartoons, articles, political commentary, and historical context exactly as Victorian readers experienced them.

Historical Significance

Few years in nineteenth-century Britain were as eventful as 1888.

During this year, London witnessed:

• The Whitechapel (Jack the Ripper) murders
• The Matchgirls' Strike
• Heightened Irish Home Rule debates
• The growth of London's modern police force
• Expanding imperial politics
• Rapid industrial and social change

Punch served as Britain's premier satirical magazine, often compared to today's combination of The New Yorker, political cartoons, and editorial satire. It featured illustrations by many of the greatest artists of the Victorian period, including Sir John Tenniel, illustrator of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Because Punch commented on events as they happened, this volume provides an extraordinary contemporary window into public opinion during one of history's most famous criminal investigations.

The Jack the Ripper Connection

The highlight of this set is the full-page illustration:

"Blind-Man's Buff (As Played by the Police)"

September 22, 1888

Published during the height of the Whitechapel murders, the cartoon depicts a blindfolded police officer attempting to catch unseen figures while children mock the futile effort.

Its caption reads:

"Turn round three times, and catch whom you may!"

The image satirizes the Metropolitan Police, expressing widespread public frustration that investigators appeared unable to identify the serial murderer terrorizing London's East End.

The illustration appeared after the murders of:

• Mary Ann Nichols (August 31)
• Annie Chapman (September 8)

and only days before the infamous "Double Event" murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes on September 30.

As a result, it represents one of the earliest published visual commentaries on the Jack the Ripper investigation, created while the crimes were still unfolding rather than as a later historical interpretation.

This illustration is frequently reproduced in books and documentaries concerning Jack the Ripper and Victorian crime.

Contents

The complete two-volume annual includes:

• Every weekly issue of Punch for 1888
• Hundreds of original wood engravings
• Political cartoons
• Social satire
• Literary commentary
• Original advertisements
• "Punch's Almanack for 1888"
• Parliamentary satire
• Victorian cultural commentary
• Multiple references to the Whitechapel murders throughout the latter half of the year

Condition

• Complete two-volume set
• Original publisher's cloth bindings
• Original gilt decorations
• Interior pages remarkably clean
• Strong text blocks
• Original owner's bookplate "Ex Libris Charles Jones"
• Expected wear to cloth
• Fraying at spine ends
• One volume has a detached/weakened front hinge (see photographs)
• Minor age toning consistent with age

This set appeals to collectors of:

• Jack the Ripper memorabilia
• Victorian history
• Crime history
• Punch magazine
• Political cartoons
• John Tenniel illustrations
• British social history
• Fine press and illustrated books

Complete annual sets from 1888 are considerably scarcer than individual weekly issues, particularly in original publisher's bindings.

Publication Details

Title: Punch, or The London Charivari
Year: 1888
Publisher: Published at the Office, 85 Fleet Street, London
Printer: Bradbury, Agnew & Co., Whitefriars
Format: Two original cloth-bound annual volumes
Language: English

Dimensions (Of both volumes):

• Weight - 2.03KG
• Height - 28cm
• Width - 22cm
• Thickness - 5cm