''Forget-Me-Not'' was an illustrated British annual published by

Rudolph Ackermann Rudolph Ackermann (20 April 1764 in Schneeberg, Electorate of Saxony – 30 March 1834 in Finchley, London) was an Anglo-German bookseller, inventor, lithographer, publisher and businessman. Biography He attended the Latin school in Stollberg ...

. It was the first

literary annual Gift books, literary annuals, or keepsakes were 19th-century books, often lavishly decorated, which collected essays, short fiction, and poetry. They were primarily published in the autumn, in time for the holiday season and were intended to be g ...

in English and it was edited by

Frederic Shoberl Frederic Shoberl (1775–1853), also known as Frederick Schoberl, was an English journalist, editor, translator, writer and illustrator. Shoberl edited ''Forget-Me-Not'', the first literary annual, issued at Christmas "for 1823" and translated '' ...

from its launch in 1822. A junior version appeared in 1828.

History

In November 1822 Rudolf Ackermann published ''Forget-Me-Not: A Christmas and New Years Present for 1823''. This was the first literary annual.History:A "Small" Genre Succeeds
Harris, Katherine D. "Forget Me Not: A Hypertextual Archive of Ackermann's 19th-Century Literary Annual", Sept 2007, Poetess Archive. General editor Laura Mandell, accessed June 2010 From the first edition he employed Frederic Shoberl as editor. This annual was a new concept it combined some aspects that had been seen in England with new ideas Ackermann had brought from Germany. The idea of an "annual" was new and was aimed primarily at women readers and exploited the lowering cost of publishing. A marked difference was that Ackermann was willing to commission engravings and then request a story or poem to accompany it. This was a major difference from previously when the writers saw themselves as leading the imaginative process. By 1828, there were fifteen different "literary annuals" and they were selling 100,000 copies at prices between eight shillings and three pounds. By 1831 there were 61 titles and this phenomenon lasted until 1846 when the variety had reduced to 16 titles. The idea of a diary and almanac was familiar to English readers but this new annual contained twelve engravings to commemorate each month. The annual had a historical review of the previous year and the recent census, a family tree for the monarchy of Britain and a list of sovereign families and ambassadors for other kingdoms.Contributions to annuals and gift-books
James Hogg, Janette Currie, Gillian Hughes, p. xiv, 2006, accessed June 2010 Poetry that was published includes works by

Hester Thrale Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; later Piozzi; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821),Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January ...

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

Letitia Elizabeth Landon Letitia Elizabeth Landon (14 August 1802 – 15 October 1838) was an English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L. The writings of Landon are transitional between Romanticism and the Victorian Age. Her first major breakthrough ...

and

Mary Wollstonecraft Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...

. Many of the artists who had their work included were

Royal Academicians This is a partial list of Royal Academicians (Post-nominal: RA), academicians of the Royal Academy of Arts in London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. ...

and a considerable fee would have been paid. Once engraved the artwork was then used to solicit accompanying texts. ''Forget-Me-Not'' was published annually until 1847 and there was a single publication for the year 1856. Ackermann also employed Shoberl as editor from 1828 to 1832 of the juvenile version of the annual.G. C. Boase, ‘Shoberl, Frederic (1775–1853)’, rev. Nilanjana Banerji, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 1 June 2010
/ref> The literary annual's popularity waned and publications ceased in England, although the genre was still popular in America for some time. The ''Forget-Me-Not'' publications are being digitised because of their value.Harris, Katherine D. "Forget Me Not: A Hypertextual Archive of Ackermann's 19th-Century Literary Annual", January 2007, Poetess Archive. General editor Laura Mandell
1 June 2010
/ref> The artwork and text have been digitised.

References

{{reflist British books Publications established in 1822 1856 disestablishments in the United Kingdom 1822 establishments in the United Kingdom