John Limbird (1796?-1883) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

stationer Stationery refers to commercially manufactured writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, writing implements, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery includes materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) ...

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, characterised by an obituarist as "the father of our periodical writing". John Limbird was christened on 1 May 1796 in the parish of St. Nicholas,

Glatton Glatton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, some south-west of Peterborough, near the villages of Conington, Yaxley and Stilton. It lies in the non-metropolitan district of Huntingdonshire, which is part of Cambridgesh ...

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...

, the sixth child of John Limbird and Elizabeth Hitchcock. He married Lucy Glover on 7 April 1817 in

Godmanchester Godmanchester ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is separated from Huntingdon, to the north, by the valley of the River Great Ouse. Being on the Roman road network, the town has a lo ...

, Huntingdonshire. He had two daughters, Elizabeth Limbird born 1818 and Sally Dolby Limbird born 1823, both baptised at the Church of

St Anne, Soho St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster, also known as St Anne Soho, was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of St Anne's Church, Soho to meet the demands of the grow ...

, London. From 1822 to 1847 Limbird published a twopenny weekly, ''The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction'', which has been characterized as "the first long-lived cheap periodical" in Britain.Altick, p. 266 It was edited by Thomas Byerley,

John Abraham Heraud John Abraham Heraud (1799–1887) was an English journalist and poet. He published two extravagant epic poems, ''The Descent into Hell'' (1830), and ''The Judgment of the Flood'' (1834). He also wrote plays, and travel books. Life He was born ...

Percy Bolingbroke St John Percy Bolingbroke St John (4 March 1821 – 1889) was an English journalist.Robert J. Kirkpatrick, ''From the Penny Dreadful to the Ha'penny Dreadfuller'' (London: British Library, 2013), p. 23. Early life Percy St. John was the eldest son of J ...

, and

John Timbs John Timbs (; 17 August 1801 – 6 March 1875) was an English author and antiquary. Some of his work was published under the pseudonym of Horace Welby. Biography Timbs was born in 1801 in Clerkenwell, London. He was educated at a private school ...

. Late in 1847 it became the ''Mirror Monthly Magazine''; and from 1849 to 1850 appeared finally as the ''London Review''.

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