Advertisement by William Coombe

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1     The British Public is here presented with the first attempt to rival the numerous and elegant publications of the Continent, expressly designed to serve as tokens of remembrance, friendship, or affection, at that season of the year which ancient custom has particularly consecrated to the interchange of such memorials. The Publisher flatters himself that as well from the nature of the literary department, in which it has been his aim to unite the agreeable with the useful, as from the execution of the graphic embellishments, this first volume of the Forget-Me-Not will be deemed not unworthy of the purpose for which it is intended.

2     The Plates consist of a highly finished engraving, by Agar, of a Madonna, after Gemignano, on whom the genius of his master Raphael so largely rested, an emblematical representations of the Twelve Months, also engraved by Agar, from designs by Burney. These embellishments, to which the names of the artists alone must be a sufficient recommendation, are accompanied with poetical illustrations from the pen of an eminently popular writer.*¹

3     In addition to the above-mentioned Plates, there will be found at the beginning of the volume an engraved wreath of the flower, bearing the name selected for the title of this work, with a blank for the purpose of receiving a presentation inscription.

4     It would be superfluous to enter into any comments on the literary compositions which from the chief portion of this vo-lume; they must be left to speak for themselves; but among the documents introduced into the concluding sheets, the Publisher begs leave to direct the Reader's attention to the important Tables exhibiting the results of the late Census, compiled from the returns of the Population of Great Britain, just printed by order of the House of Commons. For some of the other useful articles of reference in this part of the volume, he professes his obligations to the Gotha Almanac, a work of acknowledged accuracy and of high reputation on the Continent.

5     It is intended that the Forget-Me-Not shall be ready for delivery every year, early in November; and the Publisher has no doubt that, in the prosecution of his plan, he shall be enabled, by experience, to introduce improvements into the succeeding volumes, for which he shall neglect no means to secure the contributions of the most eminent writers, both at home and abroad -- while his long and extensive connexion with the Arts, and the credit with which he has acquitted himself in his various undertakings in that line, will, he trusts, be a satisfactory pledge that his best exertions shall not be wanting to give to this Work a decided superiority in regard to its embellishments, over every other existing publication of the kind.