Sold by all book-sellers and sent by mail post-paid on receipt of price. Lee & Shepard, Publishers,

Boston.

ITH the issue of the November, 1887, number, THE CENTURY enters upon its thirty-fifth volume, and begins its eighteenth year. The history of the magazine has been a remarkable one. From the first issue in 1870 it has never ceased to grow,- to increase its attractions, and to gather together the best that writers, artists, and engravers could furnish, and lay this material, month by month, before a constantly increasing audience. When it began, the best artists would not furnish pictures for illustrating; for their work at that time must needs be copied by a draughtsman on the block before engraving. In this magazine was early employed the method, now universal, of photographing the original picture on the wood for the engraver. In this way none of the effects were lost, and real artists began to illustrate, knowing that their work would be accurately reproduced. The illustrations in THE CENTURY have made for it a world-wide reputation, and it was through this magazine that the attention of foreign critics was first called to the superiority of American engravers and printers. American magazines are to-day the wonder of the world. Within a few months the publishers of THE CENTURY have had a request from the managers of one of the most famous printing establishments of Europe,- the Imperial State Press of Vienna,-asking for samples of the paper and ink used on this magazine, and a description of the presses on which such wonderful results are obtained.

The Circulation of The Century

has grown steadily from 40,000, seventeen years ago, to an average of considerably over 230,000 monthly during the past year, the editions of some numbers reaching 250,000. How many readers this means it is impossible to estimate, but with the growth of reading-rooms, village lending societies, etc., it is probable that two millions of people read each issue of the magazine. The series of papers on the battles of the Civil War, contributed by distinguished generals on both sides, increased the circulation 75,000,-probably a greater gain than was ever made by one feature in the history of magazines. It was for this series that General Grant was first induced to write his reminiscences. The Life of Lincoln, begun last November, and to be continued in 1888, has brought a further increase of 25,000 in the circulation.

The Editorial Departments

of THE CENTURY, treating political, social, and household matters, giving literary and art criticism and detailing the progress of thought and invention, have been a great element in its sucHere topics are discussed of vital interest in connection with the life of the nation

cess.

For the Coming Year

THE CENTURY presents a brilliant list of attractions. Not all that are now in preparation can be mentioned yet, and the exigencies of editing and the insertion of articles of especial timeliness always necessitate some modifications. But the following will be among the chief features:

Lincoln in the War.

The Life of Lincoln and history of his times, by his private secretaries, Messrs. John G. Nicolay (now Marshal of the Supreme Court of the United States) and John Hay (lately assistant Secretary of State of the United States), has been a great feature of THE CENTURY in 1887. As has been announced, this work, begun with the sanction and assistance of President Lincoln himself, and continued under the authority of the Hon. Robert Lincoln, has been in active preparation during the past seventeen years. It is the only full and authoritative record of the private life and public career of Abraham Lincoln. During the past year this work has been appearing in THE CENTURY, and the events of Mr. Lincoln's early life having been narrated, his political conflicts, the influences which formed his character, etc., the writers now enter upon a more important part of their narrative, and begin the new volume with the political and military history of the early period of the Civil War, and Mr. Lincoln's connection therewith. Entirely new light will be thrown upon certain events of that period by the publication of correspondence and other documents never hitherto printed; the very existence of some of

these documents has, in fact, been known to but a small circle. In early numbers the Montgomery Confederacy and the failure of compromise will be described and explained, as well as Lincoln's policy, conduct, and confidential correspondence after his election and previous to his inauguration; his Secret Night Journey to Washington, his Inauguration, his Cabinet, the Fall of Sumter, the Call to Arms, the National Uprising, etc.

Important Supplementary Papers in the War Series.

The War Papers by distinguished generals on both sides have been a constant and absorbing attraction to a large portion of THE CENTURY readers. This series will be followed by a number of supplementary papers, of a general and untechnical character, touching upon War matters. These will include a paper by General Sherman on "The Grand Strategy of the War"; a curious and popular statistical paper on "Regimental Losses in the War"; a thrilling narrative of personal adventure, entitled "Colonel Rose's Tunnel from Libby Prison"; a paper of interesting detail, descriptive of "Hard Times in the Confederacy," with other papers on "The Military Telegraph," "The Confederate Torpedo Service," "The Confederate Cruisers," "The Blockade," etc.

Siberia and the Exile System.

After the "War Series" and the Life of Lincoln, the most important enterprise ever undertaken by THE CENTURY is the forthcoming series of illustrated papers upon SIBERIA AND THE EXILE SYSTEM, by GEORGE KENNAN, author of Tent Life in Siberia, who has recently returned from an arduous journey of fifteen thousand miles through European and Asiatic Russia.

The forthcoming series of papers will embody the results of what is believed to be the first successful attempt by a competent investigator to make a careful and thorough study. of the Russian exile system on the ground. Before undertaking this journey, Mr. Kennan had spent four years in the Russian Empire,-three of them in Siberia,-had familiarized himself with the language and character of its people, and had thoroughly studied the existing Russian literature of the subject to which he proposed to devote himself. He went to Siberia with a circular letter of introduction from the Russian Minister of the Interior to the governors of the Siberian provinces, and began, under peculiarly favorable circumstances, his work of investigation.

Siberia.

In the course of a journey, which occupied fifteen months, and which was attended with great hardships and privations, Mr. Kennan visited every important convict prison and mine. in Siberia (except those on the Island of Sakhalin); traveled with marching parties of chained exiles along the great Siberian road; inspected convict barges, etapes, forwarding prisons, and prison hospitals from the Ural Mountains to the head-waters of the Amur, and made the intimate personal acquaintance of more than three hundred exiled liberals, revolutionists, and " Nihilists" in all parts of Siberia. His knowledge of the Russian language enabled him to talk freely not only with the Siberian officials, but with the exiles and convicts themselves, and the forthcoming papers will contain graphic descriptions of exile life on the convict barges, in the forwarding prisons and etapes, and in the famous Nertchinsk mines. Particular attention will be given to such curious and little-known features of exile life as "hunger strikes," the traffic in names and identities among exiles on the road, and the interesting communal system of self-government which prevails in convict prisons. Illustrations will be furnished of convict slang and argot, the methods of intercommunication practiced by prisoners will be minutely described, including various ingenious written ciphers and the "knock alphabet," and translations will be given of the characteristic songs composed and sung by exiles in the East Siberian prisons and mines.

THE CENTURY MAGAZINE — Continued.

In the field of political exile, to which recent events in Russia have given peculiar interest and importance, Mr. Kennan's researches were very extensive and thorough.

Mr. Kennan's papers will be further enriched by quotations from a large number of secret official documents and reports relating to the revolutionary movement and the exile system, which came into his possession in various parts of the empire. Among such documents are three secret reports of the Governor-General of Eastern Siberia to the present Tsar. The reports last named are especially important and significant for the reason that they set forth with great boldness and frankness the Governor-General's real opinions with regard to the condition of Siberian prisons and the working of the exile system, and for the further reason that they bear marginal notes and comments made by the Tsar himself upon the state of facts therein set forth.

THE CENTURY MAGAZINE sent with Mr. Kennan to Siberia Mr. George A. Frost, of Boston, artist and photographer; and the forthcoming series of papers will be copiously illustrated from original sketches and photographs of exile barges, etapes, prisons, and mines; Siberian villages and landscapes; types of little-known native tribes, and such other objects of interest as admit of pictorial treatment.

Fiction, by Edward Eggleston, Cable, Stockton, and others.

Edward Eggleston, author of "The Hoosier Schoolmaster," will contribute a new novel of Western life, entitled "The Graysons, a Story of Illinois," which is marked by humorous character-drawing, strong and exciting situations, and a sympathetic understanding of the country and people described. This novel, which portrays a trial in which Abraham Lincoln was a chief actor, was written before the appearance of any part of the Life of Lincoln by Messrs. Nicolay and Hay, and the appearance at this time of Mr. Lincoln as an important auxiliary character in a work of fiction is a pure coincidence. "The Graysons," will be the principal serial of THE CENTURY for the coming year, and will be illustrated by Miss Allegra Eggleston, daughter of the novelist. Frank R. Stockton, author of "The Lady, or the Tiger?" "The Hundredth Man," etc., etc., has written a novelette, "The Dusantes," and George W. Cable will contribute "Au Large," an Acadian story, setting forth the effect of enlightening influences and free institutions upon the Acadian character. Besides this novel and the novelettes there will be a great variety of short stories by the best authors, many of them illustrated.

Miscellaneous Features.

These will include occasional articles bearing upon the subjects treated in the current INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY-SCHOOL LESSONS, illustrated with reproductions of Mr. Edward L. Wilson's interesting photographs; a series of papers on IRELAND, its Ethnology, Customs, Town Life, Literature, and Arts, by Charles DeKay, illustrated by J. W. Alexander; papers by Theodore Roosevelt, author of "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman," portraying the wild industries and scarcely wilder sports of the Far West, illustrated by Frederick Remington; further important papers dealing with the COLONIAL PERIOD,-the result of Dr. Eggleston's original and thorough researches in this special line; Mrs. Van Rensselaer's papers on ENGLISH CATHEDRALS, with Mr. Pennell's remarkable illustrations; Dr. Buckley's timely series on DREAMS, PRESENTIMENTS, SPIRITUALISM, COINCIDENCES, etc., together with essays on Religious, Educational, Artistic, and other questions of the day. THE CENTURY for the coming year will devote more space than usual to MUSICAL SUBJECTS.

Terms.-$4.00 a year, in advance; 35 cents a number.

A Special Offer to New Subscribers.

In order that new readers of THE CENTURY who begin to take it with the opening of the new volume, November, 1887, may get the early chapters of the Lincoln History, we make a special offer of a year's subscription beginning with November, 1887, and the twelve back numbers from November, 1886 (in which the Lincoln History was begun), for $6; or a year's subscrip tion from November, 1887, with these twelve back numbers bound in two handsome volumes, for $7.50. The regular price of the first offer is $8, and of the second, $10. Dealers everywhere take subscriptions and supply numbers, or they will be sent, prepaid, from the office of the publishers. (See first cover page for directions for remitting money.)