Harper's Weekly

#1. Harper's Weekly p.485, The Moonstone

#2. Harper's Weekly p.486, The Moonstone

#1. Harper's Weekly p.485, The Moonstone

                The first page of the Harper’s Weekly publication is modest in its attention to the journal itself. ‘Harper’s Weekly’ is seen in plain print at the top of the page, doing little more than reminding the reader in passing that they are reading this text within the journal. The focus of the page is undoubtedly The Moonstone. The title of the novel stands out against the rest of the smaller text on the page, and the author’s name is hard to miss directly below it. Immediately, the reader knows what they are reading and who has written it, they also become aware of other texts by said author, boasting Collins’ own success.

                The title, however, pales when compared to the two illustrations on the page. Harper’s notes that this narrative is ‘RICHLY ILLUSTRATED’, and rightly so. The top-left image shows (presumably) Blake speaking to Gooseberry, while the bottom-right displays the climax of the installment – the death and reveal of Godfrey Ablewhite. Not only do these images effectively draw the reader into the narrative, they excite Harper’s audience by showing what is in store for them if they choose to indulge in Collins’ story. In short, almost no emphasis is placed on the journal, and it appears that every penny spent in printing was done so in an effort to advertise Collins’ work. 

#2. Harper's Weekly p.486, The Moonstone

                While the second and final page of The Moonstone installment lacks the allure of the title page that precedes it, it still remains clear that Harper’s focus is on the work itself rather than the journal or otherwise. Again, there are no advertisements present on the page or inserted in the text. While the title of the work and its author are not mentioned again on this page, Harper’s Weekly appears the same; modest text serving no purpose other than letting the reader know the journal they’re currently reading.

                The page is, essentially, a block of text, suggesting Harper’s counted on the title page of the text to allure readers. Certainly, the foreshadowing images would likely satisfy the initial attraction. Harper’s likely hoped that story itself, half of it having been written on the title page, would be enough to keep readers going to the end.