First published in 1880, this is a complete catalogue of the traders and products that featured in an exhibition at London's Agricultural Hall, 5-17 July 1880. The focus of the exhibition was printing, stationery, papermaking and related trades, and around 200 organisations participated, displaying items such as printing appliances, papermaking machinery, stationery materials, packaging, and precision instruments. The catalogue's editor, journalist Lucien Wolf (1857-1930), prefaces it with an informative overview of trade exhibitions, examining their history and future, and their role in bringing together producers, retailers, buyers, wholesalers and importers to assess competition, compare products and evaluate the state and progress of their trades. The main body of the catalogue contains information on exhibitors and their products, and a range of authentic advertisements. Providing a revealing snapshot of industrial England, this work remains of interest to historians and scholars interested in Victorian trade.
