Rare: A Gossip About Old Grimsby c1892 Anderson Bates Victorian Local History
 
Title & Author
 
A Gossip About Old Grimsby by Anderson Bates
Publisher & Date
 
Printed by Albert Gait, Printer, Market-Place, Grimsby.
Believed to be published by Albert Gait, Printer & Publisher, Grimsby, circa 1892–1893.
 
Dating justification

Although the title page is missing, the preface is dated December 1892, and printer imprint appears on page 183. Bibliographic records list the publisher as Albert Gait, confirming this attribution.
 
Edition Information
 
Likely first edition. Locally printed provincial publication.
 
Physical Description
 
Green cloth boards and spine with gilt title and author to the front cover. Coloured pastedowns. Octavo. The binding is protected by a clear archival covering.
 
Key Features
Scarce Victorian local history of Grimsby
Locally printed in Grimsby, not a mass-market publication
Surviving example of a working research copy
Former institutional / museum-associated use
Preface dated December 1892
 
Historical / Bibliographic Context
 
A Gossip About Old Grimsby is a late-Victorian local history produced by a provincial printer for a regional audience. Such books were typically issued in small numbers and intended for practical use rather than preservation, making surviving copies uncommon.
 
Works of this kind are valued today for their documentary importance, preserving local traditions, anecdotes, and historical observations often absent from formal county histories.
 
Condition Report
 
Exterior
Green cloth binding intact and structurally sound
Gilt title and author present
Light rubbing to corners and to head and tail of spine
A few light surface marks consistent with age
Protective clear covering present
 
Interior
Front free endpaper and title page absent
Text present and complete from preface (page 3) through to final page (page 133)
Pages tanned with occasional light marks
Numerous small pen and pencil annotations throughout, consistent with research use, and some pencil marks; text unaffected
Large tear to inner margin of page 5 (page remains attached; text unaffected)
A few further small edge tears elsewhere; text unaffected
Very light gutter cracking to a small number of pages
Pages remain secure overall
 
Dimensions & Weight
 
Approx. 22.4 × 14.8 × 1.4 cm
Weight: c. 415 grams
 
Completeness Notes
 
Lacks front free endpaper and title page
Preface through final page complete (pages 3-133)
Text block otherwise intact
 
Provenance 
 
This copy bears ownership stamps and an ex-libris plate indicating former use in connection with Immingham Museum, including stamps identifying “B. Tailby, Curator, Immingham Museum” dated 1973, and an ex-libris plate dated 1982.
The presence of annotations and institutional markings suggests this book functioned as a working research or reference copy, likely consulted for local historical or curatorial purposes.
 
Collector’s Summary
 
A scarce Victorian local history of Grimsby, printed locally in 1892 and surviving here as an institutional research copy. Although lacking its title page, the book retains its complete historical text and offers strong regional interest, enhanced by its documented museum association. Best suited to collectors of Lincolnshire history, Grimsby heritage, or provincial Victorian publications.