Reissued as The gift of remembrance, a souvenir of all seasons, Philadelphia, H. F. Anners, 1858. cf. Thompson, Ralph. American literary annuals & gift books, 1825-1865, p. 119
This volume is an example of a form of literary work called a literary annuals, also known as gift books or keepsakes which were 19th century books, often lavishly decorated, which collected essays, short fiction, and poetry. They were primarily published in the autumn, in time for the holiday season and were intended to be given away rather than read by the purchaser. They were often printed with the date of the coming new year, but copyrighted with the actual year of publication. Almost all contained steel engravings, a new technology around 1820 which allowed mass production, the expense of which was offset by the potential for resale and reuse.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_book
