Wilkie Collins, Rambles beyond railways, or, Notes in Cornwall taken a-foot, (1851)
S.W. Cupboard 1851 COL
When the popular sensation novel writer Wilkie Collins (1824 – 1889) journeyed to the far South-West in the 1850s, he accordingly entitled the account of his adventures Rambles beyond railways, or, notes in Cornwall taken a-foot. Accompanied by the artist Henry Brandling, Collins was clearly seeking to capture Cornwall’s more aloof and suspenseful qualities. In this lively account, he discusses local superstitions, impressive rock formations, and the shortcomings of reaching a place beyond the known.
The Devon and Exeter Institution is lucky to hold a first edition copy of Collins’ Cornish travels, published by Richard Bentley in 1851. The cover is unassuming— Collins himself noted “I have made it as neat as I can,” choosing a “coat of decent cloth.” However, his fellow traveller Henry Brandling’s charming lithographs mark the volume out as work of visual interest.
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