The 1851 “Great Exhibition” was an extraordinary success, located in Hyde Park, London, UK. After one season, the famous glasshouse – dubbed the “crystal palace” – was sold to a private company, disassembled, and moved to a new site near Sydenham, Anerley, and Norwood in South London. The “Crystal Palace Company” (CPC) opened a pleasure park in 1854 that included the great glasshouse (expanded and filled with cultural galleries and exhibits), plus elaborate gardens and the now famous sculptures of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

Visitors had many sights to see once inside the entrance gates. The CPC accommodated their need for orientation by producing a series of guides to particular elements in the park. To provide an overview, they published a general guide: from highlights and general philosophies to practical information about food and conveniences. This was updated every season. They also published specialist guides for specific elements of their park. These extended the visitor’s experience, providing extra detail and explanation far beyond what could be provided on site. Many of the authors for these specialist guides were well-respected experts in their field. Their authorships – think of these as celebrity intellectual endorsements – added to the pleasure park’s air of authenticity and respectability. They helped Crystal Palace seem a far more sophisticated experience than would come from simple amusement park.

Euston Grove Press is committed to reprinting these guides, producing facsimiles directly from original guides and ensuring reproduction is crisp, clean, and clear. We pay particular attention to bibliographic information, so we (and you!) understand precisely what you’re purchasing. We also pay particular attention to the illustrations and their careful reproduction. Euston Grove Press is producing a complete set of facsimiles editions for this series of handbooks, with completion expected in 2022.

Euston Grove Press is an independent small publisher located in London, United Kingdom. We published our first book in 2007. We publish original books and pamphlets, as well as quality facsimile editions. We sell our books worldwide.