Christmas & Summer Extras

The first GOP Extra appeared in time for Christmas 1881, during the run of Volume 3; it was called 'Christmas Roses'. In the indexes it is described as '1881.03 Christmas Roses'. The Summer Extra which followed was called 'Silver Sails'; it was issued in June 1882, during the run of Volume 3, and so it is described as '1882.03 Silver Sails'. The next Christmas Extra, issued Christmas 1882, during the run of Volume 4 is described as '1882.04 Christmas Carillon'. The same method is used for each Extra, up to the very last, described as '1913.35 Extra Christmas Part'. It is therefore possible, from the index reference, to read off the date of publication, the associated volume number, and the name, of each Extra to the GOP.

Without such detailed references, dating a GOP Extra is not easy. They do not, in general, carry volume numbers, and many carry no date. The best clue to identification is that given in the GOP itself, where forthcoming Extras were advertised, with a detailed list of contents, a few weeks before each Extra was to appear.

Extras can occasionally be found as separate publications, just as they were originally issued. More commonly, they are found bound in with the GOP Annuals; but a given extra may be found bound in with an Annual containing GOPs of the year before its own publication, the year of publication, or the year after publication! This is because readers were free to accumulate GOPs and Extras, and then to have them privately bound, at their own convenience. Some readers accumulated Extras and had several of them bound as a separate volume, not always in correct date order. So finding and identifying GOP Extras is an interesting puzzle, one of those puzzles which make book- collecting so fascinating.

Each Extra has its own independent page-numbering, running from 1 to 60 or so, quite separate from the page numbering of the Volume during whose run they were issued. This distinguishes the genuine Extras from the 'Double Numbers' and other additional material, which formed part of some of the volumes of GOP. Note that the word 'Supplement' was used by the GOP in the early nineteen-hundreds to describe additional pages of 'Answers to Correspondents' and advertising material, which was bound in with the magazines. These bear no resemblance to the Christmas or Summer Extras.

All extras are listed below.

* Enlarged December issue in 1908 and 1909, but no "Extras".

The contents of the index to the Girl's Own Paper is © Honor Ward. Parts of the index may be used and distributed for any non-commercial activity as long as this notice remains with the index. Corrections and queries to the please.

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