Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 15, No. 87, March, 1875

A window into 1875, this issue of Lippincott's opens with one of the most gripping first-person narratives you're likely to encounter. Rufin Piotrowski was a Polish political prisoner exiled to Siberia who made a daring escape, and his account reads like a thriller written in real blood. The narrative follows his perilous journey through frozen wilderness and across European borders, always in disguise, always one step ahead of his pursuers. His psychological state as he leaves behind everyone he loves, his constant fear of discovery, the claustrophobia of forced anonymity - this is historical writing that makes you feel the cold. But this is also a magazine of its moment: Victorian readers would have found essays on the science of the day, social commentary, and other fiction alongside Piotrowski's tale. The texture of what occupied American minds in 1875 is here, preserved in amber. For readers who want primary sources, who want to hear voices from the past speaking directly about real suffering, this is extraordinary.