A New or Improved Method of Advertising.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Method of Advertising.
I, CHARLES MERRIEN of 11 Drylands Road, Weston Park, Crouch End,
London, N., Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a certain new or improved means for advertising and
for circulating items or announcements of useful information together with amusing,
interesting or like literary matter in various forms of compilation with a free puzzle
or puzzles in book form, and has reference to the subject-matter of a prior applica-
tion by me for Letters Patent bearing the No. 12183 and dated the 17th July
1891.
The book or pamphlet will be issued serially or in numbers as a "Prize Book,"
the London Prize Book" (or name of any other town or place) or the Prize
Memorandum Book.
The holder of the book shall be entitled to compete in the solution of the said
puzzle or puzzles free of cost with a right of winning the free prizes mentioned,
according to the skill, promptitude or other degree of excellence with which the
solutions of the puzzle or puzzles may or shall be returned or "sent in."
The advertisements, obtained by canvassers or through agents under agreement,
will be inserted, displayed and indexed in the "book" as may be deemed advisable."
The issuing of the "book" is to be undertaken by a railway company or other
large association or firm having facilities for distribution to a large number of
persons and who shall be willing to do the same in return for the free use or appro-
priation to them of a few pages for their announcements or for special information
which will be accorded to them or their use free of costs in consideration of their
so effecting the distribution of the "books."
The quantity issued for each edition shall be fixed at some particular number such
as for instance 50,000. The amount of prizes to be competed for by the solution of
the puzzle or puzzles shall total a fixed percentage in the aggregate for every
periodical edition of 50,000 books."
The book when issued by a railway company will contain time tables for the
month of issue and useful and general information such as calendar for the year,
lists of picture galleries, theatres, the company's hotels, with Inland postal rates,
discount, interest, and wages tables; weights measures and coinage English and
Foreign.
It may also contain a diary for the month of issue and memorandum pages for
general use.
In the compiling of the "book" the puzzle or puzzles shall be placed so as to
necessitate their being searched for, and on the first page all requisite notice or
notices to that end and purpose together with particulars regarding the competition,
latest date for sending in auswers, date for publishing results and amount of prize
or prizes together with the denomination of the month of issue.
For instance the "book" will be about the size of an ordinary pocket book (say
5"x3") containing about 60 leaves or 120 pages, whereof about 60 pages will
be retained for advertisements. The "book" and cover will be printed and carried
out in artistic style, both as to ornamentation and color, gilding or coloring of the
edges, and the like so that it will be pretty and attractive with its characteristics of
usefulness and of the competitive matter.
As to the puzzles, in an edition of 50,000 there should be two prizes of value
together of say £60-for the first £40 and for the second £20. These said prizes
to be equally divided between the first four persons solving the first puzzle up to the

page_text: sending in date and the same for the second puzzle so that four persons will obtain a
prize value £10, and four a prize of £5 value. The prizes given will be tickets with
which goods up to the face value thereof may be had from any of the advertisers
whose advertisement shall appear in the particular edition wherein the competitive
particulars and puzzle or puzzles are announced.
Advertisers will thus have a genuine and largely distributed advertisement at a
small outlay, the puzzles being placed in the "book" in such wise as to necessitate
that the holder of the same shall read and examine the contents. There will
be a notice in the "book" to the effect that no prizes or orders for goods will
be given unless in exchange for the "book," and as the winners will be notified
in certain mediums or papers, in the early part of the ensuing month to that of the
edition in respect of which competitive results have appeared and have to bei
announced, all competitions (of which there must be a great number) will of necessity
keep their books" throughout the whole month and the prizes being orders on any
of the advertisers, the holder of the "book" will have an interest looking through
the advertisements by way of anticipation and later in selection.
Contracting and distributing companies or firms having several pages of adver-
tisements gratis with their name on the cover will have a great inducement to
distribute all they have as the greater the distributed number the more will be the
benefit.
12
"
The public will receive the "book" gratis and each "book is in itself the
voucher for the right to send in solutions for the puzzles appearing in the "book
besides the inherent value by way of information and utility.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The improved and novel means for advertising having a puzzle or puzzles arranged
and combined with the other matters of information, announcement and utility
constituting the "book" for issue in series as and for the purpose herein specified.
Dated this 30th day of November 1891.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.