to use the word magazine in the sense of a periodical of miscellaneous
literature. The specially antiquarian, biographical and historical
features, which make this magazine so valuable a store-house for
information for the period it covers, were dropped in 1868, when
an “entirely new series,” a miscellany of light literature was successively
edited by Gowing, Joseph Hatton and Joseph Knight.
Many other magazines were produced in consequence of the success of these two. It will be sufficient to mention the following: The Scots Magazine (1739–1817) was the first published in Scotland, from 1817 to 1826 it was styled the Edinburgh Magazine. The Universal Magazine (1747) had a short, if brilliant, career; but the European Magazine, founded by James Perry in 1782, lasted down to 1826. Of more importance than these, or than the Royal Magazine (1759–1771) was the Monthly Magazine (1796–1843), with which Priestley and Godwin were originally connected. During thirty years the Monthly was conducted by Sir Richard Phillips, under whom it became more statistical and scientific than literary. Class magazines were represented by the Edinburgh Farmer’s Magazine (1800–1825) and the Philosophical Magazine (1798), established in London by Alexander Tilloch; the latter at first consisted chiefly of translations of scientific articles from the French. The following periodicals, all of which date from the 18th century, are still published: the Gospel Magazine (1766, with which is incorporated the British Protestant), the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine (1778), Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (1786), Evangelical Magazine (1793; since 1905 the Evangelical British Missionary), the Philosophical Magazine (1798), now known as the London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine.
The increased influence of this class of periodical upon public opinion was first apparent in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, founded in 1817 by the publisher of that name, and carried to a high degree of excellence by the contributions of Scott, Lockhart, Hogg, Maginn, Syme and John Wilson (“Christopher North”), John Galt and Samuel Warren. It has always remained Liberal in literature and Conservative in politics. The New Monthly Magazine is somewhat earlier in date. It was founded in 1814 by the London publisher, Colburn, and was edited in turn by Campbell, Theodore Hook, Bulwer-Lytton and Ainsworth. Many of Carlyle’s and Thackeray’s pieces first appeared in Fraser’s Magazine (1830), long famous for its personalities and its gallery of literary portraits. The Metropolitan Magazine was started in opposition to Fraser, and was first edited by Campbell, who had left its rival. It subsequently came into the hands of Captain Marryatt, who printed in it many of his sea-tales. The British Magazine (1832–1849) included religious and ecclesiastical information. From Ireland came the Dublin University Magazine (1833). The regular price of these magazines was half a crown; the first of the cheaper ones was Tait’s Edinburgh Magazine (1832–1861) at a shilling. It was Radical in politics, and had Roebuck as one of its founders. Bentley’s Miscellany (1837–1868) was exclusively devoted to novels, light literature and travels. Several of Ainsworth’s romances, illustrated by Cruikshank, first saw the light in Bentley. The Nautical Magazine (1832) was addressed specially to sailors, and Colburn’s United Service Journal (1829) to both services. The Asiatic Journal (1816) dealt with Oriental subjects.
From 1815 to 1820 a number of low-priced and unwholesome
periodicals flourished. The Mirror (1823–1849), a two-penny
illustrated magazine, begun by John
Limbird,[1] and
the Mechanics Magazine (1823) were steps in a better
direction. The political agitation of 1831 led to a further
popular demand, and a supply of cheap and healthy serials for
Cheap Pub-
lications.
the reading multitude commenced with Chambers’s Journal (1832),
the Penny Magazine (1832–1845) of Charles Knight, and the Saturday
Magazine (1832–1844), begun by the Society for Promoting Christian
Knowledge. The first was published at 112d. and the last two at 1d.
Knight secured the best authors and artists of the day to write for
and illustrate his magazine, which, though at first a commercial
success, may have had the reason of its subsequent discontinuance
in its literary excellence. At the end of 1832 it had reached a sale
of 200,000 in weekly numbers and monthly parts. It came to an
end in 1845 and was succeeded by Knight’s Penny Magazine
(1845), which was stopped after six monthly parts. These periodicals
were followed by a number of penny weeklies of a lower tone, such
as the Family Herald (1843), the London Journal (1845) and Lloyd’s
Miscellany. In 1850 the sale of the first of them was placed at
175,000 copies, the second at 170,000, and Lloyd’s at 95,000. In
1846 fourteen penny and three half-penny magazines, twelve social
journals, and thirty-seven book-serials were produced every week
in London. A further and permanent improvement in cheap
weeklies for home reading may be traced from the foundation of
Howitt’s Journal (1847–1849), and more especially Household Words
(1850), conducted by Charles Dickens, All the Year Round (1859),
by the same editor, and afterwards by his son, Once A Week (1859),
and the Leisure Hour (1852). The plan of Notes and Queries (1849),
for the purpose of inter-communication among those interested in
special points of literary and antiquarian character, has led to the
adoption of similar departments in a great number of newspapers
and periodicals, and, besides several imitators in England, there
are now parallel journals in Holland, France, and Italy.
Shilling monthlies began with Macmillan (1859), the Cornhill (1860), first edited by Thackeray, and Temple Bar (1860). St James’s Magazine (1861), Belgravia (1866), St Paul’s (1867–1874), London Society (1862), and Tinsley’s (1867) were devoted chiefly to novels and light reading. Sixpenny illustrated magazines commenced with Good Words (1860) and the Quiver (1861), both religious in tendency. In 1882 Fraser changed its name to Longman’s Magazine, and was popularized and reduced to sixpence. The Cornhill followed the same example in 1883 reducing its price to sixpence and devoting its pages to light reading. The English Illustrated Magazine (1883) was brought out in competition with the American Harper’s and Century. The Pall Mall Magazine followed in 1893. Of the artistic periodicals we may signalize the Art Journal (1849), Portfolio (1870), Magazine of Art (1878–1904), Studio (1893), Connoisseur (1901), and Burlington (1903). The Bookman (1886), for a combination of popular and literary qualities, and the Badminton (1895), for sport, also deserve mention. One of the most characteristic developments of later journalism was the establishment in 1890 of the Review of Reviews by W. T. Stead. Meanwhile the number of cheap periodicals increased enormously, such as the weekly Tit-bits (1881), and Answers (1888), and profusely illustrated magazines appeared, like the Strand (1891), Pearson’s (1896), or Windsor (1895). Professions and trades now have not only their general class-periodicals, but a special review or magazine for every section. In 1910 the magazines and reviews published in the United Kingdom numbered 2795. Religious periodicals were 668; 338 were devoted to trade; 361 to sport; 691 represented the professional classes; 51 agriculture; and 218 were juvenile periodicals. The London monthlies were 797 and the quarterlies 155.
Indexes to English Periodicals.—A large number of periodicals do not preserve literary matter of permanent value, but the high-class reviews and the archaeological, artistic and scientific magazines contain a great mass of valuable facts, so that general and special indexes have become necessary to all literary workers. Lists of the separate indexes to particular series are given in H. B. Wheatley’s What is an Index? (1879), W. P Courtney’s Register of National Bibliography (1905, 2 vols.), and the List of Books forming the Reference Library in the reading room of the British Museum (4th ed. 1910, 2 vols.).
Authorities.—“Periodicals,” in the British Museum catalogue; Lowndes, Bibliographer’s Manual, by Hy. G. Bohn, (1864); Cat. of Periodicals in the Bodl. Lib., pt. i., “English Periodicals” (1878); Cat. of the Hope Collection of Early Newspapers and Essayists in the Bodl. Lib. (1865); Scudder, Cat. of Scientific Serials (1879); Andrews, Hist. of Brit. Journalism (1859), Cucheval Clarigny, Hist. de la Presse en Angleterre et aux Etats Unis (1857); Madden, Hist. of Irish Period. Lit. (1867); J. Grant, The Great Metropolis, ii. 229–327; “Periodical Essays of the Age of Anne,” in N. American Rev. vol. xlvi; Drake, Essays on the “Spectator,” “Tatler,” &c. (1810–1814); Courthope, Addison (“Engl. Men of Letters,” 1884); “Forgotten Periodical Publications,” in Notes and Queries, 3rd series, vol. ix p. 53; “Account of Periodical Literary journals from 1681 to 1749,” by S. Parkes, in Quart. Journ. of Sc., Lit., &c., xiii 36, 289; see also Notes and Queries, 1st series, vol. vi. pp. 327, 435; “Last Century Magazines,” in Fraser’s Mag. Sept. (1876), p. 325; “Periodicals during 1712–1732,” in Notes and Queries, 3rd series, vol. ix. p. 72, &c., x. 134; “Catholic Period. Lit.,” ib., 5th series, vol. xi. 427. 494; “Early Roman Catholic Magazines,” ib., 6th series, vol iii. p. 43, &c., iv. 211; Timperley, Ency. of Lit. Anec. (1842); C. Knight, The Old Printer and the Modern Press (1854), and Passages of a Working Life (1864–1865); Memoir of Robert Chambers (1872); the London Cat. of Periodicals, Newspapers, &c. (1844–1910); The Bookseller (February 1867, June and July 1868, August 1874, July 1879); “On the Unstamped Press,” Notes and Queries, 4th series, vol. x. and xi (1872–1873), and English Hist. Review (1897), xii. 711–726; “Contributions Towards an Index of Serial Stories,” by W. L. Fletcher, Library Journal (1881), vi. 42, 166; “Byways of Periodical Literature,” Walford’s Antiq. Mag. (1887), xi. 179–186, xii. 65–74; Catalogue of Magazines &c., recd. at the Melbourne Pub. Lib. (1891); “English Periodical Literature,” by W. Robertson Nicoll, Bookman (1895), vol i.; “The Periodical Press, 1865–1895,” by T. H. S. Escott, Blackwood (1894), pp. 156, 532; “Bibliography of Periodical Literature,” by F. Campbell, The Library (1898), viii. 49; “Bibliography of the British Periodical Press,” by D. Williams in Mitchell’s Newspaper Directory (1902), pp. 12–13, “English Reviews,” by A. Waugh, Critic, vol. 40; “Excursus on Periodical Criticism,” Saintsbury, History of Criticism (1904), iii. 408–428. As regards the treatment of periodicals in libraries see “Helps for Cataloguers of Serials,” by H. C. Bolton in Boston Bull. of Bibliography (1897); “Co-operative lists of periodicals,” Library Journal, (1899), xxiv. 29–32, “Union List of Periodicals in Chicago Libraries,” Public Libraries, Chicago (1900), v. 60; “Care of Periodicals in a Library,” by F. R. Jackson, Public Libraries, Chicago (1906), vol. xi. Complete lists of current British periodicals are included in Mitchell’s Newspaper Press Directory, Street’s Newspaper Directory, and Willing’s Press Guide, and a select list and other information are given in the Literary Year Book.
- ↑ John Limbird, to whom even before Chambers or Knight is due the carrying out the idea of a cheap and good periodical for the people, died on the 31st of October 1883, without having achieved the worldly prosperity of his two followers.
