A History of American Magazines, Volume 5Harvard University Press, 1930 - American periodicals From the Introduction: An examination of American magazines and an investigation into their history show that their importance rests upon three services which they perform and which may be noted briefly here. First, they provide a democratic literature which is sometimes of high quality. The general magazine's audience must perforce be a popular one, and even the specialized periodicals whose appeal is limited to particular classes are subject to the referendum and recall of an annual subscription campaign just as the general manager is. Periodicals must keep very close to their public; they must catch the slightest nuances of popular taste. Second, the magazine has played an important part in the economics of literature. Third, periodical files furnish an invaluable contemporaneous history of their times. This fact has found increasing recognition among historians during the last forty years. The session of the American Historical Association for 1908 was devoted to a consideration of the use of periodicals in historical studies. Even the writing of literary history shows some signs in these days of catching up with the procession and recognizing the importance of social, economic, geographical, industrial, and educational factors in the development of literature. The time is happily past when biographical sketches plus criticisms of masterpieces may be accepted as literary history. --page 2-3. |
Contents
The American Mercury 1927 | 2 |
The American Mercury | 3 |
Listerine advertisement 1927 | 16 |
Copyright | |
46 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
advertising American Magazines American Mercury Anderson Angoff appeared April Arthur became began Better Homes Boston Briton Hadden cents Charles Chicago circulation color Company contributors criticism Croly Current History dollars Dreiser early edited Editor & Publisher editorship Edward era magazines Everybody's Ezra Pound F. L. Mott fiction Frank Frederick Freeman Fugitive George George Jean Nathan Gilded Age Gilded Age magazines H. L. Mencken Hadden Hampton Henry Herbert Croly History of American Homes and Gardens House Beautiful Housekeeping Ibid illustrated Iowa issue James John Joseph Journal July June later literary magazines literature Little Review magazine's managing editor March Midland Monthly muckraking Nathan Neilson newspaper Nock paper periodicals poems Poetry poets political printed publication readers Republic Robert short stories sketch Smart Set Spivak staff Thayer Thomas Time's tion University verse volume Weekly William World writers wrote Yale Review York zine