Periodical
a publication appearing at regular intervals. It is to be distinguished from a newspaper, a book, report, or bulletin. So far as known the credit for originating the periodical form of literature is due to France. The first number of the Journal des Savants, the first magazine known, appeared at Paris, January, 1665. The Revue des Deux Mondes (the Review of Two Worlds) and Figaro are now the best known of French periodicals.
The earliest British periodical, Weekly Memorials for the Ingenious, began publication January, 1681. Among the older British periodicals are The Edinburgh Review, founded in 1802; the Quarterly Review, in 1809; Westminster Review, 1824; Athenaeum, 1828; Fortnightly Review, 1865; Contemporary Review, 1866; Academy, 1869; Nineteenth Century, 1877; and Review of Reviews, 1890. All these are serious publications devoted to scholarly discussion of art, literature, music, politics and the like. The forerunners of lighter magazines were the Tatler, published from 1709 to 1710; Spectator, 1711-12 and 1714; Guardian and Rambler, 1750-51. Chambers's Journal and the Penny Magazine were founded in 1832; Cassell's Magazine, in 1853; Macmillan's, in 1859; Cornhill, in 1860; Longman's, in 1883; Strand, in 1891; Pearson's, in 1896.
The history of American periodicals begins with the General Magazine and Historical Chronicle, a few numbers of which were issued at Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1741. The North American Review was founded in 1815. A few people living can remember when The Dial, Putnam's, The Galaxy, and Littell's Living Age were founded. Harper's Monthly was established in 1850; the Weekly in 1857; the Bazaar in 1867. From this date new magazines crowded in rapidly. The Atlantic Monthly appeared in 1857; Overland and Lippincott's in 1868; the Century, 1881; Forum, 1886; Scribner's and Cosmopolitan in 1887; Arena, 1889. Other periodicals that crowd the news stands are Munsey's, Everybody's, McClure's, Metropolitan, Collier's, Woman's Home Companion, Ladies' Home Journal, World's Work, Review of Reviews, Outlook, and a host of more or less trifling publications, as The Black Cat, The Philistine, etc. The Youth's Companion and St. Nicholas are no doubt the leading juvenile periodicals. A number of publications appeal to readers, as the Bookman, the Booklover, the Critic. Each trade and profession calls out its special journals, as Educational Review, American Catholic Quarterly Review, Political Science Quarterly, Iron, and Bradstreets. The Scientific American is a popular publication. The volume of periodicals is so great that Poole's Index and Wilson's Guide, themselves of magazine size, are devoted solely to indexing the periodical literature of the month. Stead's Index finds similar support in England.
The manufacture of a popular magazine is a huge undertaking aside from the expense of securing and editing the contents. A printing plant of magnitude must be established. A monthly like McClure's requires sixteen carloads of white paper for a single issue. Advertisements are relied upon to defray the greater part of the expense of publication. The last page of the Ladies' Home Journal is quoted at $4,000 per issue. Each publisher has an agreement with the news agents as to the day of the month when his magazine is to be placed on sale. Then the issue is made ready and is shipped to remote localities first. All general dealers are required to hold their supply until the hour agreed upon for distribution. The monthly sales of a popular magazine reach a high figure.
As early as 1906 McClure's Magazine claimed a circulation of 400,000 copies and Munsey's claimed twice as many. The Youth's Companion has a weekly circulation of over half a million and the Saturday Evening Post of over a million and a quarter. In 1905 there were 2,500 monthly periodicals in the United States having a monthly circulation of 64,000,000 copies.
See Newspaper; Book; Advertising