A gorgeously illustrated tour of several centuries of American magazine history.
The history of the American magazine is intricately entwined with the history of the nation itself. In the colonial eighteenth century, magazines were crucial outlets for revolutionary thought, with the first statement of American independence appearing in Thomas Paine’s Pennsylvania Magazine in June 1776. In the eighteenth century, magazines were some of the first staging grounds for still-contentious debates on Federalism and states’ rights. In the years that followed, the landscape of publications spread in every direction to explore aspects of American life from sports to politics, religion to entertainment, and beyond.
Magazines and the American Experience is an expansive and chronological tour of the American magazine from 1733 to the present. Illustrated with more than four hundred color images, the book examines an enormous selection of specialty magazines devoted to a range of interests running from labor to leisure to literature. The contributors—Leonard Banca and Suze Bienaimee, both experts in the field of periodical history—devote particular focus to magazines written for and by Black Americans throughout US history, including David Ruggles’s Mirror of History (1838), [Frederick] Douglass’ Monthly (1859), the combative Messenger (1917), the Negro Digest (1942), and Essence (1970). With its mix of detailed descriptions, historical context, and lush illustrations, this handsome guide to American magazines should entice casual readers and serious collectors alike.
By:
Steven Lomazow,
Heather Haveman,
Leonard Banco,
Suze Bienaimee
Imprint: Grolier Club of New York
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 283mm,
Width: 222mm,
Spine: 30mm
Weight: 1.892kg
ISBN: 9781605830919
ISBN 10: 1605830917
Pages: 326
Publication Date: 15 July 2021
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface: magazines! “Magazine Magic” Introduction: The Early History of the Magazine Industry I. A Chronology of American Magazines 1. Building a Nation: 1733–92 2. A House Divided: 1793–1850 3. The Industrial Age: 1851–92 4. America and the World: 1893–1945 5. The Information Age: 1946–Present II. Specialty Magazines 6. The Urge to Reform: Radical Magazines 7. A Nation of Readers: Literary Magazines 8. American Avant-Gardism: Little Magazines 9. Literature for the People: Pulp Magazines 10. “What fools these mortals be!”: Humor Magazine 11. Great American Pastimes: Sports Magazines 12. Separate and Unequal: African American Magazines 13. The Show Must Go On: Theater, Movie, Radio, and Television Magazines 14. On the Move: Transportation Magazines 15. Images of a Nation: Art and Magazines Acknowledgments Additional Magazines Notes Bibliography Contributors Index
Steven Lomazow is adjunct professor of history at Kean University and was the primary periodical consultant for the Newseum in Washington, DC.
Reviews for Magazines and the American Experience – Highlights from the Collection of Steven Lomazow, M.D.
A delightful combination of historical commentary and beautiful photos. . . The author covers a dizzying swath of territory with remarkable concision, including magazines devoted to literary pursuits, trade, social activism, business, and fashion. . . . Lomazow's expertise on the subject is inarguably magisterial. . .The book is adorned with dozens of stunning photographs, some immediately recognizable as iconic and others tantalizingly esoteric and rare. This is a remarkable history-thoughtful, granularly meticulous, and comprehensive-as well as a visually spectacular showpiece. One needn't be a magazine collector to thoroughly enjoy this refreshingly original overview of American history. * Kirkus Reviews *
