Research Blog - History

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As part of my objective to create a professional magazine project for this course, I think it's best that I spend some time looking into the history of magazines. This can help me learn what makes a magazine successful and how that has changed over time.

Origins of magazines

In the 1400s, many changes started occurring that allowed magazines to become a possibility. Literacy rates throughout Europe had started to quickly increase, a trend that would allow more and more people to read and acquire information. Additionally, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440. This invention allowed for the mass production of written media. These 2 factors set up for the creation of magazines.

The first known example of the magazine style and concept was created by Johann Rist, a German theologian, in 1663. It was named "Edifying Monthly Discussions" and was sent out to it's subscribers every month, summarizing new books and research articles. This magazine inspired many people throughout Europe to experiment and explore this new concept, raising their popularity.

About a decade later, Jean Donneau de Vize published the first “periodical of amusement”. In contracst to Rist’s magazine, which focused on articles and books, Donneau’s magazine took a far less serious approach. It instead focused on gossip and entertainment, reaching its French audience much better and becoming extremely popular. It was known as "Le Mercure Galant" or "Mercure de France". This new magazine expanded the boundaries of what magazines had been used for, now entering the world of entertainment.

The concept of magazines eventually spread to Great Britain, where they quickly began producing their own. 3 major publications quickly emerged in 18th century Britain, being "The Review", "The Tatler", and "The Speculator". These publications focused on specific topics of note and where released on a consistent schedule to their audience.

Eventually, magazines began to spread to North America as well. The first American magazines emerged in 1741. Examples such as the "American Magazine" and "General Magazine" quickly popped up, however, their success left much to be desired. They simply did not attract enough popularity to be successful. By the end of the century, this had clearly changed as over 100 different publications had appeared throughout the U.S. This popularity continued to grow until the modern age, where magazines have become one of the most popular forms of consumed media in the world.

sources:

https://www.magazines.com/history-of-magazines

https://shorturl.at/efpJ5