22:
239:, began publication of a new weekly magazine. It ran from 1898 to 1903 as The New Penny Magazine, from 1903 to January 1925 as The Penny Magazine and from February 1925 to August 1925, as Cassell's Popular Magazine. There were numerous illustrations and each volume, when sold as a bound book, contained the issues for three months. It was initially called
204:
resulted in a whole front page being dedicated to a single picture. These images would often vary between machinery and animals. The popularity of illustrations and Knight’s desire for sales resulted in certain covers becoming scientifically inaccurate, for example an illustration of "The Boa
52:, which started two months earlier. Sold for only a penny and illustrated with wood-engravings, it was an expensive enterprise that could only be supported by very large circulation. Though initially very successful—with a circulation of 200,000 in the first year—it proved too dry and too
205:
Constrictor" (October 27, 1832) showed the creature attacking its prey with fangs drawn even though the reptile suffocates its prey. Austin argues that the idea of the snake striking at its prey was more likely to stir the reader’s emotions and entice them into purchasing the magazine.
126:
was significant as this meant that "the working classes expected parliamentary authority to consider the laboring community's complaints" and that such questioning of authority led to a "public shift toward rational inquiry" which could be found within the pages of
193:, the first year of publication. Similarly, in 1841 over 30% of males and nearly 50% of females were still illiterate, therefore using illustrations Knight was able to appeal to an audience with limited reading skills, while also enabling self-education.
105:
made it a financially viable option for the working-class audience it was intended for. Thus based on price alone there were few direct competitors for the periodical to be challenged by. The only direct competitor in this price range in 1832 was the
222:
caused Knight to lose significant market share whilst simultaneously having to pay more for illustrations to compete with other publishers. By 1833 Knight was paying over £20,000 per annum, forcing him to raise the price of the magazine to
536:
521:
516:
511:
506:
158:
alternative, to attract readers to his publication. Knight also had an advantage, due to being based inside London, he had access to a number of skilled engravers such as
72:
was highly successful in building an audience selling over 200,000 copies in 1832 with an estimation of nearly one million readers that year and easily outselling other
43:
189:
The use of pictures was also advantageous with the magazine’s target market as over 75% of school children were illiterate and another 300,000 did not attend
531:
122:
and A.L. Austin was the role of ‘non-radical information’. Austin states that the timing of the publication of the periodical in the same year as the
219:
526:
60:
audience it needed to be financially viable. Its competitor—which included a weekly short story—grew more slowly, but lasted much longer.
196:
The illustrations became highly popular with Knight’s target audience as shown by the fact 1,887 illustrated articles were published in
311:
288:
82:
190:
48:
131:. This outlook has been supported by Mitchell who also feels that the lack of controversial material was significant "in the
488:
462:
39:
212:’s early success, which would lead to financial problems. Despite the production of an accompanying encyclopedia,
150:
throughout its years of publication. The publisher
Charles Knight favoured using the new reproductive medium of
361:
Austin, April Louise (2010). "Illustrating
Animals for the Working Classes: The Penny Magazine (1832-1845)".
159:
388:
175:
73:
444:
Bennett, Scott (1984). "The
Editorial Character and Readership of 'The Penny Magazine': An Analysis".
21:
53:
307:
284:
214:
119:
332:
163:
478:
276:
200:
between the years of 1832 and 1845. The significant commercial value of illustrations for
155:
123:
236:
281:
Victorian
Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of
299:
179:
151:
99:
500:
171:
57:
35:
146:
An additional factor in the early success of the magazine was the consistent use of
167:
147:
416:
The
English Common Reader: A Social History of the Mass Reading Public, 1800-1900
304:
The
English Common Reader: A Social History of the Mass Reading Public, 1800–1900
483:
283:
Vestiges of the
Natural History of Creation. University of Chicago Press, 2000.
336:
323:
Haggerty, Martin (2008). "Review: Restoring Faith in a
Practical Idealist".
479:
History of
Information Online: Charles Knight & The Penny Magazine
227:. and as a result he could not maintain his early commercial success.
94:
There were several contributing factors behind this early success for
38:, published every Saturday from 31 March 1832 to 31 October 1845.
20:
537:
Science and technology magazines published in the United
Kingdom
170:
among others. It was through his association with inventor
243:
to avoid confusion with the earlier, The Penny Magazine.
118:
Another aspect of its success as suggested by historians
208:
Ultimately it would be these illustrations, so vital to
492:, complete 14 volumes 1832-45 at Internet Archive.org.
418:. Columbus: Ohio State University Press. p. 168.
522:Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom
34:was an illustrated British magazine aimed at the
517:Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom
306:. 2nd ed., Ohio State University Press, 1998.
44:Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
8:
512:1845 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
484:Spartacus Educational Online: Charles Knight
433:. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 166.
154:, which was cheaper and speedier than the
68:During the first few years of publication
507:1832 establishments in the United Kingdom
178:, that enabled him to take advantage of
393:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
252:
98:. Firstly the price, as being sold for
7:
463:Antiqbook: Fine Books - Fair Prices.
382:
380:
378:
376:
356:
354:
352:
350:
348:
346:
182:to produce more illustrations for
14:
532:Magazines disestablished in 1845
431:Daily Life in Victorian England
174:, as well as the timing of the
138:s appeal to a mass audience."
114:Use of non-radical information
1:
527:Magazines established in 1832
446:Victorian Periodicals Review
49:Chambers's Edinburgh Journal
553:
220:growing periodicals market
25:Issue for October 27, 1832
395:. Oxford University Press
465:Accessed 8 October 2019.
429:Mitchell, Sally (1996).
414:Altick, Richard (1967).
180:the steam printing press
325:The Cambridge Quarterly
337:10.1093/camqtly/bfn012
241:The New Penny Magazine
231:The New Penny Magazine
26:
265:English Common Reader
176:Industrial Revolution
83:The Saturday Magazine
24:
387:Mitchell, Rosemary.
215:The Penny Cyclopedia
261:Victorian Sensation
42:created it for the
210:The Penny Magazine
202:The Penny Magazine
198:The Penny Magazine
184:The Penny Magazine
129:The Penny Magazine
124:Reform Act of 1832
96:The Penny Magazine
70:The Penny Magazine
31:The Penny Magazine
27:
263:, p. 68; Altick,
120:Rosemary Mitchell
108:Edinburgh Journal
78:Edinburgh Journal
56:to appeal to the
544:
466:
460:
454:
453:
441:
435:
434:
426:
420:
419:
411:
405:
404:
402:
400:
389:"Charles Knight"
384:
371:
370:
358:
341:
340:
320:
314:
297:
291:
274:
268:
257:
237:Cassell & Co
164:John Orrin Smith
137:
16:British magazine
552:
551:
547:
546:
545:
543:
542:
541:
497:
496:
475:
470:
469:
461:
457:
443:
442:
438:
428:
427:
423:
413:
412:
408:
398:
396:
386:
385:
374:
360:
359:
344:
322:
321:
317:
298:
294:
277:James A. Secord
275:
271:
258:
254:
249:
233:
156:steel-engraving
144:
135:
116:
92:
66:
46:in response to
17:
12:
11:
5:
550:
548:
540:
539:
534:
529:
524:
519:
514:
509:
499:
498:
495:
494:
490:Penny Magazine
486:
481:
474:
473:External links
471:
468:
467:
455:
436:
421:
406:
372:
342:
331:(3): 362–366.
315:
300:Richard Altick
292:
269:
251:
250:
248:
245:
232:
229:
191:school in 1832
160:William Harvey
152:wood-engraving
143:
140:
133:Penny Magazine
115:
112:
91:
88:
65:
62:
40:Charles Knight
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
549:
538:
535:
533:
530:
528:
525:
523:
520:
518:
515:
513:
510:
508:
505:
504:
502:
493:
491:
487:
485:
482:
480:
477:
476:
472:
464:
459:
456:
452:(4): 127–141.
451:
447:
440:
437:
432:
425:
422:
417:
410:
407:
394:
390:
383:
381:
379:
377:
373:
369:(4): 365–382.
368:
364:
357:
355:
353:
351:
349:
347:
343:
338:
334:
330:
326:
319:
316:
313:
312:0-8142-0794-4
309:
305:
301:
296:
293:
290:
289:0-226-74410-8
286:
282:
278:
273:
270:
266:
262:
256:
253:
246:
244:
242:
238:
230:
228:
226:
221:
217:
216:
211:
206:
203:
199:
194:
192:
187:
185:
181:
177:
173:
172:Edward Cowper
169:
165:
161:
157:
153:
149:
148:illustrations
142:Illustrations
141:
139:
134:
130:
125:
121:
113:
111:
109:
104:
103:
97:
89:
87:
85:
84:
79:
75:
71:
64:Early success
63:
61:
59:
58:working-class
55:
51:
50:
45:
41:
37:
36:working class
33:
32:
23:
19:
489:
458:
449:
445:
439:
430:
424:
415:
409:
397:. Retrieved
392:
366:
362:
328:
324:
318:
303:
295:
280:
272:
264:
260:
255:
240:
234:
224:
213:
209:
207:
201:
197:
195:
188:
183:
168:Edmund Evans
145:
132:
128:
117:
107:
101:
95:
93:
81:
77:
76:such as the
69:
67:
47:
30:
29:
28:
18:
74:periodicals
501:Categories
399:3 November
363:Anthrozoös
267:, p. 333–4
247:References
259:Secord,
235:In 1898
54:Whiggish
310:
287:
218:, the
136:'
90:Price
401:2016
308:ISBN
285:ISBN
166:and
80:and
333:doi
503::
450:17
448:.
391:.
375:^
367:23
365:.
345:^
329:37
327:.
302:,
279:,
186:.
162:,
110:.
102:d.
86:.
403:.
339:.
335::
225:d
223:4
100:1
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.