Knowledge (XXG)

The Penny Magazine

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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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audience it needed to be financially viable. Its competitor—which included a weekly short story—grew more slowly, but lasted much longer.
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The illustrations became highly popular with Knight’s target audience as shown by the fact 1,887 illustrated articles were published in
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throughout its years of publication. The publisher Charles Knight favoured using the new reproductive medium of
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Austin, April Louise (2010). "Illustrating Animals for the Working Classes: The Penny Magazine (1832-1845)".
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Bennett, Scott (1984). "The Editorial Character and Readership of 'The Penny Magazine': An Analysis".
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between the years of 1832 and 1845. The significant commercial value of illustrations for
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Victorian Sensation: The Extraordinary Publication, Reception, and Secret Authorship of
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An additional factor in the early success of the magazine was the consistent use of
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The English Common Reader: A Social History of the Mass Reading Public, 1800-1900
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The English Common Reader: A Social History of the Mass Reading Public, 1800–1900
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Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation. University of Chicago Press, 2000.
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Haggerty, Martin (2008). "Review: Restoring Faith in a Practical Idealist".
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History of Information Online: Charles Knight & The Penny Magazine
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There were several contributing factors behind this early success for
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Science and technology magazines published in the United Kingdom
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among others. It was through his association with inventor
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to avoid confusion with the earlier, The Penny Magazine.
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Another aspect of its success as suggested by historians
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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

Index


working class
Charles Knight
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal
Whiggish
working-class
periodicals
The Saturday Magazine
1d.
Rosemary Mitchell
Reform Act of 1832
illustrations
wood-engraving
steel-engraving
William Harvey
John Orrin Smith
Edmund Evans
Edward Cowper
Industrial Revolution
the steam printing press
school in 1832
The Penny Cyclopedia
growing periodicals market
Cassell & Co
James A. Secord
ISBN
0-226-74410-8
Richard Altick
ISBN

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