Magazine | Definition, History, & Facts (2024)

magazine, a printed or digitally published collection of texts (essays, articles, stories, poems), often illustrated, that is produced at regular intervals (excluding newspapers). A brief treatment of magazines follows. For full treatment, see publishing: Magazine publishing.

The modern magazine has its roots in early printed pamphlets, broadsides, chapbooks, and almanacs, a few of which gradually began appearing at regular intervals. The earliest magazines collected a variety of material designed to appeal to particular interests. One of the earliest ones was a German publication, Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen (“Edifying Monthly Discussions”), which was issued periodically from 1663 to 1668. Other learned journals soon appeared in France, England, and Italy, and in the early 1670s lighter and more entertaining magazines began to appear, beginning with Le Mercure Galant (1672; later renamed Mercure de France) in France. In the early 18th century, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele brought out The Tatler (1709–11; published three times weekly) and The Spectator (1711–12, 1714; published daily). These influential periodicals contained essays on matters political and topical that continue to be regarded as examples of some of the finest English prose written. Other critical reviews treating literary and political issues also started up in the mid-1700s throughout western Europe, and at the end of the century specialized periodicals began appearing, devoted to particular fields of intellectual interest, such as archaeology, botany, or philosophy.

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history of publishing: Magazine publishing

By the early 19th century a different, less learned audience had been identified, and new types of magazines for entertainment and family enjoyment began to appear, among them the popular weekly, the women’s weekly, the religious and missionary review, the illustrated magazine, and the children’s weekly. Their growth was stimulated by the general public’s broader interest in social and political affairs and by the middle and lower classes’ growing demand, in both cities and rural areas, for reading matter. Woodcuts and engravings were first extensively used by the weekly Illustrated London News (1842), and by the end of the 19th century many magazines were illustrated.

Magazine publishing benefited in the late 19th and 20th centuries from a number of technical improvements, including the production of inexpensive paper, the invention of the rotary press and the halftone block, and, especially, the addition of advertisem*nts as a means of financial support. Other developments since then have included a greater specialization of topics; more illustrations, especially those reproducing colour photographs; a decline in power and popularity of the critical review and a rise in that of the mass-market magazine; and an increase in magazines for women.

With the rise of the Internet in the late 20th century, more and more magazines put versions of their material online. During this time, other types of magazines became increasingly popular. These included electronic magazines, known as e-zines or zines. Often of casual design and produced by at most a few people, e-zines tended to be highly personal and irreverent. Another kind of magazine was the fanzine, which was generally produced for fans of a sport or a particular celebrity, among other subjects.

Technological advancements, however, also had a downside for the magazine industry. As people had easier—and often free—access to a wealth of content, traditional magazines faced declining readership. In addition, ad revenue dropped as advertisers increasingly turned to other online outlets. Such factors contributed to a number of magazines folding in the early 21st century, while others were forced to discontinue print editions and publish only digital versions.