American literary magazines published between 1850 and 1900 were an outlet for numerous creative works, book reviews, and other material. Like Herman Melville, Mark Twain, and Henry James, many of the authors who wrote for these magazines are among the most famous American authors. This index makes readily available for the first time thousands of references to major and minor literary figures and their works. It is also a guide to the many thousands of facts, opinions, and comments on 19th-century American culture that are contained in literary magazines of the period. Alphabetically arranged entries cover roughly a thousand authors, along with topics such as the novel, poetry, drama and theater, Darwinism, women, American literature, and copyright law. During the latter half of the 19th-century, literary magazines flourished in America. Young writers enjoying their first important publication stand shoulder to shoulder with established writers in magazine issues that are so rich with original material that they often resemble anthologies. Perhaps even more significantly, editors and reviewers doggedly plied their trade of evaluating and criticizing promising new volumes, analyzing trends and movements, and recording the rise and fall of reputations. The Literary Index is the result of combing 11 prominent American literary magazines for every reference to all major and hundreds of minor writers and their works that appeared on the American literary scene in the second half of the 19th century. Brought to light are tens of thousands of references to writers, works, and issues that have never been studied before. This rich source of material drawn from all sections of the magazines—original works, articles, reviews, gossip columns, and correspondence, provides unprecedented access to information on the receptions of major works, the comings and goings of writers and obscure works. The 700 author entries are arranged alphabetically and include citations for some 7000 titles. In addition, there are exhaustive and comprehensive lists of citations for general subjects such as the novel, poetry, drama and theater, American literature, Darwinism, and women, as well as a section on the century-long battle over the passage of an international copyright law. Every aspect of the literary world of late 19th-century America is represented, making this volume an indispensable reference work for scholars.

"The five volumes of A History of American Magazines constitute a unique cultural history of America, viewed through the pages and pictures of her periodicals from the publication of the first monthly magazine in 1741 through the golden age of magazines in the twentieth century"--Page 4 of cover.

The material is arranged in the following categories: A. General prose, authors and anonymous titles (1 box) B. Fiction, authors and anonymous titles (1 box) C. Poetry (2 boxes) D. Book reviews (1 box) E. Songs (1 box) F. Subjects (2 boxes).

The first volume of this work, covering the period from 1741-1850, was issued in 1931 by another publisher, and is reissued now without change, under our imprint. The second volume covers the period from 1850 to 1865; the third volume, the period from 1865 to 1885. For each chronological period, Mr. Mott has provided a running history which notes the occurrence of the chief general magazines and the developments in the field of class periodicals, as well as publishing conditions during that period, the development of circulations, advertising, payments to contributors, reader attitudes, changing formats, styles and processes of illustration, and the like. Then in a supplement to that running history, he offers historical sketches of the chief magazines which flourished in the period. These sketches extend far beyond the chronological limitations of the period. The second and third volumes present, altogether, separate sketches of seventy-six magazines, including The North American Review, The Youth's Companion, The Liberator, The Independent, Harper's Monthly, Leslie's Weekly, Harper's Weekly, The Atlantic Monthly, St. Nicholas, and Puck. The whole is an unusual mirror of American civilization.

The Literary and Historical Index to American Magazines, 1800-1850, is an invaluable tool for anyone doing research on the United States in the 19th century. With an index that includes a wide range of subjects and individuals, this book provides access to thousands of references that can currently be obtained from no other source. The researcher looking for references to and reviews of well-known authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lydia Huntley Sigourney, and Edgar Allan Poe will find a plethora of entries to examine. And, for those engaged in the investigation of lesser-known figures, the index includes scores of authors who may not be widely recognized but who, nonetheless, made important contributions to American culture. Scholars will find the references easy to follow as well as comprehensive. In addition to general references, the index includes the full titles of books, speeches, poems, short stories, and articles written by subjects so that the reader may select the most relevant citations for his or her research.

Explores the works, writers, and movements that shaped the American literary canon from the end of the nineteenth century through the first half of the twentith.