Magazine

A magazine is a periodical publication. This means it comes out regularly, like every week, month, or quarter. Magazines can be printed on paper or read on a computer or phone. They have many kinds of stories and pictures about all sorts of subjects. Magazines can be about science, art, hobbies, news, or anything else people are interested in. People read magazines to learn new things, have fun, or get ideas.

There are a few ways people can get magazines. Some people buy them in stores. Others pay to have them brought to their homes each month. Many magazines also have advertisements. These ads help pay for making the magazine. The way a magazine is made and what it talks about can be different. Some magazines are for everyone, while others are just for certain groups, like teachers or fans of a particular sport.

In the past, having a picture on the cover of a printed magazine showed that a person or event was very important. Today, magazines are still popular. Many people like to look through them to find new things and read stories about topics they care about.

Term origin and definition

The word "magazine" comes from an Arabic word meaning "storehouse." It was first used to describe places where things like military supplies were kept.

When we talk about magazines as books, they are collections of articles. Unlike journals, which are for experts, magazines are for everyone. They cover many topics and are written in a simple way that is easy for anyone to understand. Magazines are usually shorter and more fun to read than journal articles.

Distribution

Print magazines can be sent to readers through the mail, sold at newsstands, bookstores, or other places, or given away for free at spots like libraries or train stations. Digital magazines can be shared using social media, email, news aggregators, or shown on a publication's website and in search engine results. There are three main ways magazines are sent out: paid, non-paid, and controlled.

In the paid model, readers buy the magazine either one issue at a time or by paying for a yearly subscription. In the non-paid model, magazines are given away for free, like in street boxes, on airplanes, or with other products. The controlled model is used for special magazines, like those for certain jobs, and is given for free only to people who qualify.

History

The earliest example of magazines was Erbauliche Monaths Unterredungen, a literary and philosophy magazine, which was launched in 1663 in Germany. The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731 in London was the first general-interest magazine. Edward Cave, who edited The Gentleman's Magazine under the pen name "Sylvanus Urban", was the first to use the term "magazine", on the analogy of a military storehouse.

Britain

The oldest consumer magazine still in print is The Scots Magazine, which was first published in 1739, though multiple changes in ownership and gaps in publication totalling over 90 years weaken that claim. Lloyd's List was founded in Edward Lloyd's England coffee shop in 1734; although its online platform is still updated daily, it has not been published as a printed magazine since 2013, when it ended print publication after 274 years.

France

Main articles: History of French journalism and History of journalism

Under the Ancien Régime, the most prominent magazines were Mercure de France, Journal des sçavans, founded in 1665 for scientists, and Gazette de France, founded in 1631. Jean Loret was one of France's first journalists. He shared weekly news of music, dance and Parisian society from 1650 until 1665 in verse, in what he called a gazette burlesque, assembled in three volumes of La Muse historique (1650, 1660, 1665).

Periodicals were censored by the central government in Paris. During the Revolution, new periodicals played important roles as news sources for different groups. Jean-Paul Marat was a well-known editor. His L'Ami du peuple spoke strongly for the rights of ordinary people. After 1800 Napoleon reimposed strict censorship.

Magazines grew after Napoleon left in 1815. Most were based in Paris and most emphasized literature, poetry and stories. They served different groups. In times of political trouble they expressed and helped shape the views of their readers and thereby were important in the changing political culture. For example, there were eight Catholic periodicals in 1830 in Paris. None were officially owned or sponsored by the Church and they reflected different opinions among educated Catholics about current issues. Several supported the Bourbon kings, but all eight urged support for the new government, putting their appeals in terms of preserving civil order. They often discussed the relationship between church and state. Generally, they urged priests to focus on spiritual matters and not engage in politics.

Turkey

General

The Moniteur Ottoman was a gazette written in French and first published in 1831 on the order of Mahmud II. It was the first official gazette of the Ottoman Empire, edited by Alexandre Blacque at the expense of the Sublime Porte. It was issued weekly. Takvim-i vekayi was published a few months later, intended as a translation of the Moniteur into Ottoman Turkish. However, facing the hostility of embassies, it was closed in the 1840s.

Satire

Satirical magazines of Turkey have a long tradition. One of the earliest satirical magazines was Diyojen which was launched in 1870. There are around 20 satirical magazines; the leading ones are Penguen, LeMan and Uykusuz. Historical examples include Oğuz Aral's magazine Gırgır and Marko Paşa. Others include L-Manyak and Lombak.

United States

Further information: History of American journalism and Mass media and American politics

Colonial America

Publishing was a very expensive industry in colonial times. Many magazines were launched, most failing within a few editions, but publishers kept trying. Benjamin Franklin is said to have envisioned one of the first magazines of the American colonies in 1741, the General Magazine and Historical Chronicle. The Pennsylvania Magazine, edited by Thomas Paine, ran only for a short time but was a very influential publication during the Revolutionary War. The final issue containing the text of the Declaration of Independence was published in 1776.

Late 19th century

In the mid-19th century, monthly magazines gained popularity. They were general interest to begin, containing some news, poems, history, political events, and social discussion. Unlike newspapers, they were more of a monthly record of current events along with entertaining stories, poems, and pictures. The first periodicals to branch out from news were Harper's and The Atlantic, which focused on fostering the arts. Both Harper's and The Atlantic persist to this day, with Harper's being a cultural magazine and The Atlantic focusing mainly on world events. Early publications of Harper's even held famous works such as early publications of Moby Dick or famous events such as the laying of the world's first transatlantic telegraph cable; however, the majority of early content was trickle down from British events.

The development of the magazines stimulated an increase in literary criticism and political debate, moving towards more opinionated pieces from the objective newspapers. The increased time between prints and the greater amount of space to write provided a forum for public arguments by scholars and critical observers. The early periodical predecessors to magazines started to evolve to modern definition in the late 1800s. Works slowly became more specialized and the general discussion or cultural periodicals were forced to adapt to a consumer market which yearned for more localization of issues and events.

Progressive era: 1890s–1920s

Further information: Muckrakers and Mass media and American politics

Mass-circulation magazines became much more common after 1900. It was an age of mass media. Because of the rapid expansion of national advertising, the cover price fell sharply to about 10 cents. One cause was the heavy coverage of problems in politics, local government and big business, especially by Muckrakers. They were journalists who wrote for popular magazines to expose social and political problems. They relied on their own investigative journalism reporting; muckrakers often worked to expose social ills and corporate and political corruption. Muckraking magazines–notably McClure's–took on corporate monopolies and crooked political machines while raising public awareness of chronic urban poverty, unsafe working conditions, and social issues such as child labor.

The journalists who specialized in exposing waste, corruption, and scandal operated at the state and local level. Others exposed political corruption in many large cities; Ida Tarbell went after John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. Samuel Hopkins Adams in 1905 showed the fraud involved in many patent medicines, Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel The Jungle gave a harsh portrayal of how meat was packed, and, also in 1906, David Graham Phillips wrote about problems in the U.S. Senate.

1930s–1990s

21st century

According to the Research Department of Statista, closures of magazines outnumbered launches in North America during 2009. Although both figures declined during 2010–2015, launches outnumbered closures in each of those years, sometimes by a 3:1 ratio. Focusing more narrowly, MediaFinder.com found that 93 new magazines were launched during the first six months of 2014, while only 30 closed in that time frame. The category which produced the most new publications was "Regional interest", of which six new magazines were launched, including 12th & Broad and Craft Beer & Brewing. However, two magazines had to change their print schedules. Johnson Publishing's Jet stopped printing regular issues, making the transition to digital format, though still printing an annual print edition. Ladies' Home Journal stopped their monthly schedule and home delivery for subscribers to become a quarterly newsstand-only special interest publication.

According to statistics from the end of 2013, subscription levels for 22 of the top 25 magazines declined from 2012 to 2013, with just Time, Glamour and ESPN The Magazine gaining numbers. However, by 2024, some titles, notably outdoors magazines, appeared to be growing in popularity. Furthermore, recent research (2025) has shown that print magazines are seen as more trustworthy, with better quality journalism.

Women's magazines

The "seven sisters" of American women's magazines are Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, Woman's Day, Redbook, Family Circle, and Better Homes and Gardens. Some magazines, among them Godey's Lady's Book and Harper's Bazaar, were intended exclusively for a female audience, emphasizing the traditional gender roles of the 19th century. Harper's Bazaar was the first to focus exclusively on couture fashion, fashion accessories and textiles.

Types

There are many different kinds of magazines. Some focus on special subjects like jobs, new discoveries, or topics for women, while others talk about things like religion or popular culture. Magazines can be very serious, full of jokes, or even funny and full of satire.

Categories

Magazines can be grouped by how often they are published, such as weekly or monthly.

They can also be grouped by who they are for and what topics they cover. For example, some magazines are for people who like fashion, others are for parents, and some focus on religion or interior design. There are magazines that share stories and pictures about famous people, as well as ones for professionals in specific jobs. Magazines can also have a funny or playful style.

Cover

Further information: cover art

Being on the cover of a magazine can be a special honor. People might say they were on the cover of Time or "Rolling Stone".

The English Wikipedia has lists showing who and what have been on the covers of famous magazines, such as:

• List of stories on the cover of National Geographic;
• List of individuals on the cover of Rolling Stone;
• List of people/stories on the cover of Time magazine;
• List of individuals on the cover of U.S. Vogue;