Magazines
In publications, magazines encompass part of the flexible, open conceptual area between newspapers and books, along with other such periodicals such as academic journals and broadside ballads. They are also somewhat difficult to define due to their open conceptual nature, especially when tracking the history of their development. The following resources are provided to help guide one's learning about the history of magazines.
Origin and History of Magazines
Origin
There is some contention about what publication was the first true magazine. Some argue that a publication must have been referred to as a magazine in order to be one. Others say that it must only have been published periodically, but less often than newspapers.
Erbauliche Monaths-Unterredungen, created by Johann von Rist in 1663, is often cited to be the first magazine. The publication was aimed towards an intellectual audience, and it included articles written by scholars and summaries of new books[1]. However, it lacked being called a "magazine" or any linguistic variation thereof, and it did not largely influence the further development of later magazine publications.
The first publication to use the word "magazine" to describe itself was the Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731[2].
References
- ↑ Magazines. "The History of Magazines." 'Magazines,' n.d., https://www.magazines.com/history-of-magazines.
- ↑ Andrew King. “Magazines, History of,” The International Encyclopedia of Communication, ed. Wolfgang Donsbach. Oxford: Blackwell, 2008. vol. VI: 2748-2752.