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''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and American Monthly Review'' (sometimes ''...and Monthly American Review'' or, more simply, ''Burton's Magazine''), was a literary publication published in
The magazine's most famous contributor and one-time editor was
Burton's gentleman's magazine and American monthly review
at HathiTrust Men's magazines published in the United States Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Edgar Allan Poe Magazines established in 1837 Magazines disestablished in 1840 Magazines published in Philadelphia
''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and American Monthly Review'' (sometimes ''...and Monthly American Review'' or, more simply, ''Burton's Magazine''), was a literary publication published in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
from 1837 to 1840. Its founder was William Evans Burton
William Evans Burton (24 September 180410 February 1860) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and publisher who relocated to the United States.
Life and work
Early life
Born in London on 24 September 1804, Burton was the son of ...
, an English-born immigrant to the United States who also managed a theatre and was a minor actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
. Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
was an editor and contributor in 1839–40.
Overview
William Evans Burton teamed with publisher Charles Alexander to produce a magazine inspired by the successful''The Gentleman's Magazine
''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term '' magazine'' (from the French ''magazine ...
'' in London. To offset the financial adversity amidst the Panic of 1837, they focused on local authors and nationalist themes, signaled in part by a frontispiece with both patriotic and gentlemanly imagery as well as an illustration of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
. Burton hoped to create a magazine that would be "worthy of a place upon every parlour table of every gentleman in the United States".Sova, Dawn B. ''Edgar Allan Poe: A to Z''. New York, NY: Checkmark Books, 2001: 39. The magazine included poems, fiction, and essays, with an emphasis on sporting life. Articles featured sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...
, cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
, hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...
, and more. To compete with other magazines of the time, ''Burton's'' included extra illustrations and thicker paper than standard.
They released their first issue in July 1837 and Burton bought out his partner to become the sole owner in December 1838.Meyers, Jeffrey. Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy. New York City: Cooper Square Press, 1992: 107.
Edgar Allan Poe
The magazine's most famous contributor and one-time editor was Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...
. Poe approached Burton to offer his services in May 1839. The June issue of that year included the notice that its owner had "made arrangements with Edgar A. Poe, Esq., late Editor of the ''Southern Literary Messenger
The ''Southern Literary Messenger'' was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from August 1834 to June 1864, and from 1939 to 1945. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some var ...
'', to devote his abilities and experience to a portion of the Editorial duties of the Gentlemen's Magazine". Poe agreed to provide about 11 pages of original material per month and his name was added next to Burton's. His role included editing articles and proofreading as well as original contributions like critical reviews. Burton offered Poe $10 a week for his services and estimated he would need to dedicate only two hours a day. In ''Burton's'', Poe published now several of his own original tales including " The Man That Was Used Up" (August 1839), "The Fall of the House of Usher
"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...
" (September 1839), " William Wilson" (October 1839), " Morella" (November 1839), "The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion
"The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, an apocalyptic science fiction story first published in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'' in
December 1839.
Plot summary
Two people, who have been renamed Eiros and C ...
" (December 1839) and " The Business Man" (February 1840). Disagreements between the two caused Burton to fire Poe in June 1840.
Merger
Burton lost interest in publishing and wanted to return to his drama background. To raise money for a new theater, he sold the magazine with its list of 3,500 subscribers for $3,500 to George Rex Graham. It was then merged with ''Casket'' to become ''Graham's Magazine
''Graham's Magazine'' was a nineteenth-century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham and published from 1840 to 1858. It was alternatively referred to as ''Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine'' (1841–1842, and Ju ...
'', which began publication with the December 1840 issue. Burton urged Graham to "take care of my young editor" by rehiring Poe.
See also
Other American journals that Edgar Allan Poe was involved with include the following: *'' American Review: A Whig Journal'' *''Broadway Journal
The ''Broadway Journal'' was a short-lived New York City-based newspaper founded by Charles Frederick Briggs and John Bisco in 1844 and was published from January 1845 to January 1846. In its first year, the publication was bought by Edgar Allan P ...
''
*''Godey's Lady's Book
''Godey's Lady's Book'', alternatively known as ''Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book'', was an American women's magazine that was published in Philadelphia from 1830 to 1878. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil ...
''
*''Graham's Magazine
''Graham's Magazine'' was a nineteenth-century periodical based in Philadelphia established by George Rex Graham and published from 1840 to 1858. It was alternatively referred to as ''Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine'' (1841–1842, and Ju ...
''
*''Southern Literary Messenger
The ''Southern Literary Messenger'' was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from August 1834 to June 1864, and from 1939 to 1945. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some var ...
''
*''The Stylus
''The Stylus'', originally intended to be named ''The Penn'', was a would-be periodical owned and edited by Edgar Allan Poe. It had long been a dream of Poe to establish an American journal with very high standards in order to elevate the literatu ...
''
References
External links
{{Commons category, Burton's Gentleman's MagazineBurton's gentleman's magazine and American monthly review
at HathiTrust Men's magazines published in the United States Defunct literary magazines published in the United States Edgar Allan Poe Magazines established in 1837 Magazines disestablished in 1840 Magazines published in Philadelphia