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''The London Magazine'' is the title of six different publications that have appeared in succession since 1732. All six have focused on the arts, literature and miscellaneous topics.


1732–1785

''The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer'' was founded in 1732 in political opposition and rivalry to the Tory-supporting ''
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' ...
'' and ran for 53 years until its closure in 1785.
Edward Kimber Edward Kimber (1719–1769) was an English novelist, journalist and compiler of reference works. Life He was son of Isaac Kimber; and in early life apprentice to a bookseller, John Noon of Cheapside. He made a living by compilation and editorial w ...
became editor in 1755, succeeding his father
Isaac Kimber Isaac Kimber (1692–1755) was an English General Baptist minister, biographer, and journalist. Life Kimber was born at Wantage, Berkshire, on 1 December 1692. He studied languages under John Ward, and took a course of philosophy and divinity un ...
. Henry Mayo was editor from 1775 to 1783. Publishers included
Thomas Astley Thomas Astley (died 1759) was a bookseller and publisher in London in the 18th century. He ran his business from Saint Paul's Churchyard (circa 1726-1742) and Paternoster Row (circa 1745). He belonged to the Company of Stationers. He published the ...
.


1820–1829

In 1820 the ''London Magazine'' was resurrected by the publishers Baldwin, Craddock & Joy under the editorship of John Scott who formatted the magazine along the lines of the
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
publication ''
Blackwood's Magazine ''Blackwood's Magazine'' was a British magazine and miscellany printed between 1817 and 1980. It was founded by the publisher William Blackwood and was originally called the ''Edinburgh Monthly Magazine''. The first number appeared in April 1817 ...
''. It was during this time that the magazine published poems by
William Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ' ...
,
Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 17928 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achi ...
,
John Clare John Clare (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) was an English poet. The son of a farm labourer, he became known for his celebrations of the English countryside and sorrows at its disruption. His work underwent major re-evaluation in the late 20th ce ...
and
John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...
. In September 1821 the first of two instalments of
Thomas De Quincey Thomas Penson De Quincey (; 15 August 17858 December 1859) was an English writer, essayist, and literary critic, best known for his '' Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821). Many scholars suggest that in publishing this work De Quinc ...
's ''
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater ''Confessions of an English Opium-Eater'' (1821) is an autobiographical account written by Thomas De Quincey, about his laudanum addiction and its effect on his life. The ''Confessions'' was "the first major work De Quincey published and the one ...
'' appeared in the magazine. Scott quickly began a literary row with writers for''Blackwood's Magazine'', in particular with
John Gibson Lockhart John Gibson Lockhart (12 June 1794 – 25 November 1854) was a Scottish writer and editor. He is best known as the author of the seminal, and much-admired, seven-volume biography of his father-in-law Sir Walter Scott: ''Memoirs of the Life of Sir ...
, on various topics, including ''Blackwood'' virulent criticism of the "Cockney School", under which
Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centre ...
and
John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tuberculos ...
were grouped. The quarrel ended in a fatal duel between Scott and Lockhart's close friend and colleague J.H. Christie. Scott lost the duel and his life in 1821. The ''London Magazine'' continued under the editorship of John Taylor. Its contributors included
Thomas Hood Thomas Hood (23 May 1799 – 3 May 1845) was an English poet, author and humorist, best known for poems such as " The Bridge of Sighs" and " The Song of the Shirt". Hood wrote regularly for ''The London Magazine'', '' Athenaeum'', and ''Punch' ...
,
William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English lan ...
and
Charles Lamb Charles Lamb (10 February 1775 – 27 December 1834) was an English essayist, poet, and antiquarian, best known for his '' Essays of Elia'' and for the children's book '' Tales from Shakespeare'', co-authored with his sister, Mary Lamb (1764� ...
. During this time Lamb published the first series of his ''
Essays of Elia ''Essays of Elia'' is a collection of essays written by Charles Lamb; it was first published in book form in 1823, with a second volume, ''Last Essays of Elia'', issued in 1833 by the publisher Edward Moxon. The essays in the collection first be ...
'', beginning in 1820. Taylor's insistent tampering with contributors' poems led many of the staff, including Lamb and Hazlitt, to abandon the magazine, which ceased publication in 1829.


1840

Simpkin, Marshall and Co. published ''The London Magazine, Charivari, and Courrier des Dames; a Proteus in Politics, a Chameleon in Literature, and a Butterfly in the World of Bon Ton'', edited by Richard Fennell. The first item in the inaugural issue in February 1840 was "Behind the Scenes, with the Prologue to Our Little Drama", which begins: " HathiTrust_(undated_catalogue_record)
"The_London_magazine,_charivari,_and_courrier_des_dames"

_1840(?)._Retrieved_15_December_2019._ _HathiTrust_Digital_Library_holdings_may_be_complete,_catalogued_as_two_volumes_spanning_February_to_November_1840.


_1875–1879

The_title_was_revived_in_November_1875_for_a_monthly_edited_by_Will_Williams._It_has_been_described_as_"a_society_paper",_and_as_"a_journal_of_a_type_more_usual_in_Paris_than_London,_written_for_the_sake_of_its_contributors_rather_than_of_the_public".[
HathiTrust_(undated_catalogue_record)
"The_London_magazine,_charivari,_and_courrier_des_dames"

_1840(?)._Retrieved_15_December_2019._ _HathiTrust_Digital_Library_holdings_may_be_complete,_catalogued_as_two_volumes_spanning_February_to_November_1840.


_1875–1879

The_title_was_revived_in_November_1875_for_a_monthly_edited_by_Will_Williams._It_has_been_described_as_"a_society_paper",_and_as_"a_journal_of_a_type_more_usual_in_Paris_than_London,_written_for_the_sake_of_its_contributors_rather_than_of_the_public".s:Author:William_Price_James">W.P._James,_1911,_"Henley,_William_Ernest,"_in_''Encyclopædia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition.html" "title=":Author:William_Price_James.html" ;"title="anager Typo is discovered pacing up and down the stage ..." (image 10).HathiTrust (undated catalogue record)
"The London magazine, charivari, and courrier des dames"
1840(?). Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  HathiTrust Digital Library holdings may be complete, catalogued as two volumes spanning February to November 1840.


1875–1879

The title was revived in November 1875 for a monthly edited by Will Williams. It has been described as "a society paper", and as "a journal of a type more usual in Paris than London, written for the sake of its contributors rather than of the public".s:Author:William Price James">W.P. James, 1911, "Henley, William Ernest," in ''Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition">Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...
,'' 11th ed. (Hugh Chisholm & Walter Alison Phillips, Eds.), Vol. 13, ''
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...
'' part 271, se

accessed 8 May 2015.
A significant development in this period was the arrival of
William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 184911 July 1903) was an English poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the o ...
, who accepted the post of editor, serving from 15 December 1877 for the closing two years (1877-1879). Henley anonymously contributed tens of his own poems to the magazine, "chiefly in old French forms," some of which have been termed "brilliant" (and were later published in a compilation by
Gleeson White Joseph William Gleeson White (1851–1898), often known as Gleeson White, was an English writer on art. Life He was born in Christchurch, Dorset and educated at Christ Church School and afterward became a member of the Art Workers Guild. ...
).
Gleeson White Joseph William Gleeson White (1851–1898), often known as Gleeson White, was an English writer on art. Life He was born in Christchurch, Dorset and educated at Christ Church School and afterward became a member of the Art Workers Guild. ...
, Ed. 1888, ''Ballades and Rondeaus, Chants Royal, Sestinas, Villanelles, &c.: Selected with Chapter on the Various Forms'' (William Sharp, Gen. Series Ed.), pp. xix, 16-22, 77-82, 139-141, 169-173, 221, 251-253, and 288-290, London, England:Walter Scott Ltd., se

''
Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...
'' online edition, se

accessed 8 May 2015.
This period also saw the publication of
Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...
's short story " The New Arabian Nights" in ''The London''. ''The London'' ceased publication with the issue dated 5 April 1879.


1898–1933

In 1901 ''The Harmsworth Magazine'' was relaunched as ''The London Magazine''The page headings on issue 37 Aug 1901 are "The Harmsworth London Magazine". In March 1901 (issue 32) the pages say "Harmsworth Magazine". By April 1902 (issue 45) the pages say "The London Magazine". From bound volumes. by
Cecil Harmsworth Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth LLD (23 September 1869 – 13 August 1948), was a British businessman and Liberal politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1915 and as Under-Secretary of State ...
, proprietor of the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' at the time. The editor was
Henry Beckles Willson Henry Beckles Willson, known as Beckles Willson, (26 August 1869 – 18 September 1942) was a Canadian journalist, First World War soldier, historian and prolific author. Family and career Henry Beckles Willson was born in Montreal on 26 August 1 ...
.
Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...
continued publishing it until 1930, when it was retitled the ''New London Magazine''. The Australian scholar Sue Thomas has referred to it as "an important informer ... of popular literary tastes in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods". Despite the acclaim it enjoyed, the magazine closed in 1933.


Since 1954–present

In 1954 a new periodical was given the title the ''London Magazine'' under the editorship of
John Lehmann Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann (2 June 1907 – 7 April 1987) was an English poet and man of letters. He founded the periodicals ''New Writing'' and ''The London Magazine'', and the publishing house of John Lehmann Limited. Biography Born in ...
,HathiTrust (undated catalogue record)
"London magazine"
1954–present. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  HathiTrust Digital Library holdings, from 1954, provide no view of page images; limited search only.
who largely continued the tradition of his previous magazine ''
New Writing ''New Writing'' was a popular literary periodical in book format founded in 1936 by John Lehmann and committed to anti-fascism.''The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell, Volume 1 – An Age Like This 1939–1940'', p. 250 ...
''. It was endorsed by T. S. Eliot as a non-university-based periodical that would "boldly assume the existence of a public interested in serious literature". In 1961 the magazine changed hands and came under the editorship of Lehmann's fellow poet and critic
Alan Ross Alan John Ross (6 May 1922 – 14 February 2001) was a British poet, writer, editor and publisher. Early years Ross was born in Calcutta, India, son of John Brackenridge Ross, CBE, a former Lieutenant in the Indian Army Reserve ( Supply and ...
. Publication continued until Ross's death in 2001. Under both Lehmann and Ross the magazine was published by
Chatto & Windus Chatto & Windus is an imprint of Penguin Random House that was formerly an independent book publishing company founded in London in 1855 by John Camden Hotten. Following Hotten's death, the firm would reorganize under the names of his business ...
. In 2001 it was relaunched by Christopher Arkell, who appointed the poet and literary critic
Sebastian Barker Sebastian Smart Barker FRSL (16 April 1945 – 31 January 2014) was a British poet notable for a visionary manner that has been compared to William Blake in its use of the long ecstatic line and its "ability to write lyric poetry which used simp ...
as editor. Barker retired in early 2008 and Sara-Mae Tuson took over. In July 2009 Arkell sold the magazine to
Burhan Al-Chalabi Dr Burhan Al-Chalabi (FRSA) (born 1 March 1947) is a British-Iraqi writer and political commentator, and an expert on Middle Eastern relations. He is also the publisher of the London Magazine, Britain's oldest journal of the arts and literature (es ...
, who is now the publisher, wit
Steven O'Brien
as editor and Lucy Binnersley as production manager. The current patrons are Lord Risby, Oliver Hylton, Stanley Johnson and
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
. ''The London Magazine'' has been relaunched under the current editorship. It is published six times a year. It publishes both emerging and established writers from around the world. Its current contributors include Charlotte Metcalf, Christopher Ricks, Jonathan Marriott,
Serena Gosden-Hood Serena Lucy Montague Gosden-Hood is a British academic and writer. She is currently an adjunct professor at Malcolm X College. Gosden-Hood graduated from Yale University in 2008, and subsequently completed an MA (2011) and Ph.D. (2015) at Dur ...
, Simon Tait,
Martha Sprackland Martha Sprackland (born 1988) is a British writer. Background Martha Sprackland is a writer, editor and translator from Spanish, born in Barnstaple in 1988, who grew up in Ainsdale, Merseyside. Her mother is the British poet Jean Sprackland. ...
, Houman Barekat,
Jennifer Croft Jennifer Croft is an American author, critic and translator who works from Polish, Ukrainian and Argentine Spanish. With the author Olga Tokarczuk, she was awarded the 2018 Man Booker International Prize for her translation of ''Flights''. In 2020 ...
, Jen Calleja, Fernando Sdrigotti, Rachel Bower and Will Stone.


References


External links


Official website of the current incarnation
(TheLondonMagazine.org)
Back issues from the 18th and 19th centuries
via
The Online Books Page The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several f ...
.
''Harmsworth Magazine'' (''London Magazine'') - Indexes to Fiction (Victorian Fiction Research Guide)
* Archival material at * The London Magazine Short Story Priz

{{DEFAULTSORT:London Magazine, The Defunct literary magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1732 Magazines disestablished in 1785 Magazines established in 1820 Magazines disestablished in 1829 Magazines established in 1840 Magazines disestablished in 1840 Magazines established in 1875 Magazines disestablished in 1879 Magazines established in 1900 Magazines disestablished in 1930 Magazines established in 1954 1732 establishments in England Magazines published in London