Louis Antoine Godey (June 6, 1804 – November 29, 1878) was an American editor and publisher. He was the founder of ''

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 ...

'' in 1837, the first successful American women's

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Biography

Godey was born to Louis and Margaret Godey in New York City. His parents were immigrants from Sens, France who fled during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. His family was poor and he had no formal schooling, but he was self-educated. At age 15, he took a job as a newspaper boy in New York. Several years later, he moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and became an editor for the ''Daily Chronicle''. In 1830, he published the first edition of the ''Lady's Book'', composed of reprinted articles and illustrations from British magazines. In 1837, Godey merged Lady's Book with Ladies' Magazine, the oldest publication of its type, published out of Boston. Godey married Maria Duke in 1833 and had five children. In 1836, Godey's publishing house was the first American publisher of the seafaring novels of

Frederick Marryat Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 – 9 August 1848) was a Royal Navy officer, a novelist, and an acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel ...

. Godey also partnered with fellow publisher

Morton McMichael Morton McMichael (October 2, 1807 – January 6, 1879) was a newspaper publisher, civic leader and politician from Philadelphia. As the publisher of '' The North American'', he was active in public affairs and chaired the Executive Consolida ...

and others to publish the ''Saturday News'', a weekly magazine that focused on families. Godey's1844April

Godey wanted to provide more content developed by American authors and hired

Sarah Josepha Hale Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (October 24, 1788April 30, 1879) was an American writer, activist, and editor of ''Godey's Lady's Book''. She was the author of the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Hale famously campaigned for the creation of the ...

to be editor of ''Godey's Lady's Book'' in 1837. She remained the editor until her retirement in 1877. The magazine became extremely popular, becoming America's highest circulated magazine in the 1840s and reaching over 150,000 subscribers by 1858. Many famous authors were published in Godey's Lady's Book including

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

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 wide ...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

and

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

. Godey implemented a service where readers could order copies of engravings published in the magazine and other items. This was a precursor to

mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

catalogs that became popular later in the 19th century. He also developed programs to offer "premiums" or gifts to those that subscribed or renewed their subscriptions. He also innovated and offered reduced subscription rates to groups that pooled their money and purchased multiple copies of the magazine. Godey

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...

ed each issue of ''Godey's Lady's Book'' starting in 1845, making it one of the first magazines in America to do so. Godey published two other magazines, ''The Young People’s Book'' (1841) and ''Lady’s Musical Library (1842)'' with less successful results. LouisAGodeyGrave

In the 1870s, he retired to St. Augustine, Florida, but returned to Philadelphia where he died in 1878. At the time of his death, his fortune was estimated at $1 million, approximately $26 million today. He and his wife are buried at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

in Philadelphia.

Citations

Sources

External links

Columbia Encyclopedia entry for Louis Godey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godey, Louis 1804 births 1878 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American newspaper editors American magazine founders American people of French descent American publishers (people) Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Businesspeople from Philadelphia Editors of Pennsylvania newspapers Writers from New York City Writers from Philadelphia