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American Magazine
Andrew Bradford's "Monthly View of the Political State of the British" beat Ben Franklin's "The General Magazine" by three days in publishing, making it the first magazine published in North America. It reported on political things, and only lasted three months. Still, it paved the way for what followed.
(babel.hathitrust.org) -
The 1830s
This is when magazines really became more popular. Innovations in paper and printing led to a smaller cost to the public, making magazines more available. This was also a time when literary publishing became immensely popular, particularly in the United States, driving the sales of magazines.
(History of Magazines) -
Harper's New Monthly Magazine
First published in June 1850 by Harper and Brothers, this was one of the first really successful illustrated magazines. WIthin 6 months, they had reached a circulation of 50,000. It published works of American writers and authors like Mark Twain and Jack London, something Cosmopolitan later also did. It also reported on important news of the day, and notably, on the progress for the crusade for women's rights. (Harpers) -
The First Publication
When it was first created and published by Schlicht and Field, Cosmopolitan Magazine boasted that it was to become "first-class family magazine". It included articles on the home, family, cooking, and some on "Examples of Recent Art" and the "Progress of Science".
(The Society Pages) -
Enter E.D. Walker
Although Cosmopolatan Magazine was doing well, it had a circulation of 25,000 within its first year, Schlicht and Field when out of business in 1888. E.D. Walker, coincidentally an old employee of Harper's, took over the editorship and started to make changes. He brought in fiction writing and tripled circulation in 4 years.
(Spartacus) -
William Randolph Hearst
Hearst bought Cosmopolatin Magazine for $400,000. They enlisted journalist Charles Edward Russel, and became more news-centered.
(Cosmopolitan) -
Upton Sinclair and Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan made its first major change with the introduction of new fiction and publishing authors like Upton Sinclair, Kurt Vonnegut, and H.G. Wells.
Sinclair quote published in Cosmopolitan, 1906:
"The proletarian writer is a writer with a purpose; he thinks no more of "art for art's sake" than a man on a sinking ship thinks of painting a beautiful picture in the cabin; he thinks of getting ashore- and then there will be time for art." (Spartacus Education) -
"Sex and the Single Girl"
Women of the 60s were experiencing a new level of freedom, but no one was really talking about it yet. Enter Helen Gurley Brown. It's a book about a "swinging singleton". It told women they didn't need a man to be happy and they should own their sexuality.
Women loved it.
They were constantly writing her for advice and this gave her an idea: a magazine that displayed all the advice in one place. -
Helen's Vision
Cosmopolatin as it was, a general-interest magazine for men and women, was losing money fast for Hearst. They were planning on just shutting it down until Helen came around and they let her try out her new vision. The July 1965 issue was the first she edited. It had a headline, "The new pill that makes women more responsive", that was blatantly talking about birth control. Cosmopolatin officially had a new vision.
(Cosmo) -
"Inventing the Cosmo GIrl"
"Inventing the Cosmo Girl" was an article by Laurie Ouelette, PhD. It explored the cultural impact Cosmo had in the 60's and 70's. It chonicles how it gave women a new sense of power in their lives, and how it pushed them to embrace independence (along with sexuality).
(Cosmo) -
Cosmo Takes Over the World
According to a New York Times article, Cosmo has a circulation of 3 million in the United States, and 22 foreign publications. -
Works Cited Part 2
"The Evolution of Cosmopolitan Magazine - Sociological Images." Sociological Images The Evolution of Cosmopolitan Magazine Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2010/04/26/guest-post-the-evolution-of-cosmopolitan-magazine
"The History of Magazines." <i>History of Magazines</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
https://www.magazines.com/history-of-magazines
Zimmerman, Edith. "99 Ways to Be Naughty in Kazakhstan." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Aug. 2 -
Works Cited
Sources:
"About Harper’s Magazine." <i>Harpers Magazine</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.
http://harpers.org/history/
Bradford, Andrew. "The American Magazine." N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3151646;view=1up;seq=19>
"How Cosmo Changed the World." Cosmopolitan. N.p., 03 May 2007. Web. 08 Nov. 2015. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a1746/about-us-how-cosmo-changed-the-world
"Spartacus Educational." <i>Spartacus Educational</i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 07
