Chapter Four
Mammoths, Story Papers, and Mail Order Magazines
The Age of Mammoths
An Infinity of Story Papers
E. C. Allen
Mail Order Magazines and Mr. Munsey
The popular press began to expand rapidly in the 1830s due to several transformative developments, including increased printing capacity, growth in the literate population, and a rising supply of paper, which some manufacturers began to sell in larger sizes to avoid reducing price. Lower production costs allowed newspaper and magazine publishers to reduce subscription and single copy prices, which sometimes attracted surprisingly large audiences... Read more
The Mammoths
If bigger is better, then these were the best magazines ever. The fact that their publishers invented American paperbacks was a bonus.
Story Papers
As more and more Americans learned how to read, this is where they turned for entertainment. Melodrama? Sentiment? The more the merrier!
E.C. Allen
One of America's most innovative publishers was a fruit seller from Augusta, Maine who launched his empire with a soap recipe.
Mail Order Magazines and Their Legacy
A forgotten category of magazines with lasting impact on American media