Some Origins

Over the years thousands upon thousands of different magazine titles have been served to American readers, each unique but all cooked from the same basic ingredients:  words, pictures, paper, type, and so forth.  This chapter is a brief review of how different components of the recipe evolved.  It looks at the origins of paper, binding, and printing ; English journalism in its earliest formats ; and the birth and growth of American newspapers.  Read more...

 

This Chapter:

Writing and Printing


The origins of publishing's fundamental components. 

News in Print and Elsewhere


Early developments in spreading the news.

British Journals and Magazines, and the Birth of American Newspapers.

The magazine emerges in Britain. Newspapers emerge in America.


Newspapers in the New Country


The growth of American newspapers in the 18th Century.