I came across this great article the other day on MagDesigning.com – what a great website. I’ve included a snipett of the article and images below – please read the entire article here: http://www.magazinedesigning.com/history-of-the-magazines/
 Le Mercure Galant was one of the first printed publications. |
 Household Words was an English weekly magazine published in the 1850s by Charles Dickens. |
 Gentleman’s Magazine is the first publication that was named magazine. |
Beginnings of print magazines
First publication, which could be called a magazine, was the German Erbauliche MonathsUnterredungen, released in the year 1663. It was a literary and philosophical edition and after it was launched several periodicals with very similar topics were published, and were intended for an intellectual audience.
Thematic scope was very narrow, and it was mainly written by one author. A publication similar to today’s magazines (various themes and several authors) appeared in the year 1672, when French author Jean Donneau de Vize created Le Mercure Galant. It combines topics from court events, theater and literature, and this magazine concept was copied throughout Europe. The first women’s magazine,Ladie’s Mercury, was launched in London in the year 1693. Of course, these publications in their beginnings were called periodicals.
Thank the Arabs
Name “magazine” appeared in the year 1731 with the occurrence of the Gentleman’s Magazine. The name magazine, which comes from the Arabic word which means the warehouse, and was used for describing the place which deposits large quantity of various goods, while the analogy used to describe a book that contained many useful information for travelers and sailors.
The success of the magazine was great, but the costs of every issue were even higher. Printing cost was high, and the number of printed copies could not be greater than one hundred thousand, because it was technically impossible to squeeze a larger amount of paper through the machine. Distribution was also a big problem because it was difficult to move large quantities of magazines at great distances.
First ad pages
In the mid 19th century readers were not only the rich ones and magazines become available to the middle class. This was beginning for the first family magazines, such as, Dickens Household Words. During the 19th century, increasing attempts was made to cut the price of the magazines. At this time the first ads appeared, but not much because the ads were loaded with special tax, all up to 1853.
After the repeal of the tax, number of ads did not increase since many publishers avoided this type of income (Readers Digest magazine did not publish ads until 1955). In the late 19th century and with the invention of the rotary press, the number of printed copies increases, and the price of the issue is reduced and thus we enter the century, that will mark the development of the magazines as one of the world’s leading media.
With technological progress, increased circulation, and increasing use of images, magazines are becoming increasingly attractive to advertisers. The first advertising agency was established in 1890 and from that point on advertising started to flourish.
 Good Housekeeping is one ofthe most iconic American magazines, more than a hundred years old. |
 National Geographic Magazine is the most famous scientific magazine, and is one of the oldest in the world, dating from 1889. |
 In crazy twenties Henry Luce publishes Time magazine, one of the most important political weeklies. |
Rise of the magazines
In the early 20th century appears one of the most important icons in the world of publishing, William Randolph Hearst. As the owner of several newspapers across America, he engages in a merciless battle for readers with his mentor, Joseph Pulitzer. During the Cuban War for Independence, Hearst and Pulitzer published in their newspapers images of tortured and starving Cuban troops. At this moment arises the term yellow journalism, which marks the sensationalist approach to the presentation of events.
Hearst expanded his empire to magazine publishing starting with the famous Good Housekeeping,National Geographic and Harper’s Bazaar. Besides Hearst’s magazines, some other important publications appear such as Conde Nast’s Vogue, Vanity Fair and news magazine Time, whose starter Henry Luce is still considered the most influential publisher in history.
Although Luce launched Time, he was not a visionary and he did not guide the magazine. He actually stole the idea for the first political weekly from his colleague at Yale, Britton Hadden.
Hadden was responsible for conceiving the concept of the political news magazine, and he as the editor of the Time, formed personality of the magazine, gained loyal readers, and brought the financial profit to the company. The same company will issue several well-known magazines such as Life, Sports Illustrated and Money.
 First business magazine, published out of the business section of Time magazine, considered revolutionary because of its print quality. |
 Life magazine, published since 1939 is creditable for the development of photo reportage. |
 Helene Gordon Lazareff published one of the most important women’s magazines, French Elle. |
Read more here: http://www.magazinedesigning.com/history-of-the-magazines/ to read about:
Full color print and photo-journalism
She will change the way a women think
Golden era and Mad Man
Evolution of the magazines
Print is not dead