Last week, for anyone who might be interested, I listed some of the online newspaper archives I've found useful in collecting information on magazines and their editors. The following general reference books are also helpful, especially in tracing the history of a particular magazine or editor over time:
- "A History of American Magazines," by Frank Luther Mott (D. Appleton and Co. and Harvard University Press, 1930-1968), is indispensable. A tour de force of journalism scholarship, it covers the years 1741 through 1930 in five very readable volumes. You can find a set in many good libraries and used copies turn up from time to time, though they can be expensive.
- "The American Magazine: A Compact History," by John Tebbel (Hawthorn Books, 1969), is, as its title suggests, a less-detailed accounting than Mott's. It also starts in 1741 and ends in the 1960s. "The Magazine in America: 1741-1990," by John Tebbel and Mary Ellen Zuckerman (Oxford University Press, 1991), adds a couple more decades. Among Tebbel's other books is the biography "George Horace Lorimer and The Saturday Evening Post" (Doubleday, 1948).
- "Magazines in the Twentieth Century," by Theodore Peterson (University of Illinois Press, 1964). Also very lively and readable.
- "Magazines in the United States," by James Playsted Wood (The Ronald Press Company, 1948). A decade later Wood wrote a history of The Reader's Digest called "Of Lasting Interest."
Next time: More books.
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