The Century Magazine

The Century Magazine was first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City as a successor to Scribner's Monthly Magazine. It ceased publication in 1930.

History

In 1921, The Cambridge History of English and American Literature summarized the early history of the magazine:

After the death of Charles Scribner differences arose between the management, and the publishing firm of Charles Scribner’s Sons, which resulted in the withdrawal of the Scribner interests and a change of name to The Century Magazine in 1881. Dr. Holland was to have continued in the editorship, but before the appearance of the first issue of the Century he died, and was succeeded by Richard Watson Gilder, who from the first had been associate editor. The change of name brought no radical change in scope or policy, and Scribner’s Monthly and the Century constitute virtually an unbroken series from 1870 to the present time.

Dr. Holland was a clever editor who knew what the public wanted. From the first he secured well-known contributors of high rank. A “Publisher’s Department,” with “A word to our readers,” or “A talk with our readers,” though relegated to the advertising pages, continued the methods of the old-fashioned personal journalist. Richard Watson Gilder was a man of greater literary ability and finer taste, and though he could hardly have gained initial success for the venture as well as did Holland it is to him that the high rank of the Century is largely due. [...]

The Century has always given much space to illustrated articles on history. There was something a trifle “journalistic” in a series of articles on the Civil War by Northern and Southern generals, yet even in these the editorial control was such as to insure a reasonable standard of excellence. The Life of Lincoln by Nicolay and Hay, large parts of which appeared serially in the Century, was of higher grade. In literary criticism E. C. Stedman had, even in the days of Scribner’s Monthly, contributed articles on the American poets. Without neglecting fiction, poetry, and other general literature the magazine has devoted rather more attention than has Harper’s to matters of timely, though not of temporary, interest.^[1]

The magazine was very successful during the 19th century, most notably for the aforementioned series of articles about the American Civil War, which ran for three years during the 1880s. It included reminiscences of 230 participants from all ranks of the service on both sides of the conflict.^[2] It was also a notable publisher of fiction, presenting three excerpts of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884 and 1885.^[3] Due to competition from cheaper magazines and newspapers, the magazine's circulation gradually declined. In 1929, The Century became a quarterly, and in 1930 it was merged with The Forum.^[2] However, its reprieve was short-lived; The Forum ceased publication at the end of that same year.

The noted critic and editor Frank Crowninshield briefly served as its art editor.

Contributors

Pulp magazine author Ellis Parker Butler contributed 30 stories, articles and poems to The Century between 1896 and 1913, including "My Cyclone-proof House", which appeared in the November 1896 issue. This short story was Butler's first piece published in a major magazine. His works were illustrated by such famous artists as Jay Hambidge, May Wilson Preston, Florence Scovel Shinn, Frederic Dorr Steele, and Frederic R. Gruger. The Century published a full-color portrait of Butler (with his wife Ada and daughter Elsie) in the December 1909 issue. The portrait was drawn by family friend Ernest L. Blumenschein.

Noted engraver Alexander Wilson Drake was a long-time contributor to both The Century Magazine and its earlier incarnation as Scribner's Monthly. The Century Company produced a memorial edition of Alexander Wilson Drake's fiction and art entitled Three Midnight Stories in 1916. The Century also employed many notable editorial cartoonists, including Oscar Cesare.

During the 1900s and 1910s the Anglo-Canadian poet, story writer and essayist Marjorie Pickthall was a regular contributor to The Century Magazine.^[4]

References

1. ^ "XIX. Later Magazines. § 10. Scribner’s Monthly; The Century Magazine.". The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21). XVII. Later National Literature, Part II.. http://www.bartleby.com/227/1210.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} The New York Public Library Digital Library Collections, Century Company Records, 1871–1924: Historical notes, http://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/ead/nypl/msscentu/@Generic__BookTextView/228;pt=132, retrieved 2009-10-24 
3. ^ Railton, Stephen (1996), Prepublishing Huck (from "Mark Twain In His Times"), http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/hfcentry.html, retrieved 2009-10-24 
4. ^ "Marjorie Pickthall". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?BioId=42464&query=. Retrieved November 1, 2010. 

External links

• The Century Magazine at Cornell University Library "Making of America", vols. 23-58, and INDEX vol. (1881–1899)
• The Century Magazine at Internet Archive, various volumes (scanned books original editions color illustrated)
• Holland Collection of Literary Letters, University of Colorado Boulder