The London Magazine is a publication of arts, literature and miscellaneous interests. Its history ranges across nearly three centuries and several reincarnations, publishing writers including William Wordsworth, William S. Burroughs, Winston Churchill and John Keats.
History
1732–1785
The London Magazine, the second oldest literary periodical, was founded in 1732 in political opposition and rivalry to the Tory-based Gentleman's Magazine and ran for 53 years until its closure in 1785. Edward Kimber became editor in 1755, succeeding his father Isaac Kimber. Henry Mayo was editor from 1775 to 1783. Publishers included Thomas Astley.
1820–1829
In 1820, the London Magazine was resurrected by the publishers Baldwin, Craddock & Joy under the editorship of John Scott who formatted the magazine along the lines of the Edinburgh publication Blackwood's Magazine. It was during this time the magazine enjoyed its greatest literary prosperity, publishing poetic luminaries such as William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Clare and John Keats. In September 1821, the first of two installments of Thomas De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater appeared in the journal; these were later published in book form. Scott quickly began a literary row with members of Blackwood, in particular with John Gibson Lockhart in regards to many subjects including Blackwood's virulent criticism of the "Cockney School", under which Leigh Hunt and John Keats were grouped. The quarrell ended in a fatal duel between Scott and Lockhart's close friend and workmate J. H. Christie. Scott lost the duel and his life in 1821. The London Magazine continued under the editorship of John Taylor and included a working staff of Thomas Hood, William Hazlitt and Charles Lamb. During this time Lamb published his earliest series of Essays of Elia beginning in 1820. The magazine dwindled in success towards the end of the decade because of Taylor's insistent tampering with the poets' works; and it was abandoned by many of its staff, including Lamb and Hazlitt. The London Magazine again ceased publication in 1829.
1840
Simpkin, Marshall and Co. published The London Magazine, Charivari, and Courrier des Dames; a Proteus in Politics, a Chameleon in Literature, and a Butterfly in the World of Bon Ton, edited by Richard Fennell. The first item in the inaugural, February 1840 issue is "Behind the Scenes, with the Prologue to Our Little Drama", which begins, in turn, "Manager Typo is discovered pacing up and down the stage...".
The title was revived in November 1875 for "a monthly of light literature, conducted by Will Williams", where it appears to [have gone under the simpler moniker, The London, and where it has been described as "a society paper", and as being "a journal of a type more usual in Paris than London, written for the sake of its contributors rather than of the public." A significant development in this period was the arrival of William Ernest Henley, who accepted a position at The London as its editor, serving in the capacity for the closing two years of this incarnation. In addition to his inviting its articles and editing all content, Henley anonymously contributed tens of poems to the journal, "chiefly in old French forms," some of which have been termed "brilliant". This period also saw publication of Robert Louis Stevenson's seminal short story, "The New Arabian Nights," in The London. The London again ceased publication with the issue dated 5 April 1879.
1898–1933
In 1901 The Harmsworth Magazine was renamed The London Magazine by Cecil Harmsworth, proprietor of the Daily Mail at the time. The edited was Henry Beckles Willson. The publication continued until 1930 as part of Amalgamated Press when it was renamed the New London Magazine. The Australian scholar Sue Thomas referred to it as "an important informer... of popular literary tastes in the late Victorian and Edwardian periods". Despite its acclaim, the magazine closed in 1933.
1954–present
In 1954, a new periodical was given the name of the London Magazine under the editorship of John Lehmann, largely continuing the tradition of the acclaimed 1940s periodical New Writing. It was endorsed by T. S. Eliot as a non-university based periodical that would "boldly assume the existence of a public interested in serious literature." In 1961 the magazine changed hands and was renamed London Magazine. The editor was Lehmann's fellow poet and critic Alan Ross and publication continued until Ross's death in 2001 prompted its closure again. Under both Lehmann and Ross the magazine was published by Chatto & Windus. However it was quickly relaunched by Christopher Arkell and the poet and literary criticSebastian Barker. When Barker retired as editor in early 2008, Sara-Mae Tuson took over. In July 2009 Arkell sold the magazine to Burhan Al-Chalabi who is now the publisher, with as editor and Lucy Binnersley as production manager. The current patrons are Lord Risby, Oliver Hylton, Stanley Johnson and Stephen Fry. The London Magazine has re-launched under the editorship of Steven O’Brien. It is a more modern, digitalized magazine re-invigorated for the twenty-first-century, which combines a rich history through writings and texts with a contemporary outlook, and which draws together ideas, and voices, from across the globe. The London Magazine is published six times per year. It publishes both emerging and established writers from around the world. Its current contributors include Charlotte Metcalf, Christopher Ricks, Jonathan Marriott, Serena Gosden-Hood, Simon Tait, Rachel Bower and Will Stone.
