Sources on the History of Women's Magazines, 1792-1960: An Annotated Bibliography

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The most comprehensive bibliography available on historical sources for popular women's magazines, this work fills a niche among existing annotated bibliographies on journalism history. Compiler Mary Ellen Zuckerman focuses on a wide range of topics, providing primary as well as secondary sources from 1792 to 1960. Descriptive and analytical annotations are supplied for each entry. Drawing from 12 years of research on the subject, Zuckerman orients the reader with an introduction to the history of women's magazines in the United States and a historiographical review of sources in the field. Business, advertising, market research, content analysis, editors and writers, and images of women in the media are among the topics covered in the entries. The volume also features special sections on specific women's journals, exhaustive subject and author indexes, and descriptions of manuscript collections. This work is an important resource for professionals, students, and scholars in media, women's history, advertising, and business.

Reviews

. . . this substantial volume will serve scholars well in researching many aspects of the subject.-The Journal of American History
Here is a winner for magazine collections. This guide points to answers to such questions as: How are women portrayed in popular magazines How does one account for the success of the Woman's Home Companion, or, for that matter, Ms. And what role did Edward Bok play in the development of women's magazines Answers are in the articles, books, dissertations, studies, etc., compiled, with descriptive annotations, by Zuckerman. Beginning with the first title in 1792 (The Lady's Magazine), the bibliography covers magazines available up to and including 1960. Many of the references are much later, but the basic history and profile of business and publishing trends cover these years. The thousands of carefully described items are listed under ten subject headings and about a dozen specific periodicals. For the latter, both secondary and primary sources are described. There is a detailed subject index as well as an author index. One of the best to date in an extremely valuable series of bibliographies and histories of magazines, this is highly recommended for any library with an interest in the history of journalism and/or the role of women.-Library Journal
Popular women's magazines are the focus of this bibliography. Although her work is more extensive than Nancy K. Humphreys's American Women's Magazines: An Annotated Historical Guide (CH, May '90), Zuckerman does not include information on the underground sources that Humphreys does. Instead, she concentrates on the popular women's magazine industry and the historical context of that industry. The bibliography includes unpublished manuscripts and dissertations which, along with the book and periodical resources, were gathered for the author's dissertation in journalism history. A few sources are included for questionable reasons (for example, Erica Jong's Fear of Flying), but the bulk of the sources are excellent and the annotations are clearly and concisely written. In addition to general sources on the history and criticism of the magazines, Zuckerman includes useful material on images of women in other media, sources on advertising and market research, and biographical resources on the magazines' publishers. Highly recommended for colleges and universities with collections in women's studies, advertising, or journalism history.-Choice
." . . this substantial volume will serve scholars well in researching many aspects of the subject."-The Journal of American History
"Popular women's magazines are the focus of this bibliography. Although her work is more extensive than Nancy K. Humphreys's American Women's Magazines: An Annotated Historical Guide (CH, May '90), Zuckerman does not include information on the underground sources that Humphreys does. Instead, she concentrates on the popular women's magazine industry and the historical context of that industry. The bibliography includes unpublished manuscripts and dissertations which, along with the book and periodical resources, were gathered for the author's dissertation in journalism history. A few sources are included for questionable reasons (for example, Erica Jong's Fear of Flying), but the bulk of the sources are excellent and the annotations are clearly and concisely written. In addition to general sources on the history and criticism of the magazines, Zuckerman includes useful material on images of women in other media, sources on advertising and market research, and biographical resources on the magazines' publishers. Highly recommended for colleges and universities with collections in women's studies, advertising, or journalism history."-Choice
"Here is a winner for magazine collections. This guide points to answers to such questions as: How are women portrayed in popular magazines How does one account for the success of the Woman's Home Companion, or, for that matter, Ms. And what role did Edward Bok play in the development of women's magazines Answers are in the articles, books, dissertations, studies, etc., compiled, with descriptive annotations, by Zuckerman. Beginning with the first title in 1792 (The Lady's Magazine), the bibliography covers magazines available up to and including 1960. Many of the references are much later, but the basic history and profile of business and publishing trends cover these years. The thousands of carefully described items are listed under ten subject headings and about a dozen specific periodicals. For the latter, both secondary and primary sources are described. There is a detailed subject index as well as an author index. One of the best to date in an extremely valuable series of bibliographies and histories of magazines, this is highly recommended for any library with an interest in the history of journalism and/or the role of women."-Library Journal

Author Bio

MARY ELLEN ZUCKERMAN is Associate Professor at Jones School of Business, State University of New York at Geneseo. She is co-author of The Magazine in America (1991) and has numerous articles to her credit in Journalism History, Business History Review, and other periodicals.