Putnam's Magazine

Putnam's Monthly Magazine of American Literature, Science and Art was a monthly periodical published by G. P. Putnam's Sons featuring American literature and articles on science, art, and politics. It had three incarnations: first, edited by Charles Frederick Briggs from January 1853 to September 1857 (whereupon it merged with Emerson's United States Magazine); then, edited by C. F. Briggs, Edmund Clarence Stedman and Parke Godwin from January 1868 to November 1870 (whereupon it merged with Scribner's Monthly); then, edited by Jeannette Gilder and Joseph Gilder from October 1906 to April 1910 (whereupon it merged with the Atlantic Monthly).

The 1853-1857 and 1868-1870 versions of the magazine have continuous volume numbers, despite the eleven-year publication hiatus. The 1906-1910 version restarts numbering at Volume 1.

First Incarnation of Putnam's Magazine (1853–1857)

The first incarnation of Putnam's ran from January 1853 to September 1857. It was founded by George Palmer Putnam, who intended it to be a vehicle for publishing the best of new American writing; a circular that Putnam sent to prospective authors (including Herman Melville) announced that the magazine would be 'as essentially an organ of American thought as possible'. Putnam saw an opportunity to create a magazine that would compete with the successful Harper's New Monthly Magazine, which drew much of its content from British periodicals. As publishing only American writing would distinguish Putnam's from Harper's and give the former unique status in the marketplace, Ezra Greenspan has argued that the magazine's literary nationalism was ‘a shrewd mixture of ideological altruism and publishing acumen’.Frederick Law Olmsted served as its editor in its final two years.