Periodicals

The Nineteenth Century was founded in 1877 by James Knowles. According to the Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century Journalism in Great Britain and Ireland, The Nineteenth Century was "one of the most important and distinguished monthlies of serious thought in the last quarter of the nineteenth century." The journal was known for facilitating debates on current issues by publishing articles from authors with varying perspectives. An example of a social issue that was debated in The Nineteenth Century was the Woman Question. Authors for and against the emancipation of women were published in its issues. Eliza Lynn Linton's series of Wild Women essays and Mona Caird's response to Lynn Linton were published in the thirtieth and thirty-first issues of the periodical.

William Tudor founded The North American Review in 1815 in Boston with the help of other members in the Anthology Club. The magazine became the most popular one until 1857 when the Antlantic Monthly came out. In 1878, its base was moved to New York City and remained there until 1940. Its production was stopped during this year due to its owner's wartime activities being leaked to the public. Production was restarted in 1968 by Robert Dana and has continued to this day although ownership has changed over the years.

The Westminster Review was a quarterly periodical founded in 1824 by James Mill and Jeremy Bentham. It was used to publish the work of philosphical radicals. The periodical included work by John Stuart Mill, Samuel Tyler Coleridge, and Thomas Carlyle. Colonel Perronet Thompson took over the Westminster Review in 1830 to preach parliamentary reform and create opposition to the Corn Laws. In 1836, John Stuart Mill purchased the Westminster Review and combined it with the London Review. He used it for politcal purposed to support politicians including, Thomas Attwood, Thomas Duncombe, and Thomas Wakley. These politicians were also pushing for reform of the House of Commons. The Westminster Review gained a new owner and editor in 1851. John Chapman was interested in progressive individuals and published works by George Eliot, Mark Pattison, and Walter Pater. Publication was stopped in 1914.

The Forum publishing company was founded in New York City Isaac Leopold Rice in 1886. Lorettus Sutton Metcalf was hired as the editor of the periodical. In her book The American New Woman Revisited: A Reader, 1894-1930, Patterson discusses The Forum stating, "The Forum became recognized for its meticulous editing and its editorial policy, which emphasized the importance of including the opinions of experts on the most timely issues of the day" (Patterson 98). The periodical tried to include a variety of views on topics such as religion, politics, science, and education. The Forum is often found in many libraries today due to its thorough discussion of controversial topics of the time.

Unfortunately, there is currently not much to be found surrounding the history of the Humanitarian periodical. We hope to discover more about its founders and origin in the future.