The Nineteenth Century magazine founded in London
- When
- 1877–1878
- Where
- London; Britain
- Episodes
- 2
The Nineteenth Century was a British monthly literary magazine founded in London in 1877 by James Knowles. Designed as an impartial forum for debate among leading intellectuals, it quickly became one of the most successful literary magazines in Britain, selling over 20,000 copies monthly by early 1878.
Episodes
- Founding of The Nineteenth Century
James Knowles founded The Nineteenth Century in London in 1877 after leaving the Contemporary Review.
- Early Success and Circulation
By early 1878, the magazine sold over 20,000 copies monthly, becoming one of Britain's most successful literary magazines.
Background and detail
Background. James Knowles, an English architect and editor, founded The Nineteenth Century in 1877. He had previously edited the Contemporary Review but quit in 1877 due to proprietors' objections to certain articles. The new magazine was designed as an 'utterly impartial' forum for debate and discussion among leading intellectuals.
Reception. Historians regard The Nineteenth Century as 'one of the most important and distinguished monthlies of serious thought in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.' It quickly gained a reputation as a responsive forum where contributors were given freedom to disagree without editorial interference.
People involved
- James Knowles · Founder and Editor
Sources
- The Nineteenth Century (periodical) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-20
- James Thomas Knowles (1831–1908) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-08
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.