The Popular Magazine

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The Popular Magazine
April 7, 1915 issue

April 7, 1915 issue

Editor Henry Harrison Lewis (1903-1904); Charles Agnew MacLean (1904-1928)
Categories Literary magazines
Frequency Variable; most often bi-monthly
Publisher Street & Smith
Year founded 1904
First issue November 1903
Country Flag of the United States United States
Language English

The Popular Magazine was an early American literary magazine that ran for 612 issues from November 1903 to October 1931. It featured short fiction, novellas, serialized larger works, and even entire short novels. Its subject matter ranged over a number of genres, although it tended somewhat towards men's adventure stories, particularly in the waning years of the magazine, when the vogue for hardboiled fiction was strong. The Popular Magazine touted itself as "a magazine for men and women who like to read about men."

Initially started as a boy's magazine, this editorial direction only lasted three issues before switching to the program of adult fiction that the Popular Magazine would retain for the rest of its publication run. It can be considered a forerunner of the pulp fiction magazines that were prominent from the 1920s to 1950s, as it avoided more highbrow fare in favor of fiction "for the common man".

One of the Popular Magazine's earliest successes came with the publication of H. Rider Haggard's novel Ayesha in 1905. Other notable writers published by the Popular Magazine include Morgan Robertson, H.G. Wells, Rafael Sabatini and Zane Grey.

The magazine went through several slight name changes towards the end of its run. In December 1927 it changed its name to "Popular Stories", and then a month later to "The Popular". In October 1928, it changed its name back to "The Popular Magazine" once again.

The Popular Magazine was edited by Henry Harrison Lewis from 1903 to 1904, and Charles Agnew MacLean from 1904 to 1928. It was published by Street & Smith and typically ran from 194 to 224 pages per issue.