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American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge

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The American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge (1834–1837) was a monthly magazine based in Boston, Massachusetts.[1]

It was established by a group of engravers to "give to the public a work descriptive, not merely of subjects, scenes, places, and persons existing in distant climes, but also of those which are to be found in our own fine and native country."[1]

It featured profusely illustrated articles on many topics, including American animals, plants, natural scenery, colleges, banks, hospitals, churches, cities, technology, and so on; as well as biographical articles on figureheads of the revolutionary and federal eras.[2]

Modelled after the British Penny Magazine,[2] it was published first by the Boston Bewick Company, then by William D. Ticknor and John L. Sibley.[3][4] Starting in January[5] of 1836, Nathaniel Hawthorne served as editor,[6] [7] and also as the magazine's sole contributor.[5] Some of his articles were original; others were collected from other magazines or books.[5] He resigned less than a year later because the workload was too demanding and the pay too low.[5]

References

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  1. 1 2 American Magazine, v.1, no.1; p. 1.
  2. 1 2 Linton, William James (1882). The History of Wood-engraving in America. Boston: Estes and Lauriat. pp. 19. LCCN 09023317. OCLC 3161314 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ "Several of the gentlemen interested in the magazine, are themselves engravers, and it may be said without vanity, that they have contributed in no small degree to bring that beautiful, though long neglected art, to the high point of perfection which it has attained in this country." American Magazine, v.1, no.1; p. 1.
  4. ↑ The Boston Bewick Co. was affiliated with Abel Bowen; George W. Boynton; Lewis H. Bridgham; Daniel H. Craig; William Croome; John C. Crossman; George A. Curtis; Nicholas B. Devereux, Jr.; John Downes; John H. Hall; Alonzo Hartwell; Freeman Hunt, and Richard P. Mallory. The firm kept offices on Court Street in Boston. Cf. American Magazine, v.1, 1834.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Swansburg, John (15 June 2026). "Nathaniel Hawthorne's American Horror Story". The Atlantic. Retrieved 4 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Wineapple, Brenda (2004). Hawthorne: A Life. New York: Random House. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0-8129-7291-0. Retrieved 8 January 2010 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Modugno, Joseph R. (n.d.). "Introduction to "The Duston Family"". Hawthorne in Salem. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2010.

Further reading

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  • American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge. v.1 (1834–1835); v.2 (1835–1836); v.3 (1836–1837).
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