The Bookman

The Bookman was an American literary journal established in New York in 1895 by Frank H. Dodd, the head of the publishing firm Dodd, Mead and Company. It was created as an American counterpart to the London periodical The Bookman, which had begun publication in 1891. The American edition retained the London publication's broad literary-journal format while adding material intended to serve readers and publishing interests in the United States. The journal's first issue appeared in February 1895 under the editorship of Harry Thurston Peck. One of its most important early innovations was the creation of an American bestseller list. The lists appeared in The Bookman from 1895 through 1918 and provide an unusually important record of American book popularity. For the years 1895 through 1912, they are regarded as the only comprehensive annual source of United States bestseller data before Publishers Weekly began issuing its own lists. The Bookman combined literary criticism, essays, commentary on books and authors, and publishing-related information. Its editorial identity was initially conservative in literary and cultural matters. Arthur Bartlett Maurice served as editor from 1899 to 1916, followed by G. G. Wyant from 1916 to 1918. John C. Farrar edited the journal during the period when it was owned by the George H. Doran Company. Ownership changed several times. George H. Doran Company acquired the journal in 1918. In April 1927, it was sold to Burton Rascoe and Seward B. Collins. Rascoe's editorship in 1927 and 1928 represented a short-lived departure from the publication's established conservative standards and political orientation. During that period, the journal published material such as Upton Sinclair's novel Boston. After Rascoe left in April 1928, Collins continued as editor and publisher. Under Collins, The Bookman moved toward a more explicitly conservative intellectual position. Its content reflected the influence of Irving Babbitt and promoted humanism and distributism. Collins's politics became increasingly sympathetic to fascism during his tenure, and the journal's later editorial direction reflected that trajectory. The Bookman ended publication in 1933. Collins subsequently founded The American Review, carrying aspects of his ideological project into a new periodical. Although it no longer exists as a commercial publication, The Bookman remains significant to historians of American publishing, literary journalism, and book-market measurement. Its early bestseller lists are particularly valuable for reconstructing reading and sales patterns in the United States before standardized industry reporting became available.

The Bookman was founded in New York in 1895 by Frank H. Dodd, the head of Dodd, Mead and Company. Its creation followed the success of The Bookman in London, launched in 1891, but the American edition was designed for United States readers. The editors described it as retaining the popular characteristics of the British journal while adding material of immediate relevance to the American literary and publishing environment. Harry Thurston Peck served as the first editor and worked on the journal's staff from 1895 to 1906. The publication's first issue appeared in February 1895. Among Peck's most consequential contributions was the establishment of an American bestseller list, which made The Bookman an early source of systematic information about book popularity. The lists continued through 1918 and are especially important for the period before Publishers Weekly began publishing comparable lists in 1912. For 1895–1912, The Bookman lists are described as the only comprehensive annual record of United States bestsellers. Arthur Bartlett Maurice edited the journal from 1899 to 1916, followed by G. G. Wyant from 1916 to 1918. In 1918, ownership passed to the George H. Doran Company. John C. Farrar was associated with the journal as editor during the George H. Doran ownership period. The magazine continued to operate as a literary and book-focused periodical, carrying reviews, criticism, essays, and commentary concerning authors and publishing. A further ownership change took place in April 1927, when Burton Rascoe and Seward B. Collins purchased the journal. Rascoe edited it briefly until his departure in April 1928. His tenure was an exception to the journal's customary conservative editorial position: The Bookman temporarily adopted a less restrictive political and literary stance and published, among other material, Upton Sinclair's novel Boston. After Rascoe's departure, Seward B. Collins became the continuing editor and publisher. Collins restored and intensified the publication's conservative orientation. The journal's later intellectual program was influenced by Irving Babbitt and promoted humanism and distributism. Collins himself moved increasingly toward fascist politics during the years he controlled the journal, making its later editorial history important to scholars of interwar American conservatism and literary politics. The Bookman ceased publication in 1933. Collins subsequently founded The American Review, a new periodical that extended elements of his conservative and ideological agenda. Surviving issues and digitized holdings make The Bookman useful for research into American literary culture, publishing history, bestseller measurement, and the relationship between literary journalism and political thought.

1. 1933Publication ends

   The Bookman ceased publication after Collins's period of control.

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2. 1928Seward Collins assumes sole editorial direction

   Following Burton Rascoe's departure in April, Collins continued as editor and publisher.

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3. 1927Rascoe and Collins acquire the journal

   Burton Rascoe and Seward B. Collins purchased The Bookman in April.

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4. 1918Ownership moves to George H. Doran Company

   The journal was acquired by the George H. Doran Company.

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5. 1895The Bookman is established

   Frank H. Dodd founded the American edition through Dodd, Mead and Company, and the first issue appeared in February.

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6. 1895American bestseller lists begin

   Harry Thurston Peck introduced bestseller reporting that later became a major historical source for American book-market research.

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A nationally oriented American literary journal combining literary criticism, book coverage, publishing intelligence, and bestseller reporting. In its later years, it became an explicitly conservative cultural and political publication.

• The BookmanLiterary journal1895

  The core periodical published literary criticism, book reviews, essays, author coverage, and commentary on the American publishing environment. Its editorial character changed over time, moving from a broadly conservative literary orientation to a more explicitly ideological conservatism under Seward B. Collins.

• The Bookman bestseller listsPublishing reference1895

  The journal's bestseller lists ran from 1895 through 1918. They are a significant historical source for tracking American book popularity, particularly because comprehensive industry lists were not otherwise consistently available for much of the period.

• 1928Reorientation under Seward B. CollinsStrategy

  Seward B. Collins continued the journal after Burton Rascoe's departure.

  What changed. Collins shaped the publication around conservative views influenced by Irving Babbitt, with emphasis on humanism and distributism.

  Aftermath. The journal's later identity became closely associated with Collins's increasingly fascist political trajectory before publication ended in 1933.

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• 1927Temporary relaxation of conservative editorial standardsStrategy

  After Burton Rascoe and Seward B. Collins acquired the journal, Rascoe briefly directed its editorial policy.

  What changed. Under Rascoe, The Bookman adopted a less conservative literary and political posture and published work such as Upton Sinclair's Boston.

  Aftermath. Rascoe left in April 1928, after which Collins resumed a strongly conservative direction.

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• 1895Launch of an American edition of The BookmanProduct launch

  The London Bookman had demonstrated demand for a literary journal focused on books and readers. Dodd, Mead sought to adapt that model for the United States.

  What changed. Frank H. Dodd established a separately edited American publication that retained the London journal's popular features while adding United States-focused material.

  Aftermath. The resulting journal became an important American literary periodical and an early source of systematic bestseller information.

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• 1895Introduction of bestseller reportingProduct launch

  Readers and publishers lacked a long-running, comprehensive American record of which books were selling most successfully.

  What changed. Harry Thurston Peck created bestseller lists for The Bookman.

  Aftermath. The lists continued through 1918 and became a key source for historical studies of American book demand.

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• 1933The Bookman ceases publication

  The journal ended publication under Seward B. Collins, who later launched The American Review.

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• 1927The journal is sold to Burton Rascoe and Seward B. Collins

  The George H. Doran Company sold The Bookman to Burton Rascoe and Seward B. Collins.

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• 1918George H. Doran Company acquires The Bookman

  Ownership transferred from Dodd, Mead and Company to the George H. Doran Company.

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• 1895The Bookman is founded in New York

  Frank H. Dodd established the American literary journal through Dodd, Mead and Company, with Harry Thurston Peck as its first editor.

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• 1895The Bookman begins publishing American bestseller lists

  The journal introduced bestseller reporting that became an important historical record of American book popularity.

  Product launch
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1. The Bookman (New York City)
2. The Bookman holdings and digitized records