December 01, 2008
Great Moments in Magazine History (1860, 1887, 1953)
Three great moments happened today in the history of magazines, each of which reflected the aspirations of the culture that spawned them.
"Great Expectations:" Charles Dickens returns to the well of his childhood with the serialization of this novel in the pages of his magazine. Like "David Copperfield," published ten years before, "Expectations" follows the life of a boy, Pip, who grows into manhood. It also paints a vivid picture of the British class system, as Pip, with the help of benefactors, moves from his working-class origins into becoming a gentleman, and the effect it has on his personality and outlook. 
"A Study in Scarlet:" Beeton's Christmas Annual paid Arthur Conan Doyle £25 for his first novel, launching Sherlock Holmes on an unsuspecting world. Doyle based Holmes on his medical mentor, Dr. Joseph Bell, who stressed the importance of observation in diagnosing diseases. He was also capable of looking at a subject and deducing the person's class and occupation. Although Doyle dismissed the Sherlock Holmes stories as less important than his other writing, he would eventually write 56 short stories and four novels featuring the consulting detective and his sidekick.Playboy: Born on the kitchen table in Hugh Hefner's home, the first issue of Playboy, featuring Marilyn Monroe on the cover, was an instant hit, selling more than 50,000 copies. Its combination of nude photography, top-quality fiction and lifestyle articles, aimed at males aged 18-35, enabled it to make erotica acceptable to the middle class.
But Playboy wasn't alone in changing acceptable behavior. Take the case of the nude Marilyn Monroe photo. Titled "Golden Dreams," it had been taken in 1949 when Monroe needed money. As her career rose, so did the photo. Its appearance on a calendar the year before Playboy was born caused a crisis in her career. She got out of it by confessing that it was her, that she needed the money, and in essence charming her way out of trouble (such as the famous quote about the photo shoot: "It's not true I had nothing on. I had the radio on."). By the time Hefner ran the Monroe photo, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," starring Monroe and Jane Russell, had been a hit.Born: Laura Hawkins, Becky Thatcher inspiration, 1836; Julia Moore, poet, Kent County, Mich., 1847; Rex Stout, mystery author, Noblesville, Ind., 1886; Ernst Toller, playwright, poet, political activist, Samotschin, Germany, 1893; Richard Pryor, comedian, Peoria, Ill., 1940; Woody Allen, (ps. Allen Stewart Konigsberg), author, filmmaker, Brooklyn, N.Y., 1935; Playboy, magazine, Chicago, 1953.
Died: Thomas Kyd, playwright, London, 1594; Aleister Crowley, author, magician, Brighton, England, 1947; Anita Brenner, author, Mexico, 1974; James Baldwin, author, essayist, playwright, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France, 1987.
Quote for the Day: "I never thought art could change things. To the degree that it's entertaining, it's got a use, but that's not the thing that changes people or countries or political systems, that's usually done through political action." — Woody Allen, who was born today in 1935
Also from the "Writers 365" project:
- Great Moments in Literary Sex I
- Great Moments in Literary Sex II
- Writers colonies of the dead
- Great Moments in Literary Sex (Part I)
- Great Moments in Literary Sex (Part II)
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