Revolutions from Grub Street

The authors combine their extensive research into business archives with an impressive knowledge of company reports, trade journals, and the fragmented academic literature to produce a history full of facts, figures, and rich detail. This volume will surely be a much-consulted reference work for scholars in the area for years to come the first proper history of the UKs magazine sector. Anyone interested in the history of publishing, print culture, or the media will find much of value here. * Adrian Bingham, Economic History Review *
Cox and Mowatt explore compellingly the perspective of of publishing houses and their leadership personalities. * Gerulf Hirt, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena [translated] *
Media histories often barely acknowledge magazines...Cox and Mowatt's book fills the aching gap. * Tony Quinn, Financial Times *
A fine book. Broad in its coverage and rich in detail. This impressive mapping of the complicated dynamics of a plurality of titles across the industry complements previous studies of magazines themselves. * Professor Laurel Brake, The Times Literary Supplement *
Cox and Mowatt present an excellent history of the business of magazine publishing in this monograph, which fills a significant gap in the existing literature on publishing in Britain...The history of magazine publishing in Britain is a fascinating tale that is captured very well in this text: not only is this an interesting history in itself but this is crucial reading for any historian who might turn to contemporary magazines as a source. * David Camplin, History *
The strength of Cox and Mowatt's book is that it tells the story of magazine publishing in Britain from a business point of view ... It traces how the various British publishing companies' fortunes rose and fell, how they were established, taken over and altered on the back of a handful of phenomenally successful titles, how their eventual fates were sealed by money, technology, squabbles in the boardroom and on the factory floor, too-rapid expansion and, more often than not, by ending up with so much invested in the status quo that they were no longer able to see how that status quo might change. The fact that it focuses on magazines as a business does not mean that it's lacking in characters * David Hepworth, InPublishing *
The authors of this essential text for anyone interested in publishing tell the story of Grub Street and the emergence of the magazine industry in a manner that is both entertaining and scholarly and recount the history that revolves around some of the great names of magazine publishing. * Professor Tom Wilson, Editor of the on-line journal Information Research *
Grub Street will at last enable course leaders on magazine journalism and publishing courses to address a gaping hole in their syllabuses. * Magforum *
From Tit-Bits in the 19th century to OK! In the 21st, mass-circulation consumer magazines have been a remarkably durable feature of the publishing scene, surviving far better than newspapers the periodic upheavals in technology and in distribution methods. Yet as new entry has become easier the structure of the industry, and the identity of the leading players, has been anything but stable. By describing in interesting detail how competitive forces have played out in this market, and providing a lively account of the role played by individual entrepreneurs, Cox and Mowatt have made a notable contribution to an under-researched aspect of British publishing history. * Geoffrey Owen, former editor of the Financial Times *
This compelling study of the evolution of consumer magazine publishing is a milestone in business and economic history. Charting the evolution of the industry in Britain from its 17th century origins through to the digital age, this well-researched book provides new perspectives on the links between the strategies of leading publishing firms and the imperatives of technological progress and social change. By focusing on the business dynamics and structures, the authors should be congratulated on providing a refreshingly new perspective on an industry which has shaped markets and cultural attitudes. * Geoffrey Jones, Harvard Business School *
An especially interesting part of the book deals with a major innovation in the use of advertising as a source of revenue. The authors show how Condé Nast, the famous publisher of Vogue, succeeded in making target advertising the main source of revenue for his magazines. Two important arguments of the book, the drive for profit and the importance of female readers, eloquently blend together here. * Thomas Smits, Tijdschrift voor tijdschriftsudies *
A fascinating and long overdue account of the behind-the-scenes dynamics and changing business models of the UK magazine industry over the last 300 years. Any serious student of this key sector in the UK creative economy should read this book. * Barry McIlheney, CEO, Professional Publishers Association *
This monograph is the first comprehensive corporate and economic history of British magazine publishers with an emphasis on those publishers for consumer magazines. The concisely and articulately written survey spans the period from the local origins of British magazine publishing in London's Grub Street of the 17th century right into the globalised and digitised 21st century. * Gerulf Hirt, H Net *
Covering magazine publishing from Grub Street until the recent past, Howard Cox and Simon Mowatt have produced a magisterial account of the industry This book is pioneering stuff perhaps even paradigm-shiftingcontribution to the field. * James Mussell, University of Leeds, Sharpnews *
Even those who rarely pick up a magazine will find this new work a fascinating read. It has clearly been painstakingly researched, yet avoids the trap of providing so much detail that the narrative gets bogged down or becomes dull It would appeal to academics across a broad range of disciplines, including economic history, management, human resources management, and media/communication studies. Revolutions from Grub Street adds to the body of knowledge on business history, particularly from a publishing perspective, and makes an important contribution to our understanding of economic and social history * Jennifer Laing, La Trobe University Australian Economic History Review *
Revolutions from Grub Street is a thoroughly researched history of the British consumer magazine industry that is also highly readable...a useful resource for undergraduate or graduate classes in magazine journalism, media management, and media history. But it is also a worthwhile read for anyone interested in business history in general, or in an entertaining overview of a fascinating industry. * Fiona McQuarrie, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, *