The Beaver (magazine)
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| Editor | Mark Reid |
|---|---|
| Categories | History |
| Frequency | Bi-Monthly |
| Total circulation (December 2011) |
37,689 |
| First issue | October 1920 (as The Beaver) April 2010 (as Canada's History) |
| Company | Canada's National History Society |
| Country | Canada |
| Based in | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
Canada's History is the official magazine of Canada's National History Society. It is published six times a year and aims to promote interest in and knowledge of Canadian history. Founded in 1920 as The Beaver by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the magazine was acquired by the Society in 1994. Subject matter includes all aspects of Canadian history.
The founding of The Beaver was one of the many activities in celebration of HBC's 250th anniversary. It was seen as a staff publication "devoted to The Interests of Those Who Serve the Hudson's Bay Company."
The first issue appeared in October 1920, under the banner, The Beaver, A Journal of Progress — the "successful name" in a staff competition. Five thousand copies were printed and distributed at a total cost of $570.
According to Charles Sale, who became the 29th Governor of HBC, there was a "purely personal and domestic character" to the initial magazine. Sale felt this approach was too narrow. He envisioned The Beaver as "... one of exceeding use to ...Staff; but also a publication that could ...be distributed to customers to their benefit and is, at the same time a practical reminder (through advertising) of the Company's existence and of the goods which it offers."
Beginning with the December 1923 issue, the company began offering the magazine to non-Hudson's Bay employees at a rate of one dollar a year – a rate still in effect well into the '30s. The following year, the magazine ceased being a monthly publication and became a quarterly.
Significant changes took place in 1933 with the September issue. The original digest format was replaced by a standard magazine design. The magazine also refocussed its content, transitioning from "A Journal of Progress" to "A Magazine of the North."
The content of the new Beaver was broadened to "... include the whole field of travel, exploration and the trade in the Canadian North as well as the current activities and historical background of the Hudson's Bay Company and all its departments throughout Canada." Staff news was de-emphasized and would be handled by other company publications. Over the next fifty years, the magazine came into its stride. The Beaver came to offer a wealth of information on Canada's social, cultural, economic and commercial past. Some of Canada's leading historians have written for the magazine including:
The Beaver was one of the first magazines to publish the works of wildlife artist Clarence Tillenius and Arctic photographer Richard Harrington.
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Wikipedia