The Knickerbocker
 |
|
| Editor and publisher | Lewis Gaylord Clark |
|---|---|
| Staff writers | Washington Irving, Francis Parkman, James Russell Lowell |
| Categories | Literary magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founder | Charles Fenno Hoffman |
| Year founded | 1833 |
| Final issue | October 1865 |
| Country | The United States |
| Based in | New York City |
| Language | English |
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, was a literary magazine of New York City, founded by Charles Fenno Hoffman in 1833, and published until 1865. Its long-term editor and publisher was Lewis Gaylord Clark, whose "Editor's Table" column was a staple of the magazine.
The circle of writers who contributed to the magazine and populated its cultural milieu are often known as the "Knickerbocker writers" or the "Knickerbocker Group". The group included such authors as William Cullen Bryant, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and many others.
The Knickerbocker was devoted to the fine arts in particular with occasional news, editorials and a few full-length biographical sketches. The magazine was one of the earliest literary vehicles for communication about the United States' "vanishing wilderness." As such, The Knickerbocker may be considered one of the earliest proto-environmental magazines in the United States.
Charles Fenno Hoffman was the founding editor of The Knickerbocker in 1833, though he helmed only three issues.Lewis Gaylord Clark bought the magazine in April 1834 and served as editor until 1861. By 1840, The Knickerbocker was the most influential literary publication of its time. The year before, Washington Irving had reluctantly joined the staff at a salary of $2,000 a year and would stay on staff until 1841. Irving disliked magazine work, specifically because of its monthly deadlines and space constraints. However, in his "Geoffrey Crayon" persona, he justified his choice in his debut issue: "I am tired... of writing volumes... there is too much preparation, arrangement, and parade... I have thought, therefore, of securing to myself a snug corner in some periodical work, where I might, as it were, loll at my ease in my elbow chair."
...
Wikipedia