American magazine journalists, 1850-1900

The 50 biobibliographic profiles that make up this latest addition to the impressive "DLB" series include some well-known writers--Louisa May Alcott, Bret Harte, James Russell Lowell, William Sydney Porter--but the majority are relatively obscure: Mary L. Booth, C. Chauncey Burr, Rollin M. Daggett, John Foster Kirk, John Ames Mitchell, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, John Brisben Walker, George Wilkes. A particular strength is the book's coverage of women active in magazine journalism during the latter half of the 19th century, including Amelia Bloomer, Jeanette Gilder, Lucy Stone, Victoria Woodhull, and the aforementioned Josephine Ruffin. Of the 50 writers treated, 20 have entries in previous "DLB" volumes, a high duplication rate but lower than that found in the first volume of this subseries, American Magazine Journalists, 1741-1950 (CH, Apr '89). When duplication does occur, newly prepared biographies emphasize the writer's contribution to the magazine press. The article on Porter, for instance, concentrates on his involvement with the humor journal The Rolling Stone in Texas between 1894 and 1895. Riley (Virginia Polytechnic), editor of all three "DLB" magazine journalist volumes (the forthcoming final volume will cover 1901-50), furnishes a concise history of magazine publishing for the period. Recommended for larger public and undergraduate libraries and essential for journalism collections. -K. F. Kister, The Poynter Institute for Media Studies