SOURCE: Bullock, Penelope L. “In Retrospect.” In The Afro-American Periodical Press: 1838-1909, pp. 205-21. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981.

In the following essay, Bullock summarizes the development of African-American periodicals between 1838 and 1909.

We would call attention distinctly to the permanent and reference value of the contents of each number. Lapse of years will not diminish the value of these papers; on the contrary, they will increase in value.

—A. M. E. Church Review, July, 1896

During these seven decades [between 1838 and 1909], magazine publishing in general was undergoing significant growth in the United States, and, in many respects, the development of the Afro-American periodical press followed the same pattern as that of the general press. Magazine publishing began in the United States in 1741 with Andrew Bradford's American Magazine and Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine, both issued in Philadelphia. The definitive history of American magazines by Frank L. Mott shows that...