Argosy was an American magazine, founded in 1882 as The Golden Argosy, a children's weekly, edited by Frank Munsey and published by E. G. Rideout. Munsey took over as publisher when Rideout went bankrupt in 1883, and after many struggles made the magazine profitable. He shortened the title to The Argosy in 1888 and targeted an audience of men and boys with adventure stories. In 1894 he switched it to a monthly schedule and in 1896 he eliminated all non-fiction and started using cheap pulp paper, making it the first pulp magazine. Circulation had reached half a million by 1907, and remained strong until the 1930s. The name was changed to Argosy All-Story Weekly in 1920 after the magazine merged with All-Story Weekly, another Munsey pulp, and from 1929 it became just Argosy.
In 1925 Munsey died, and the publisher, the Frank A. Munsey Company, was purchased by William Dewart, who had worked for Munsey. By 1942, circulation had fallen to no more than 50,000, and after a failed effort to revive the magazine by including sensational non-fiction, it was sold that year to Popular Publications, another pulp magazine publisher. Popular converted it from pulp to slick format, and initially attempted to make it a fiction-only magazine, but gave up on this within a year. Instead, it became a men's magazine, carrying fiction and feature articles aimed at men. Circulation soared and by the early 1950s was well over one million.
Early contributors included Horatio Alger, Oliver Optic, and G. A. Henty. During the pulp era, many famous writers appeared in Argosy, including O. Henry, James Branch Cabell, Albert Payson Terhune, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Erle Stanley Gardner, Zane Grey, Robert E. Howard, and Max Brand. Argosy was regarded as one of the most prestigious publications in the pulp market, along with Blue Book, Adventure and Short Stories. After the transition to slick format, it continued to publish fiction, including science fiction by Robert Heinlein, Arthur Clarke, and Ray Bradbury. From 1948 to 1958 it published a series by Gardner called "The Court of Last Resort" which examined the cases of dozens of convicts who maintained their innocence, and succeeded in overturning many of the convictions. NBC adapted the series for television in 1957.
Popular sold Argosy to David Geller in 1972, and in 1978 Geller sold it to the Filipacchi Group, which closed it at the end of the year. The magazine has been revived several times, most recently in 2016.
Publication history
The Golden Argosy In the late 1870s, Frank Munsey was working in Augusta, Maine, as the manager of the local Western Union office. He helped a friend get a job at a publisher in Augusta, and after a couple of years, his friend moved to New York City to work for another publishing company. Munsey was becoming more familiar with the publishing industry during this time, and decided he wanted to launch a magazine of his own. He had some difficulty in getting anyone to agree to invest, but eventually persuaded a stockbroker he knew to put in $2,500 ($ in ), of which $500 was a loan to Munsey. Munsey invested $500 of his own, and his friend in New York City added another $1,000, making a total of $4,000 ($ in ) in capital.Munsey (1907), pp. 9–16.Anonymous (1882), p. 3. Munsey resigned from Western Union, and moved to New York on September 23, 1882, bringing with him manuscripts he had bought for the magazine before leaving Augusta.Britt (1972), p. 58.
Once in New York, Munsey quickly realized that the cost estimates he had made, based on what he had been able to learn while in Maine, were unrealistically low. His original plan for the magazine had been to make it a close copy of Golden Days, a weekly paper for children published in Philadelphia by James Elverson,Britt (1972), p. 61. and to include lithographed covers and internal illustrations. He abandoned these ideas and came up with a simplified approach, still based on Golden Days, that he believed could be made profitable. He wrote to the stockbroker who had promised $2,500 to get the funds sent to him, but received no reply, and since this made it impossible to start the magazine as planned, Munsey released his New York friend from his promise of investment. This left Munsey with only about $40 ($ in ), along with the manuscripts he had in hand, which had cost over $500 to acquire. He began looking for a publisher who would back the new magazine, and eventually persuaded E. G. Rideout to take it on. The first issue, titled The Golden Argosy, with Munsey as editor and manager, was dated December 9, 1882;Britt (1972), pp. 64–66.Munsey (1907), pp. 14–17. it was eight pages long and cost five cents ($ in ). Subscribers were offered a set of colored chromolithographs along with their subscription.
Five months later, Rideout went bankrupt. Munsey had not drawn all his salary, and Rideout had borrowed money from him as well, so he was owed about $1,000 ($ in ) by the bankrupt company. He claimed the magazine's title and subscription list in return for his debt, succeeding over a competing claim from a publisher who would have merged the magazine's subscriptions into those of his own publication.Munsey (May 1898), p. 219. The first issue with Munsey as publisher was dated September 8, 1883. Munsey again was reduced to a few dollars, but he was able to borrow $300 ($ in ) from Oscar Holway, a banker in Augusta who was a friend.Britt (1972), pp. 66–67.Munsey (1907), pp. 17–19. At about this time he bought some stories from Malcolm Douglas, but when Douglas came to collect his payment Munsey offered him the job of editor, at $10 ($ in ) per week, in lieu of payment for the stories. Douglas accepted.
Issue data for The Golden Argosy and The Argosy up to 1894JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember1882Dates:9,16,23,30Volume:1/1 to 1/4Issue:1 to 41883Dates:6,13,20,273,10,17,243,10,17,24,317,14,21,285,12,19,262,9,16,23,307,14,21,284,11,18,251,8,15,22,296,13,20,273,10,17,241,8,15,22,29Volume:1/5 to 1/81/9 to 1/121/13 to 1/171/18 to 1/211/22 to 1/251/26 to 1/301/31 to 1/341/35 to 1/381/39 to 1/431/44 to 1/471/48 to 1/511/52, 2/1 to 2/4Issue:5 to 89 to 1213 to 1718 to 2122 to 2526 to 3031 to 3435 to 3839 to 4344 to 4748 to 5152 to 561884Dates:5,12,19,262,9,26,231,8,25,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,23,317,14,21,285,12,19,261,9,26,23,306,13,20,274,11,18,251,8,15,22,296,13,20,27Volume:2/5 to 2/82/9 to 2/122/13 to 2/172/18 to 2/212/22 to 2/262/29 to 2/302/31 to 2/342/35 to 2/392/40 to 2/432/44 to 2/472/48 to 2/523/1 to 3/4Issue:57 to 6061 to 6465 to 6970 to 7374 to 7879 to 8283 to 8687 to 9192 to 9596 to 99100 to 104105 to 1081885Dates:3,10,17,24,317,14,21,287,14,21,284,11,18,252,9,16,23,306,13,20,274,11,18,251,8,15,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,24,317,14,21,285,12,19,26Volume:3/5 to 3/93/10 to 3/133/14 to 3/173/18 to 3/213/22 to 3/263/27 to 3/303/31 to 3/343/35 to 3/393/40 to 3/433/44 to 3/483/49 to 3/524/1 to 4/4Issue:109 to 113114 to 117118 to 121122 to 125126 to 130131 to 134135 to 138139 to 143144 to 147148 to 152153 to 156157 to 1601886Dates:2,9,16,23,306,13,20,276,13,20,273,10,17,241,8,15,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,24,317,14,21,284,11,18,252,9,16,23,306,13,20,274,11,18,25Volume:4/5 to 4/94/10 to 4/134/14 to 4/174/18 to 4/214/22 to 4/264/27 to 4/304/31 to 4/354/36 to 4/394/40 to 4/434/44 to 4/484/49 to 4/525/1 to 5/4Issue:161 to 165166 to 169170 to 173174 to 177178 to 182183 to 186187 to 191192 to 195196 to 199200 to 204205 to 208209 to 2121887Dates:1,8,15,22,295,12,19,265,12,19,262,9,16,23,307,14,212,284,11,18,252,9,16,23,306,13,20,273,10,17,231,8,15,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,24,31Volume:5/5 to 5/95/10 to 5/135/14 to 5/175/18 to 5/225/23 to 5/265/27 to 5/305/31 to 5/355/36 to 5/395/40 to 5/435/44 to 5/485/49 to 5/526/1 to 6/5Issue:213 to 217218 to 221222 to 225226 to 230231 to 234235 to 238239 to 243244 to 247248 to 251252 to 256257 to 260261 to 2651888Dates:7,14,21,284,11,18,253,10,.17,24,317,14,21,285,12,19,262,9,16,23,307,14,21,284,11,18,251,8,15,22,296,13,20,273,10,17,241,8,15,22,29Volume:6/6/ to 6/96/10 to 6/136/14 to 6/186/19 to 6/226/23 to 6/266/27 to 6/316/32 to 6/356/36 to 6/396/40 to 6/446/45 to 6/486/49 to 6/527/1 to 7/5Issue:266 6o 269270 to 273274 to 278279 to 282283 to 286287 to 291292 to 295296 to 299300 to 304305 to 308309 to 312313 to 3171889Dates:5,12,19,262,9,16,232,9,16,23,306,13,20,274,11,18,251,8,15,22,296,13,20,273,10,17,24,317,14,21,285,12,19,262,9,16,23,307,14,21,28Volume:7/6 to 7/97/10 to 7/137/14 to 7/187/19 to 7/227/23 to 7/268/1 to 8/58/6 to 8/98/10 to 8/148/15 to 8/188/19 to 8/228/23 to 89/19/2 to 9/5Issue:318 to 321322 to 325326 to 330331 to 334335 to 338339 to 343344 to 347348 to 352353 to 356357 to 360361 to 365366 to 3691890Dates:4,11,18,251,8,15,221,8,15,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,24,317,14,21,285,12,19,262,9,16,23,306,13,20,274,11,18,251,8,15,22,296,13,20,27Volume:9/6 to 9/99/10 to 9/139/14 to 9/189/19 to 9/229/23 to 10/110/2 to 10/510/6 to 10/910/10 to 10/1410/15 to 10/1810/19 to 10/2210/23 to 11/111/2 to 11/5Issue:370 to 373374 to 377378 to 382383 to 386387 to 391392 to 395396 to 399400 to 404405 to 408409 to 412413 to 417418 to 4211891Dates:3,10,17,24,317,14,21,287,14,21,284,11,18,252,9,16,23,306,13,20,274,11,18,251,8,15,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,24,317,14,21,285,12,19,26Volume:11/6 to 11/1011/11 to 11/1411/15 to 11/1811/19 to 11/2211/23 to 12/112/2 to 12/512/6 to 12/912/10 to 12/1412/15 to 12/1812/19 to 12/2312/24 to 13/113/2 to 13/5Issue:422 to 426427 to 430431 to 434435 to 438439 to 443444 to 447448 to 451452 to 456457 to 460461 to 465466 to 469470 to 4731892Dates:2,9,16,23,306,13,20,275,12,19,262,9,16,23,307,14,21,284,11,18,252,9,16,23,306,13,20,273,10,17,241,8,15,22,295,12,19,263,10,17,24,31Volume:13/6 to 13/1013/11 to 13/1413/15 to 13/1813/19 to 13/2213/23 to 14/114/2 to 14/514/6 to 14/1014/11 to 14/1414/15 to 14/1814/19 to 14/2314/24 to 15/115/2 to 15/6Issue:474 to 478479 to 482483 to 486487 to 491492 to 495496 to 499500 to 504505 to 508509 to 512513 to 517518 to 521522 to 5261893Dates:7,14,21,284,11,18,254,11,18,251,8,15,22,296,13,20,273,10,17,241,8,15,22,295,12,19,262,9,16,23,307,14,21,284,11,18,252,9,16,23,30Volume:15/7 to 15/1015/11 to 15/1415/15 to 15/1815/19 to 15/2315/24 to 16/116/2 to 16/516/6 to 16/1016/11 to 16/1416/15 to 16/1916/20 to 16/2316/24 to 17/117/2 to 17/6Issue:527 to 530531 to 534535 to 538539 to 543544 to 547548 to 551552 to 556557 to 560561 to 565566 to 569570 to 573574 to 5781894Dates:6,13,20,273,10,17,243,10,17,24Volume:17/7 to 17/1017/11 to 17/1417/15 to 17/18Issue:579 to 582583 to 586587 to 590 Not all bibliographic sources include Douglas, but Munsey's biographer, George Britt, gives details of Douglas's hire, and he is described in J. Randolph Cox's The Dime Novel Companion as "the real editor of Golden Argosy".Cox (2000), p. 182. Douglas's first issue was dated September 8, 1883, and White took over with the December 4, 1886 issue.