Street & Smith's New York Weekly

January 28, 2025

In 1858, Francis Scott Street and Francis Shubael Smith bought a weekly periodical publication in New York called New York Weekly. Adding their own surnames to the paper’s nameplate, so it read “Street and Smith’s New York Weekly: A Journal of Useful Knowledge, Romance, Amusement, etc.,” they continued publication until 1910. Though its format and general appearance most closely resembled a newspaper, New York Weekly’s content was primarily comprised of sensational short stories, serialized novels, poems, and more. With its “stories” entirely fictional, its content is more similar to that of a literary or pulp magazine than a newspaper. 

Each issue of the periodical featured a heavily illustrated nameplate, with stylized text on top of an image of the sun rising or setting over a body of reflective water. Large illustrations on the front page of every issue above the fold were likely intended to catch the eye of potential buyers. The folio line, located directly beneath the nameplate, is revealing of the periodical's increasing popularity and Smith & Street's subscription business model. In issues from the 1860s it includes the cost to purchase single issues (six cents) or for an annual subscription (three dollars). By the 1870s, the information about purchase of single issues was dropped in favor a discounted subscription rate for those who wanted more than one copy each month, an incentive for newsstand and shop owners to stock the paper at a discounted rate, then sell issues individually at full price. Each issue's masthead showed more subscription options for a growing body of readers to choose from.

Stories, poems, and other writings that appeared in New York Weekly were authored by both men and women. Indeed, the stories and poems of popular women authors like Mary Jane Holmes were often featured on the front page, above the fold, their stories accompanied by illustrations. Each issue included romances, mysteries, detective stories, adventures tales, and tragedies set in various locations around the world. New York Weekly's sensational content can be considered a predecessor to the speculative and horror pulp magazines Street & Smith would produce in the 20^th century, including Street & Smith’s Unknown and Unknown Worlds, as well as other speculative fiction genres, including science fiction, superhero stories, and more.

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Post tagged as: special collections, publications, united states