Miscellanies: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Miscellanies are an early kind of magazine which emerged from a periodical. They offered up a variety of reading material such as jokes, articles, news, entertainment, and letters. These prints were considered safe for all members of the family to read. Weekly miscellanies and magazines became increasingly popular during the nineteenth century when literacy rates increased especially in the domestic households. <ref>Robinson, Solveig C. (2014). ''The Book in Society.'' Broadview Press: 119</ref> | Miscellanies are an early kind of magazine which emerged from a periodical. They offered up a variety of reading material such as jokes, articles, news, entertainment, and letters. These prints were considered safe for all members of the family to read. Weekly miscellanies and magazines became increasingly popular during the nineteenth century when literacy rates increased especially in the domestic households. <ref>Robinson, Solveig C. (2014). ''The Book in Society.'' Broadview Press: 119</ref> | ||
== What is it? == | |||
Miscellanies are a smaller kind of magazine used earlier in the publishing industry. They are smaller than magazines and similar to zines in format. In other formats, miscellanies were collections of shorter pieces that appeared at surface level to be random and unrelated. These pieces come together to form a miscellany. This format is how miscellanies are created in the modern day. | |||
=== The name "Miscellany" === | |||
Miscellanies come from the word "miscellaneous." This word is well known to mean random or consisting of different, varying parts or groups.<ref>''Definition of MISCELLANEOUS''. 30 Nov. 2025, <nowiki>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/miscellaneous</nowiki>.</ref> This relates directly to the more modern form of miscellanies where it is a random collection of pieces put together to form a larger work. This random and varied nature creates a miscellaneous tendency to the book. It is from these similarities in definitions that gives those works the name miscellany. | |||
== Why is it significant? == | |||
Miscellanies helped propel the publishing world early on through the expansion of formats like zines. It is a natural transition between the smaller format of zines and the larger format of magazines, especially when the content is scattered or seemingly random. This format drew readers in because it allowed reading at a larger and smaller scale. | |||
=== Notes === | === Notes === | ||
<references /> | <references /> | ||
[[Category:Glossary]] | [[Category:Glossary]] | ||
Revision as of 08:58, 3 December 2025
Miscellanies are an early kind of magazine which emerged from a periodical. They offered up a variety of reading material such as jokes, articles, news, entertainment, and letters. These prints were considered safe for all members of the family to read. Weekly miscellanies and magazines became increasingly popular during the nineteenth century when literacy rates increased especially in the domestic households. [1]
What is it?
Miscellanies are a smaller kind of magazine used earlier in the publishing industry. They are smaller than magazines and similar to zines in format. In other formats, miscellanies were collections of shorter pieces that appeared at surface level to be random and unrelated. These pieces come together to form a miscellany. This format is how miscellanies are created in the modern day.
The name "Miscellany"
Miscellanies come from the word "miscellaneous." This word is well known to mean random or consisting of different, varying parts or groups.[2] This relates directly to the more modern form of miscellanies where it is a random collection of pieces put together to form a larger work. This random and varied nature creates a miscellaneous tendency to the book. It is from these similarities in definitions that gives those works the name miscellany.
Why is it significant?
Miscellanies helped propel the publishing world early on through the expansion of formats like zines. It is a natural transition between the smaller format of zines and the larger format of magazines, especially when the content is scattered or seemingly random. This format drew readers in because it allowed reading at a larger and smaller scale.
