Cover of The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 2, April 7, 1832

The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 2, April 7, 1832

Edited by Charles Knight

Human-made only is on in this browser, so Project Gutenberg's machine summaries are left out. Settings.

"The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge" is an illustrated British periodical published from 1832 to 1845. Created for working-class readers and sold for just one penny, it achieved remarkable early success with 200,000 copies sold in its first year. Filled with wood-engraved illustrations and non-radical information, the magazine aimed to educate readers through rational inquiry and visual learning. However, its dry content and expensive production costs eventually led to declining circulation, forcing price increases that undermined its original mission of affordable knowledge for all.

AI-generated Summary written by Project Gutenberg, by machine.

Language
English
On Project Gutenberg since
29 July 2025
Read in the last 30 days
357 times at Project Gutenberg

Listen to it

Subjects and shelves