Cover of The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 17, July 7, 1832

The penny magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, issue 17, July 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" published by Charles Knight is an illustrated weekly magazine published from 1832 to 1845. Created for Britain's working class and sold for just one penny, it featured wood-engraved illustrations to reach both literate and illiterate audiences. Initially achieving remarkable success with 200,000 copies sold, the magazine offered non-radical educational content during a period of social reform. However, its dry tone and expensive production costs eventually led to declining readership, forcing price increases that undermined its original mission of accessible knowledge.

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

Language
English
On Project Gutenberg since
18 September 2025
Read in the last 30 days
348 times at Project Gutenberg

Listen to it

Subjects and shelves