MAGAZINE AVERAGES FOR 1915
Reading edition
The following table includes the averages of all American magazines published during 1915 of which complete files for the period covered were placed at my disposal. One, two, and three asterisks are employed to indicate relative distinction. “Three-asterisk stories” are of somewhat permanent literary value.
MAGAZINES NO OF STORIES PUBLISHED NO OF DISTINCTIVE STORIES PUBLISHED PERCENTAGE OF DISTINCTIVE STORIES PUBLISHED
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American Magazine 532311343216
Associated Sunday Magazines (Jan-May See also Every Week)399212453
Atlantic Monthly24168267338
Bellman3920117512818
Black Cat108800700
Bruno Chap Books73004300
Century Magazine5332157602813
Collier’s Weekly1424621932156
Delineator307312373
Everybody’s Magazine4613312862
Every Week (See also Associated Sunday Magazines)7723213032
Forum131263924623
Good Housekeeping424111022
Harper’s Bazar2364026170
Harper’s Magazine101562812562812
Harper’s Weekly25184072160
Illustrated Sunday Magazine18259271632159
Or excluding reprints169461552793
International171052592912
Ladies’ Home Journal428311973
Life6810001500
Lippincott’s and McBride’s Magazines9836613661
Little Review99551005656
McClure’s Magazine63229035140
Masses10731703010
Metropolitan472475511511
Midland1010731007030
Munsey’s Magazine48410820
National Sunday Magazine2295041230
New Republic9731783311
Outlook9641674411
Pictorial Review6815412261
Saturday Evening Post162291261874
Scribner’s Magazine5237247714613
Smart Set242341231451
Sunset Magazine4213303170
Woman’s Home Companion49400800
The following tables indicate the rank, during 1915, by number and percentage of distinctive stories published, of the eighteen periodicals coming within the scope of my examination which have published during the past year over twenty-five stories and which have exceeded an average of 15% in stories of distinction. The lists exclude reprints.
BY PERCENTAGE OF DISTINCTIVE STORIES
1.Scribner’s Magazine71%
2.Century Magazine60%
3.Harper’s Magazine56%
4.Metropolitan51%
5.Bellman51%
6.American Magazine43%
7.Lippincott’s and McBride’s Magazines36%
8.McClure’s Magazine35%
9.Collier’s Weekly32%
10.Sunset Magazine31%
11.Every Week30%
12.Everybody’s Magazine28%
13.Illustrated Sunday Magazine27%
14.Associated Sunday Magazine (excluding Every Week)24%
15.Delineator23%
16.Pictorial Review22%
17.Ladies’ Home Journal19%
18.Saturday Evening Post18%
BY NUMBER OF DISTINCTIVE STORIES
1.Harper’s Magazine56
2.Illustrated Sunday Magazine46
3.Collier’s Weekly46
4.Scribner’s Magazine37
5.Lippincott’s and McBride’s Magazines36
6.Century Magazine32
7.Saturday Evening Post29
8.Metropolitan24
9.American Magazine23
10.Every Week23
11.McClure’s Magazine22
12.Bellman20
13.Pictorial Review15
14.Sunset Magazine13
15.Everybody’s Magazine13
16.Associated Sunday Magazine (excluding Every Week)9
17.Ladies’ Home Journal8
18.Delineator7
The following periodicals have published during 1915 ten or more “two-asterisk stories.” The list excludes reprints.
1.Harper’s Magazine28
2.Scribner’s Magazine24
3.Collier’s Weekly21
4.Illustrated Sunday Magazine15
5.Century Magazine15
6.Saturday Evening Post12
7.Smart Set12
8.Bellman11
9.American Magazine11
The following periodicals have published during 1915 three or more “three-asterisk stories.” The list excludes reprints.
1.Harper’s Magazine12
2.Collier’s Weekly9
3.Scribner’s Magazine7
4.Century Magazine7
5.Bellman7
6.Saturday Evening Post6
7.Little Review5
8.Metropolitan5
9.Illustrated Sunday Magazine5
10.Midland3
11.Forum3
12.American Magazine3
13.Smart Set3
The best short story of the year is “Zelig,” by Benjamin Rosenblatt, published in The Bellman.
Ties in the above lists have been decided by taking relative rank in other lists into account.