New Books in 19th Century British Studies

New Books in
Nineteenth-Century
British Studies

Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical: Reading the Magazine of Nature

Author(s) Geoffrey Cantor , Gowan Dawson , Graeme Gooday , Richard Noakes , Sally Shuttleworth

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Publication Year 2006

ISBN 0521836379

Link Amazon.com

Abstract

For the Victorian reading public, periodicals played a far greater role than books in shaping their understanding of new discoveries and theories in science, technology and medicine. Such understandings were formed not merely by serious scientific articles, but also by glancing asides in political reports, fictional representations, or humorous attacks in comic magazines. Ranging across diverse forms of periodicals, from top-selling religious and juvenile magazines through to popular fiction-based periodicals, and from the campaigning ‘new journalism’ of the late century to the comic satire of Punch, this book explores the ways in which scientific ideas and developments were presented to a variety of Victorian audiences. In addition, it offers three case studies of the representation of particular areas of science: ‘baby science’, scientific biography, and electricity. This intriguing collaborative volume sheds new light on issues relating to history and history of science, literature, book history, and cultural and media studies.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
Preface
1. Introduction. Gowan Dawson, Richard Noakes and Jonathan R. Topham

Part I. Genres
2. The Mirror of Literature, Amusement and Instruction and cheap miscellanies in early nineteenth-century Britain. Jonathan R. Topham
3. The Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine and religious monthlies in early nineteenth-century Britain. Jonathan R. Topham
4. Punch, science and comic journalism in mid-Victorian Britain.’ Richard Noakes
5. The Cornhill Magazine and shilling monthlies in mid-Victorian Britain. Gowan Dawson
6. The Boy’s Own Paper, science, and late-Victorian juvenile magazines. Richard Noakes
7. The Review of Reviews and the new journalism in late Victorian Britain. Gowan Dawson

Part II. Themes
8. Tickling babies: gender, authority, and ‘baby science.’ Sally Shuttleworth
9. Scientific biography in the periodical press. Geoffrey Cantor
10. Profit and prophecy: electricity in the late Victorian periodical. Graeme Gooday

Notes
Select bibliography
Index