An Examination of the Role of Magazines in Historical Research

This chapter looks at the role played by consumer magazines in a variety of areas of historical research with particular reference to the UK publishing industry. Two broad areas are considered. First it considers how the production and distribution of these periodicals has constituted an important form of activity in the development of Britain's cultural industries. Second it provides examples of how the magazines have generated a valuable legacy of documentation that has been exploited by a wide range of specialists within the academic discipline of history.