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Women's magazines - sales figures 1938-59
The table below gives sales figures for woman's magazines in four of the years between 1938 and 1959. The sales figures cover women's weekies and women's monthlies, plus the odd fortnightly.
The women's magazines are listed by publisher:
- Odham's Press;
- Newnes & Pearson;
- Algamated Press, which changed its name to Fleetway;
- National Magazines;
- Conde Nast;
- Weldon's (which by 1953 was part of Amalgamated).
In the 10 years after 1959, British magazine publishing was characterised by a contraction in the number of companies, with all but National and Conde Nast being part of IPC by 1970.
Women's magazines sales figures (1938-59) Top |
||||
| Publisher/Magazine |
1938 |
1952 |
1953 |
1959 |
| Odham's Press | ||||
| Woman (W) | 750,000 |
2,227,000 |
2,551,000 |
3,173,000 |
| Everywoman (M) | 100,000 |
316,000 |
312,000 |
302,000 |
| Ideal Home (M) | 45,000 |
118,000 |
138,000 |
241,000 |
| Mother | 115,000 |
77,000 |
83,000 |
66,000 |
| Woman's Realm | 1,253,000 | |||
| Newnes & Pearson | ||||
| Woman's Own (W) | 357,000 |
1,770,000 |
2,124,000 |
2,405,000 |
| Home Notes (W) | 151,000 |
299,000 |
287,000 |
|
| Modern Woman (M) | 95,000 |
197,000 |
231,000 |
181,000 |
| Homes & Gardens (M) | 24,000 |
114,000 |
145,000 |
|
| Woman's Day (W) | - |
- |
- |
918,000 |
| Algamated Press/Fleetway | ||||
| Woman's Weekly (W) | 498,000 |
1,746,000 |
1,816,000 |
1,512,000 |
| Woman's Illustrated (W) | 148,000 |
516,000 |
535,000 |
801,000 |
| Home Chat (W) | 127,000 |
283,000 |
280,000 |
|
| Woman's Companion (W) | 176,000 |
209,000 |
221,000 |
|
| Woman's Pictorial (W) | 121,000 |
203,000 |
181,000 |
|
| Woman & Home (M) | 301,000 |
371,000 |
917,000 |
694,000 |
| My Home (M) | 189,000 |
460,000 |
449,000 |
|
| Woman's Journal (M) | 115,000 |
288,000 |
288,000 |
266,000 |
| ??Life & Home (M) | 131,000 |
312,000 |
295,000 |
|
| Woman & Beauty (M) | 133,000 |
140,000 |
130,000 |
129,000 |
| Honey (forecast) | - |
- |
- |
250,000 |
| National Magazine | ||||
| Good Housekeeping (M) | 123,000 |
200,000 |
187,000 |
194,000 |
| Vanity Fair (M) | - |
137,000 |
150,000 |
197,000 |
| Harper's Bazaar (M) | 35-40,000 |
57,000 |
57,000 |
55,000 |
| She | - |
- |
- |
291,000 |
| House Beautiful | - |
- |
- |
121,000 |
| Conde Nast | ||||
| Vogue | 40-45,000 |
150,000 |
150,000 |
160,000 |
| House & Garden | - |
30,000 |
41,000 |
46,000 |
| Weldon's (Amalgamated) | ||||
| Weldon's Ladies' Journal (M) | 229,000 |
180,000 |
168,000 |
closed
1954 |
| Good Taste (M) | 59,000 |
102,000 |
99,000 |
|
| Mother & Home (M) | 62,000 |
131,000 |
119,000 |
|
| Other publishers | ||||
| Britannia & Eve (M) | 82,000 |
80,000 |
80,000 |
closed
1957 |
| Housewife (M) | - |
203,000 |
200,000 |
200,000 |
| The Lady (W) | 25,000 |
71,000 |
76,000 |
89,000 |
| The Queen (F) | 8,000 |
43,000 |
51,000 |
52,000 |
| Tatler (M) | - |
66,000 |
66,000 |
50,000 |
*Sources: 'Modes and morals', Economist, 28 Nov 1953, pp642-644; 'Struggle for George Newnes,' 23 May, p761; 'Petticoat battleground,' Economist, 21 Nov 1959, pp745-747 W=weekly woman's magazine; M=monthly woman's magazine; F=fortnightly woman's magazine |
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