adminIn February 1859, the editors of Harper’s Weekly published the following ad on their front page:
The proprietors of Harper’s Weekly beg to state that the regular edition of the paper exceeds
75,000 COPIES,
and that it is the best and cheapest advertising medium in the country. No existing advertising sheet meets so many eyes, or circulates among so select a class of readers. Its circulation is widely diffused throughout the country, North and South; it is read from New Orleans to Quebec, and from Minnesota to Florida. The proprietors believe that the large circulation which the Weekly has obtained is due to the fact that it is the best illustrated and family newspaper in the country. They intend that it shall continue to improve.
harper’s weekly, February 26, 1856, p. 1. accessed via harpweek.
I am perennially interested in the claims Harper’s Weekly made about its circulation, especially when it’s claiming to be national. Were readers across the whole country really reading Harper’s Weekly? Or was that a marketing ploy to inflate its importance. In this ad, the editors go even further: Harper’s Weekly had some Canadian readers!
I’m hoping to uncover whether Harper’s Weekly really made it to Quebec in the 1850s sometime soon. Stay tuned!
