By the Numbers—A Regency magazine for Smart Ladies!

Andrea here, with summer nearly upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere, my thoughts are turning to reading (that is to say, I’m ALWAYS reading, but the long lazy, afternoons of the beach reading season always encourage thoughts of relaxing with the printed page—whether it’s old-fashioned ink or pixels.) It also got me to thinking of the historical heroines that we Wenches write, and how reading was an even more important part of their lives.

No television! No streaming! No social media! How on earth did they (assuming, of course, that they were among the privileged few who didn’t have to work endless hours to eek out a living) occupy their time? We know from first-hand accounts that letter writing and letter reading occupied a good amount a lady’s leisure, as did perusing the popular periodicals of the era.

We’ve likely all heard of La Belle Assemblée or, Bell's Court and Fashionable Magazine Addressed Particularly to the Ladies, which along with Ackermann’s Repository was one of the premier fashion magazines of Regency. The wonderful engravings of the latest au courant styles give us a vivid visual portrait of everyday life. But less well-known is that fact that these seemingly frivolous publications for ladies also contained serious reading content. La Belle Assemblée also featured, poetry, serialized novels and non-fiction articles on theater, politics and science. (Mary Shelley was a contributor) Reader submissions were also encouraged.

In the course of researching A Question of Numbers, my latest Lady Arianna Regency mystery, I discovered an even more intriguing publication called The Ladies’ Diary, which was published from 1704 through 1841, when it became The Lady’s and Gentleman’s Diary. From the first, it was a periodical dedicated to the inner not the outer lady! Building on the popularity of “word enigmas” or word puzzles, which became fashionable in almanacs of the late 1600s, its founder, John Tipper, concentrated on intellectual conundrums to engage his readers. While household hints, medical advice and calendars were included early on, he then began to focus on “brain-teasers.”

On Tipper’s death in 1713, Henry Beighton took over as editor and began to include more complex problems—including puzzles dealing with Newtonian infinitesimal calculus! Indeed, the magazine became known for its mathematical sophistication. During the Regency era, its readers included many of the top male mathematicians in the country, who vied with the woman readers to submit solutions to the puzzles posed in his pages. (One of its puzzles features prominently in the plot of A Question of Numbers!)

When you think about it, it’s not so odd that Regency women were attracted to The Ladies’ Diary. It was de rigeur for gentlemen, of course, to attend schools like Eton and Harrow, and then go on to university. But well-born ladies weren’t encouraged to tax their intellect. (A prevailing thought of the time was that exposure to science and mathematics would “fever their brains.” And alas, that sentiment still exists today.) Unless they had very progressive parents who allowed them to study the same subjects as their brothers, or were lucky enough to have a clever governess, most ladies were educated to perform household duties, with maybe some instruction in art and music. So, it’s no wonder that bright, inquisitive women chafed to have an intellectual challenge.

According to the Mathematical Association of America, the formula for the publication was fairly standard: The cover exhibited a portrait of the reigning queen; An almanac calendar was provided accompanied by astronomical details; Answers to previous puzzles, enigmas, paradoxes and mathematical problems would be given and then new sets of puzzles and problems would be posed for the year. Prize questions and enigmas would be designated; Occasionally, an expository article on a scientific or mathematical concept would also be included. As it happens, the first time they offered a prize for the winning solution to a mathematical problem, it was won by Mrs. Mary Wright, who over several years distinguished herself by solving many of the mathematical problems.

I n its article on The Ladies’ Diary, the MAA make a really interesting point. With the advent of Industrial Revolution, along with development of international banking, trade and a myriad other profession where mathematics came into play, it was publications that originally catered to women that inspired a whole new wave of scientific publications, and helped lead the way into the modern world.

I remember as kid eagerly awaiting the arrival of magazines such as Life and National Geographic, and would spend hours lost in their pages exploring new ideas and new places. Now, of course, we can simply open a browser and search for any information under the sun. But I miss that sense of anticipation and wonder in opening a magazine. What about you? Do you still subscribe to magazines? Did you enjoy them as a kid?

 

Comments

[Mary T]

I had never heard of The Ladies' Diary before. How interesting.

I used to subscribe to Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report, but I don't any longer. As a kid I always looked forward to Life and Look magazines. I remember also that there was a magazine included with our Sunday paper that always had a Norman Rockwell painting on the cover. I can't remember the name, but I always looked forward to those covers.

Interesting post.

[Janey Gold]

It's eck out a living, unless one is a Gothic heroine, then eek is appropriate when being chased by some nameless terror. :)

[Kareni]

And I've always thought it was 'eke out' a living though I do like that 'eek out' for the Gothic heroine!

[Kareni]

We moved a great deal when I was a child, so magazine subscriptions were rather rare. I do recall that we sometimes had a subscription to the Readers Digest. One of my favorite columns dealt with vocabulary -- It pays to increase your word power. I also loved the collections of jokes.

Thanks for a fascinating article, Andrea!

[Quantum]

"well-born ladies weren’t encouraged to tax their intellect..... exposure to science and mathematics would “fever their brains.” "

LOL Fortunately genius has a way of creating opportunities as the talent craves for release. Ada Lovelace and Emmy Noether come immediately to mind on the feminine side but also Ramanujan from India, essentially self taught until he approached G H Hardy at Cambridge in England.

As a youngster I spent much time browsing second hand books, particularly on science .... chemistry was my first love .... so didn't bother much with mags. Nowadays I'm more interested in making money and do subscribe to financial mags, particularly to check the CAPE and other indexes.... still looking for ten-baggers! 😊

[Andrea Penrose]

I was so amazed when I discovered it! it's a fascinating publication!

I don't get any print magazines either. But I do miss the old days of anticipating Life and national Geographic. They were a wonderful window on the world around us in the pre-digital age.

[Andrea Penrose]

So glad you enjoyed it, Kareni! The magazines from our childhood really did expand your horizons and make you think. But world has changes, to say the least!

[Andrea Penrose]

So true on the talent craves release, Quantum. I've read about Ramanujan—quite a remarkable story. One does wonder how many geniuses have been out there who never managed to connect to where their brilliance could shine.

I was a big borwser of second-hand bookstores too, snatching up arcane history books that tickled my fancy.

LOL on the making money! If you find any hot stock tips, share them here!

[Sue W. McCormick]

Oh! The National Geographics! A yearly substion was one of my "reading" presents (either birthday or Christmas) at about age 12. I treasured them for years.

Like the others, the Ladies' Diary is new to me. A fascinating find.

Someone mentioned the Sunday Suplement. Ours used to carry the Semple stories by Langston Hughes. I loved those stories (without managing to have learned who Langston Hughes was).

[Jeanette Dilts]

Magazine subscriptions in our family were on again/off again depending on milk prices/income fluctuations. National Geographic, Life, Boys' Life, and some scholastic type magazines came and went. Libraries filled the gaps. We took boxes with us on our trips to the libraries. Mom would drop us off while she did grocery shopping. Nowadays I subscribe to the Washington Post and that's about it.

[Andrea Penrose]

Sue, the National Geographic is such a special memory for me. It was such a wonderful combination of exotic travel, and interesting historical articles. As a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist and discover the past all around the globe. It sparked such a sense of adventure and curiosity.

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, I remember my brothers getting Boys' Life, and of course I would steal it to read, as boys got to do much more interesting things than girls!

[Margaret]

What a fascinating article, Andrea. Thank you!! I still receive a number of magazines because I really do prefer reading on paper to reading on screens, but what I remember most vividly is the desperation I felt after the birth of my first child. She never slept and I thought I would never read a book again. At that time I favored mysteries, so my husband found me a subscription to Ellery Queen magazine. With great planning and luck, I was occasionally able to get through an entire short story from its pages, and I felt like it was a lifeline to sanity!

[Annette N]

I still subscribe to a couple of magazines. I really enjoy seeing the pictures in Texas Highways. There are some other magazines which provide entertainment for me. I reckon it is the glossy pictures of decorating ideas and food and pretty stuff.

I like the internet because if I have a question about a 1940's actor in a movie, I can find the answer. But, I still like magazines and newspapers and books. I reckon I am just an old fashioned gal.

Andrea, isn't it wonderful that we live in a time when we can discuss which we prefer, and no one is going to think less of us? So, I reckon I am not quite that old fashioned am I?

[Misti]

As a kid, my favorite "magazine" was the scholastic book flyer that they sent home from school. I would carefully look over every single item and mark the ones I wanted and once in a while my mom bought a few for us. I loved it!

Today, I still occasionally buy travel magazines. I know I can get the information and pictures online but there's just something relaxing about flipping through those pages.

[Janet]

I was always more of a book rather than magazine reader. When there wasn't anything else to read, i resorted to the World Book encyclopedia or the dictionary! We always had a subscription to Newsweek, and my mother bought other magazines when she could afford them. But she has described that since of anticipation about waiting for Capper's Weekly, which I think may have just been a Kansas thing during the twenties and thirties.

[Teresa Broderick]

I'm almost afraid to name the magazine I read as a child as it's not a bit high brow like those ye read but The Bunty was my favorite. We didn't have much money and I was lucky to get that every week. I buy the People's Friend now and love it for the fiction. I also buy history magazines from time to time and I have a subscription to The Regency Reader, a mag I get from the Jane Austen Centre in England. It's two monthly and my husband pays for it as a birthday present every year.
Never heard of the magazine you named here Andrea.

[Anne H]

I'd never heard of the magazine that you mentioned.
My family subscribed to a number of magazines on a variety of topics - National Geographic, Canadian Geographical Journal, The Beaver (now Canada's History), Scientific American, Kovel's, Arts of Asia, the Times, Maclean's. I loved bring through many of them. (I also liked to read the encyclopedia)
I mostly read magazines and newspapers online now, but I do miss a paper copy that one can Leaf through.

[Andrea Penrose]

Annette, I agree—there is something special about looking at great pictures in a glossy magazine. Maybe it's that physical act of turning a page, or just holding it in your hand.

I love all the research one can do on the internet. But "things" matter. I will NEVER go to all digital reading, though I certainly have books on my phone (they come in very handy when you're stuck waiting in a line.)

And yes, I agree—that we have choices and can discuss them is a Good Thing!

[Andrea Penrose]

Oh, how fun on the book flyer!

And I agree—there is something special about flipping through pages!

[Andrea Penrose]

You read the encyclopedia, Janet?? I'm VERY impressed! (Hmm, maybe we should enter you in Jeopardy!)

I've never heard of Capper's Weekly. Some of the old regional publications were quite wonderful!

[Andrea Penrose]

Teresa, I love the name of The Bunty! (Haven't heard of it, bit I suspect it's an Irish publication.) And what a lovely birthday gift from your husband. I read the Jane Austen regency blog online occasionally and they do some wonderful articles.

[Andrea Penrose]

Ah, another one of us who loves "flipping the pages"! And another encyclopedia reader! That's fascinating, Anne.

Love your selection of magazines—clearly an interest in science runs in the family. Sounds like you would have enjoyed the ladies' Diary had you been born in the Regency era!