Canadian Nationalism and the Plight of Canadian Magazines in the 1920s

Abstract

AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE poured into Canada in the 192os , not for the first time, but at an unprecedented rate. Vast numbers of Canadians apparently delighted in the diverting, entertaining, cheap yet sophisticated products of the burgeoning American mass culture industry. A minority of English-speaking Canadian nationalists, elf-styled moulders of public opinion and self-interested Canadian producers of similar products, however, campaigned aggressively against this 'invasion' and struggled to create a competitive Canadian culture. One of their major offensives was against American magazines. The American periodical industry expanded tremendously during the 19•os, sparked by improvements in printing technology and in business practices as well as by the growing market of a society with more leisure, education, and money. • As us sales grew, so did Canadian. Over three hundred American publications (excluding newspapers) circulated in Canada in the mid-19aos; perhaps fifty million copies of American magazines were bought annually in Canada by •9•6, and the number was steadily increasing. 2The best sellers were the Ladies' Home Journal (with a circulation of 15•,o 11 in Canada as of 3 o June 19•6), Saturday Evening Post ( 12 8, 5 7 4), Pictorial Review (12 8,3 • o ), and McCall's Magazine (10 3 , • o 9). a