The Lone Hand (magazine)
The Lone Hand was a monthly Australian magazine of literature and poetry modelled on The London Strand[1] founded in 1907 by J F Archibald and Frank Fox as a sister magazine to The Bulletin.[2] (Archibald had wanted the name Lone Hand for what became The Bulletin[1] but once established had little to do with its running.[3]) It tended to follow the same themes of Australian individuality, mateship and supported the White Australia Policy.
In common with The Bulletin, contributions from the public were solicited and paid for at the 'going rate'. A remarkable innovation was a prize offered to readers who found errors (including typo's) in advertisements and contributions.[2] It also sponsored the first Australian beauty contest in 1908 (after a challenge by the Chicago Tribune) and featured columns by celebrities,[1]
The Lone Hand was an initial success; the first issue (May 1907) of 50 000 copies sold out in three days, the second in one.[1] But two years later, faced with falling circulation (and advertising revenue) mostly due to competition from overseas magazines, Fox instituted radical changes; adding a Women's Section and fashion photography,[4] dropping the price from 1s to 6d and softening the tone of its editorials. In 1914 links with The Bulletin were cut. By 1919 it was larger format, with more articles on higher quality paper. But when the price was raised to 9d, circulation dropped unsustainably. February 1928 was its last issue.[2]
Major contributors included:
- A H Adams[1]
- L W Appleby (photographer)[5]
- Randolph Bedford[1]
- Zora Cross (inc. many pseudonyms)[2]
- Victor Daley[2]
- C J Dennis[6]
- Edward Dyson[2]
- Will Dyson (artist)[2]
- Mabel Forrest[1]
- Henry Lawson[2]
- Lionel Lindsay (artist)[2]
- Norman Lindsay (artist)[2]
- Percy Lindsay (artist)[2]
- David Low (artist)[2]
- Hugh McCrae[2]
- Ernest O'Ferrall[1]
- Dowell O'Reilly[2]
- Ambrose Pratt[2]
- Roderic Quinn[2]
- Steele Rudd The Old Homestead (serialised novel)[2]
- David Henry Souter (artist)[2]
- Louis Stone Betty Wayside (serialised novel)[2]
- David McKee Wright (inc. many pseudonyms)[2]
- Blamire Young (artist)[7]
Editors were:[2]
- J F Archibald 1907
- Frank Fox 1907 – 1909
- A H Adams 1909 – 1911
- Bertram Stevens 1912 – 1919
- Walter Jago 1919 – 1928
Note
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature William H Wilde, Joy Hooton and Barry Andrews Oxford University Press 2nd ed. 1994 ISBN 0 19 553381 X
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u http://www.austlit.edu.au/run?ex=ShowWork&workId=CZq%3B
- ^ http://adbonline.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030046b.htm
- ^ http://nishi.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-76/t1-g-t7.html
- ^ http://photo-web.com.au/ShadesofLight/09-salons.htm
- ^ http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/denniscj/magazines/lonehand/lonehand.html
- ^ http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=96294&PICTAUS=TRUE
Further reading
- Taylor, Kit (1977). A history with indexes of the Lone hand, the Australian monthly. J.B. Hobbs. ISBN 978-0-9596824-0-3.