Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/820

 804 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

Beautiful. This attractive monthly was one of the first merito- rious periodicals currently published at Chicago, and not a trade paper, to become established on a business footing. One reason given for the suspension of the Chap-Book was that from a business point of view the time and energy which it took could be spent more profitably in attention to the other interests ot Herbert S. Stone & Co., this firm being engaged in bringing out novels and other works, and doing general publishing. In this connection Mr. Stone's firm had taken up, in September, 1897, the work of publishing the House Beautiful, which however, as from the date of its beginning in December, 1896, was then edited by Eugene Clapp, a civil engineer. When Mr. Clapp went to Cuba as a lieutenant of volunteers in the summer of 1898, Mr. Stone became the editor. In 1900 he sold his book- publishing interests to Mr. Melville E. Stone, Jr., his brother, and has since conducted the House Beautiful as an individual enterprise.

Avoiding the Chap-Book pitfall, the first effort of Mr. Stone has been to secure a large list of annual subscribers. In 1900 the House Beautiful had 3,000 regular subscribers, and the news-stand sales averaged 4,000. In 1905 the monthly circula- tion claimed was 40,000, and but a small percentage of the copies went to others than regular subscribers. To offset the diffi- culty in securing income from advertising which arises because 75 per cent, of all general advertising is placed by agencies in New York, the subscription price has been raised from $i to $2 per year. In 1904 the size of the pages was enlarged to 9X12 inches so as to provide more advertising space next to single columns of reading-matter in the back part.

The art of interior decoration in the homes of those who, while having annual incomes of $8,000, yet are so located that they cannot often visit the metropolitan stores, the art of land- scape gardening, and architecture for country houses are the topics of aesthetic interest to which the House Beautiful is de- voted. It contains little or no fiction, and Mr. Stone's society proclivities show results in its character. But since he writes or rewrites much of its contents, the periodical is marked by literary touches reminiscent of the ear-marks of the Chap-Book.