Page:The Cambridge History of American Literature, v3.djvu/329

 "The Century Magazine" 3ii was to have contifiued in the editorship, but before the appear- ance of the first issue of the Century he died and was succeeded by Richard "Watson Gilder, who from the first had been asso- ciate editor. The change of name brought no radical change in scope or policy, and Scribner's Monthly and the Century constitute virtually an unbroken series from 1870 to the present time. Dr. Holland was a clever editor who knew what the public wanted. Prom the first he secured well-known contributors of high rank. A ' ' Publisher's Department," with "A word to our readers," or "A talk with our readers," though relegated to the advertising pages, continued the methods of the old-fash- ioned personal journalist. Richard Watson Gilder was a man of greater literary ability and finer taste, and though he could hardly have gained initial success for the venture as well as did Holland it is to him that the high rank of the Century is largely due. Scribner's Monthly at first printed serials by Eng- lish writers, but later made much of the fact that its longer selections in fiction were all of American origin. Howells's A Modern Instance was made a feature of the first volume after the change of name. The Century has always given much space to illustrated articles on history. There was something a trifle "journalistic " in a series of articles on the Civil War by North- ern and Southern generals, yet even in these the editorial con- trol was such as to insure a reasonable standard of excellence. The Life of Lincoln by Nicolay and Hay, large parts of which appeared serially in the Century, was of higher grade. In literary criticism E. C. Stedman had, even in the days of Scrib- ner's Monthly, contributed articles on the American poets. Without neglecting fiction, poetry, and other general literature the magazine has devoted rather more attention than has Harper's to matters of timely, though not of temporary, interest. From the first Scribner's Monthly made much of its illustrations, and both directly and by the effect on its competitors its advent had much to do with the improvement of American engraving and printing. It claims credit for originating, in the mechanical department, several practical innovations of value, such as the dry printing of engravings. Scribner's Magazine (always to be distinguished from Scribner's Monthly), pubUshed by Charles Scribner's Sons and