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The first magazines appeared in seventeenth-century France in the form of bookseller catalogues and notices that book publishers inserted in newspapers.(In fact, the word magazine derives from the French term magasin, meaning “storehouse.”) In Europe, magazines then became channels for political commentary and argument. They looked like newspapers of the time, but they were published less frequently. The first political magazine, called the Review, appeared in London in 1704 and was printed sporadically until 1713.

Regularly published magazines or pamphlets, such as the Tatler and the Spectator, also appeared in England around this time. Offering poetry, politics, and philosophy for London’s elite, they served small readerships of a few thousand. The first publication to use the term magazine was Gentleman’s Magazine, which appeared in London in 1731 and consisted of articles reprinted from newspapers, books, and political pamphlets.