Magazines were a major source of visual communication in the 20th century, but the importance of the illustrated side of magazine culture has received little scholarly attention. Bringing together leading scholars in a wide range of disciplines, and covering magazine culture in 33 countries, this handbook presents the first authoritative and global overview of the illustrated magazine during the golden age of print.

Collecting contributions from a wide range of experts including art historians, communication scholars, philosophers, historians, language experts, and film researchers, The Bloomsbury Handbook of 20th-Century Illustrated Magazines presents a comprehensive overview of the major cultural, technical and economic issues related to the field.

Six introductory chapters discuss cross-sectional issues in illustrated magazine journalism in general: printing, illustration and illustrators, photography, photographers and picture agencies, research, and publishing. This introductory material is followed by 30 chapters on the national history of illustrated magazines in individual countries, exploring the development of the magazines in different political and cultural contexts, covering Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia and Europe. Including 250 illustrations covering the magazines being discussed, the handbook explores the developments in each country using a standardized structure and set of features, highlighting all the most influential periodicals and relevant figures of the period and providing a solid background for cross-cultural comparisons and future in-depth investigations.