Cirrus@Austlit

First published in April 1732, the London Magazine appeared for 53 years as a counterbalance to the Gentleman's Magazine. It was re-launced in 1820 by the publisher Robert Baldwin, under John Scott's editorship, as a quality monthly magazine with a liberal focus, and rival to the fiercely conservative Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. Scott fostered the writing of such authors as Wordsworth, Lamb, Carlyle and the 'Cockney School' of John Keats, Leigh Hunt and William Hazlitt. However, Scott paid dearly for his beliefs: in 1821 he was killed in a duel with a representative from Blackwood's. The London Magazine continued under various editors and owners until 1829, when it was absorbed by the New Monthly Magazine.

The modern incarnation of the London Magazine was launched in 1954 by John Lehmann. Lehmann said the magazine was for 'those who enjoy reading stories, poems and articles by the leading authors of today; for those who want to follow the development of new talent at home and abroad; [and] for those who look for first-class criticism by a first-class team of reviewers.' Under the editorship of Alan Ross (1961-2001) the purview of the magazine was extended to include all the arts and added the subtitle 'A Review of Literature and the Arts' to reflect this move.