y separately published work icon The Triad periodical  
Date: 1925-1926
Date: 1925
Date: 1892-1924
Issue Details: First known date: 1892... 1892 The Triad
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

The Triad was founded in New Zealand in 1892 by C. N. Baeyertz (q.v.) who edited, managed, and wrote most of the magazine for its first twelve years. When Frank Morton (q.v.) joined the magazine in 1905, he became the most predominant contributor to the Triad (writing under his own name and several pseudonyms) until his death in 1923. The first Australian number of the Triad appeared in October 1915, proceeding in tandem with its New Zealand affiliate but with different volume numbering.

The Triad was subtitled 'A Journal Devoted to Literary, Pictorial, Musical and Dramatic Art', and each issue carried the magazine's mission statement: 'The Triad is fearless, and tries always to be honest. Its chief concern is to tell the truth. It may err on the side of indulgence occasionally, being human; but its criticisms are, in every case, unbiassed and impartial'. To stress its impartiality, Triad frequently advertised that it did not accept review copies of books or complimentary tickets, but Morton's view of the world gave the magazine a distinct character. In columns and reviews, he frequently attacked the 'puritanism' that he believed had become out of hand after the end of the First World War. While not always literary or artistic, Morton's topics were drawn from all of the arts identified in the magazine's subtitle and contributions were written for a general readership rather than for a narrow literary or artistic audience.

In addition to Morton's contributions, the work of many other Australian writers was published in the Triad. Contributors included Hugh McCrae, Kenneth Slessor, Furnley Maurice, Ethel Anderson, Randolph Bedford, Will Lawson, Mary Gilmore, Louis Esson, and Cecil Mann (qq.v.).

During 1925, L. L. Woolacott (q.v.) was appointed associate editor. By October, he had taken over the editorship and Baeyertz took on a managerial role. Baeyertz sold the Triad to Art in Australia Ltd in the last months of 1926, and Woolacott was retained as editor. But under Woolacott, the Triad was in decline, producing consistent financial losses.

Relieving the strain on Art in Australia Ltd, Ernest Watt (q.v.) , a director of the company, bought the Triad in March 1927. He took the magazine in a different direction, renaming it the New Triad and appointing Hugh McCrae and himself as editors. The first number of the New Triad appeared in August 1927. The new look magazine included articles on motoring, horse racing, society, and lawn tennis. It also offered regular competitions, crosswords, and a more professional layout, bringing it close to the standard of Home and Art in Australia. Literary contributors to the New Triad included Louis Esson, R. D. FitzGerald, Hugh McCrae, Vance Palmer, Dora Wilcox, David McKee Wright, and Les Robinson (qq.v.). But, despite the change in format, the New Triad did not last a year. Its last number appeared in July 1928.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1892
      Sydney, New South Wales,: 1915-1927 .

Works about this Work

y separately published work icon Facing the Music : Charles Baeyertz and the Triad Joanna Woods , Dunedin : University of Otago Press , 2008 Z1556887 2008 single work biography 'An entertaining and lively biography of the founder and editor of the Triad , New Zealand's first longstanding cultural magazine. Founded in 1893 and running into the late 1920s, the magazine offered well-informed coverage of cultural activities in New Zealand, Australia and internationally in a broad mix of critical and original writing. Notoriously outspoken, Baeyertz was feared and respected as a critic. His music criticism was particularly intelligent and rigorous, making no concessions to personality or amateur or professional status. His later co-editor, the self-styled 'decadent' Frank Morton, was equally candid. This engaging biography of a fascinating man throws new light on a long-neglected period of New Zealand's cultural past.' (From the publisher).
Behind the Book : Vance Palmer's Short Stories and Australian Magazine Culture in the 1920s Roger Osborne , 2007 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 6 no. 1 2007; (p. 49-64)
'Behind the books that serve most critics and biographers as signposts to the development of Vance Palmer's short fiction, another sequence of events is found in the newspapers and magazines to which he contributed. In addition to the stories for which he is best-known, he published hundreds more in Australian periodicals. This article considers Palmer's career through his contributions to the Bulletin, the Triad and the Australian Journal. Palmer might be best-known as a representative figure in Australia's literary culture, but he is also one of the most representative figures of the magazine culture of his time.' (JASAL abstract.)
y separately published work icon Making Australian Art 1916-49 : Sydney Ure Smith, Patron and Publisher Nancy Underhill , South Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 1991 Z1041402 1991 single work bibliography
A Young Man of Sydney : The Early and Uncollected Poems of Kenneth Slessor Douglas Stewart , 1977 single work criticism biography
— Appears in: Quadrant , May vol. 21 no. 5 1977; (p. 52-56) A Man of Sydney : An Appreciation of Kenneth Slessor 1977; (p. 88-103)
Frank Morton Will Lawson , 1951 single work biography
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 3 January vol. 72 no. 3699 1951; (p. 27)
y separately published work icon Making Australian Art 1916-49 : Sydney Ure Smith, Patron and Publisher Nancy Underhill , South Melbourne : Oxford University Press , 1991 Z1041402 1991 single work bibliography
Editorial Notes Bernard O'Dowd , 1919 single work criticism
— Appears in: Birth : A Little Journal of Australian Poetry , January vol. 3 no. 26 1919; (p. 7-8)

— Review of Selected Poems of Henry Lawson Henry Lawson , 1918 selected work poetry
Behind the Book : Vance Palmer's Short Stories and Australian Magazine Culture in the 1920s Roger Osborne , 2007 single work criticism
— Appears in: JASAL , vol. 6 no. 1 2007; (p. 49-64)
'Behind the books that serve most critics and biographers as signposts to the development of Vance Palmer's short fiction, another sequence of events is found in the newspapers and magazines to which he contributed. In addition to the stories for which he is best-known, he published hundreds more in Australian periodicals. This article considers Palmer's career through his contributions to the Bulletin, the Triad and the Australian Journal. Palmer might be best-known as a representative figure in Australia's literary culture, but he is also one of the most representative figures of the magazine culture of his time.' (JASAL abstract.)
y separately published work icon Facing the Music : Charles Baeyertz and the Triad Joanna Woods , Dunedin : University of Otago Press , 2008 Z1556887 2008 single work biography 'An entertaining and lively biography of the founder and editor of the Triad , New Zealand's first longstanding cultural magazine. Founded in 1893 and running into the late 1920s, the magazine offered well-informed coverage of cultural activities in New Zealand, Australia and internationally in a broad mix of critical and original writing. Notoriously outspoken, Baeyertz was feared and respected as a critic. His music criticism was particularly intelligent and rigorous, making no concessions to personality or amateur or professional status. His later co-editor, the self-styled 'decadent' Frank Morton, was equally candid. This engaging biography of a fascinating man throws new light on a long-neglected period of New Zealand's cultural past.' (From the publisher).
The Necessity of the Little Magazine : The Australian Scene Norman Bartlett , 1948 single work criticism
— Appears in: Meanjin , Winter vol. 7 no. 2 1948; (p. 108-117)

PeriodicalNewspaper Details

Frequency:
Monthly
Range:
1892-1926
Size:
26cm; 50-64 pages
Price:
Sixpence (1915-1920); one shilling (1920-1926)
Last amended 10 Nov 2010 08:52:17
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