The Popular Magazine was an American literary publication put out by the well-known publisher Street & Smith. It ran for 612 issues between 1903 and 1931, making it one of the longer-running fiction magazines of its era. The magazine was edited first by Henry Harrison Lewis and then by Charles Agnew MacLean, and each bi-monthly issue ran between 194 and 224 pages.
The magazine targeted male readers and packed its pages with short fiction, novellas, serialized works, and full short novels. In its later years, men’s adventure stories became the dominant genre. The covers from the 1920s reflected this energy — bold, action-driven illustrations designed to grab attention on the newsstand.
The year 1920 saw the magazine publishing twice a month, with two distinct issues per month carrying different cover art. This twice-monthly schedule gave artists frequent opportunities to produce new illustrations, and the covers from this period show a range of dramatic outdoor and action-themed scenes.
By 1921, the covers continued to emphasize physical action and rugged settings. Figures in conflict, outdoor wilderness scenes, and tense confrontations were common visual themes — all in line with the adventure content inside. The illustrations were painted in a style typical of American pulp and slick magazines of the time.
Into 1922 and 1923, the cover art maintained its focus on masculine adventure. Street & Smith was one of the most prolific magazine publishers in America during this period, and The Popular Magazine was a key title in their lineup alongside other well-known publications.
The mid-1920s brought a consistent run of covers through 1924 and 1925. The twice-monthly release schedule kept the cover art fresh, with each issue presenting a new scene. These years represent some of the most varied cover art in the magazine’s run.
The covers from 1926 are among the most plentiful surviving examples in archival collections. That year produced a particularly full set of known issues, with covers from June through December still well preserved. The art from this period shows confident, polished illustration work suited to the magazine’s established readership.
By 1927, the magazine was approaching the final years of its run. The covers from that year — spanning June through December — show no drop in production quality. Street & Smith continued publishing on a regular schedule, and the artwork remained vivid and commercially appealing.
In 1928, the release schedule shifted to a more frequent pattern, with issues now dated just weeks apart rather than in early- and late-month pairings. That year produced a notable number of surviving covers, from January through November.
The magazine’s final years ran through 1929, 1930, and into 1931. In 1931, Street & Smith merged The Popular Magazine with another of their titles, Complete Stories, bringing the publication’s 28-year run to a close after 612 total issues.
