Pulp Circulations

Contexts: Graph

Pulp Magazine Circulations

The table below includes circulation data for 20 best-selling pulp magazine titles published between 1900 and 1922. Represented here are the five major pulp magazine publishers of the period: Frank A. Munsey, Street & Smith Corp., Ridgway Co., Story-Press Corp., and Doubleday, along with smaller competitors such as C.H. Young, New Fiction, and Pro-Distributors. The 1900-1922 time frame will be extended, and new entries will be added as info. becomes available. All data is derived from N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory (1898-1922).

1898
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	40,000
1900
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	90,000
1901
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	81,000
1902
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	111,777
1903
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	300,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
1904
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	335,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
1905
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	400,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
1906
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	413,667
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	265,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
1907
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	413,667
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	265,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
1908
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	413,667
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	300,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
1909
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	425,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	300,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	250,000
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	200,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
The Green Book Album	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
1910
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	500,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	330,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	250,000
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	80,000
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	200,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
The Green Book Album	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	75,000
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	NA
1911
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	450,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	400,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	250,000
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	200,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	NA
The Green Book Album	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	NA
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	NA
New Story Magazine	LaSalle Publishing Co.	Monthly	NA
1912
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	500,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	400,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	251,000
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	200,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	125,966*
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	120,000
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	NA
New Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	NA
1913
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	300,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	369,801
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	180,000
People's Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	180,000
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	125,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	NA
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	NA
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	100,000
New Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	150,000
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	NA
Live Stories	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
1914
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	240,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	375,000
The All-Story Magazine	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	170,000
People's Ideal Fiction	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	180,000
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	120,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	95,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	NA
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	NA
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	100,000
New Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	140,000
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	60,000
Live Stories	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
1915
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	275,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	380,000
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	200,000
People's	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	190,000
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Cavalier	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	NA
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	95,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	95,000
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	220,000
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	125,000
New Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	140,000
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	175,000
Live Stories	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Parisienne	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	NA
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	NA
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
1916
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	275,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	393,744
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	200,000
People's	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	175,482
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	95,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	95,000
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	195,957
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	128,000
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Twice-Monthly	200,000
Live Stories	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	NA
The Parisienne	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	NA
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	NA
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
Saucy Stories	Inter-Continental	Monthly	NA
1917
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Monthly	221,000
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	387,079
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	175,000
People's	Street & Smith Corp.	Monthly	172,191
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	60,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	85,000
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	196,694
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Monthly	139,044
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Twice-Monthly	200,000
Live Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	100,000
The Parisienne	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	180,000
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	NA
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
Saucy Stories	Inter-Continental	Monthly	NA
1918
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	*
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	372,884
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	330,000*
People's Favorite Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	169,989
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	60,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	85,000
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	197,938
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Twice-Monthly	200,000
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Twice-Monthly	200,000
Live Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	NA
The Parisienne	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	162,678
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	128,000
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Weekly	131,436
Saucy Stories	Inter-Continental	Monthly	125,000
1919
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	*
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	372,884
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	331,669*
People's Favorite Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	169,989
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	60,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	NA
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	200,000
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Twice-Monthly	150,000
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Twice-Monthly	NA
Live Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	NA
The Parisienne	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	150,000
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	110,000
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Weekly	100,000
Saucy Stories	Inter-Continental	Monthly	125,000
Western Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	NA
1920
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	448,810*
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	*
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	*
People's Favorite Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	*
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	175,000
The Green Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	70,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Monthly	75,890
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	*
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Twice-Monthly	146,083
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Twice-Monthly	175,000
Live Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	NA
The Parisienne	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	140,000
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	113,000
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Weekly	*
Saucy Stories	Inter-Continental	Monthly	120,000
Western Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	*
The Black Mask	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	NA
1922
The Argosy	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	470,280*
The Popular Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	*
All-Story Weekly	Frank A. Munsey	Weekly	*
People's Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	*
The Blue Book Magazine	Story-Press Corp.	Monthly	200,000
Short Stories	Doubleday	Twice-Monthly	174,899
Top-Notch Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Thrice-Monthly	*
Adventure	Ridgway Co.	Thrice-Monthly	194,868
Snappy Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Twice-Monthly	175,000
Live Stories	New Fiction (Clayton)	Monthly	130,000
Breezy Stories	C.H. Young	Monthly	NA
Detective Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Weekly	*
Saucy Stories	Inter-Continental	Twice-Monthly	NA
Western Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Weekly	*
Love Story Magazine	Street & Smith Corp.	Twice-Monthly	*
The Black Mask	Pro-Distributors	Monthly	50,000



Notes
* Circulation figures for The Cavalier and The Scrap-Book are combined for 1912. * Circulation figures for The Argosy and All-Story Weekly are combined for 1918 and 1919. * Circulation figures for The Popular, People's Favorite, Top-Notch, Detective Story, and Western Story Magazine are combined for 1920 under the Street & Smith Combination: 850,000. * Circulation figures for All-Story Weekly and The Argosy are combined for 1920 and 1922. Circulation figures for The Popular, People's Story, Top-Notch, Detective Story, Western Story, and Love Story Magazine* are combined for 1922 under the Street & Smith Combination: 779,718.

Sources
1898: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 1 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1898). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1900: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1900). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1901: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1901). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1902: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1902). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1903: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 3 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1903). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1904: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1904). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1905: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 1 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1905). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1906: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1906). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1907: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1907). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1908: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 3 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1908). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1909: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1909). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1910: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 1 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1910). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1911: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1911). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1912: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 3 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1912). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1913: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1913). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1914: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1914). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1915: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1915). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1916: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1916). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1917: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1917). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1918: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1918). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1919: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1919). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1920: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1920). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library. 1922: N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory, Part 2 (Philadelphia: N.W. Ayer & Son, 1922). Access the full-text here, from the University of North Texas Digital Library.