Louis Antoine Godey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis Antoine Godey
|
|
|---|---|
Louis A. Godey by Frederick Gutekunst
|
|
| Born | June 6, 1804 New York, U.S.
|
| Died | November 29, 1878 (aged 74) |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Newspaper editor, women's fashion magazine publisher |
Louis Antoine Godey (June 6, 1804 – November 29, 1878) was an important American editor and publisher. He is best known for starting Godey's Lady's Book in 1837. This was the first really popular magazine in America for women. It focused on things like fashion and home life.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Louis Godey was born in New York City. His parents, Louis and Margaret Godey, came from Sens, France. They had left France during the French Revolution. His family was not rich, and Louis did not go to school. However, he taught himself many things.
When he was 15, Godey started working as a newspaper boy in New York. Later, he moved to Philadelphia. There, he became an editor for a newspaper called the Daily Chronicle.
Starting Lady's Book
In 1830, Godey published the first issue of the Lady's Book. At first, it mostly had articles and pictures copied from British magazines. In 1837, Godey combined his Lady's Book with another magazine. This was Ladies' Magazine, the oldest magazine of its kind.
Louis Godey married Maria Duke in 1833. They had five children together.
Other Publishing Projects
In 1836, Godey's company was the first in America to publish the sea adventure novels of Frederick Marryat. Godey also worked with another publisher, Morton McMichael. Together, they published the Saturday News. This was a weekly magazine made for families.
Godey's Lady's Book Success
Godey wanted his magazine to feature more American writers. So, in 1837, he hired Sarah Josepha Hale to be the editor of Godey's Lady's Book. She stayed as editor until she retired in 1877.
The magazine became very popular. By the 1840s, it was the most widely read magazine in America. By 1858, it had over 150,000 readers. Many famous writers had their work published in Godey's Lady's Book. These included Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
New Ideas for Readers
Godey came up with new ways to connect with his readers. He offered a service where readers could order copies of pictures from the magazine. They could also order other items. This was an early version of mail order catalogs. These catalogs became very popular later on.
He also offered "premiums" or gifts to people who subscribed. He gave gifts to those who renewed their subscriptions too. Godey also lowered the price for groups of people. If they bought many copies of the magazine together, they got a discount.
Starting in 1845, Godey copyrighted every issue of Godey's Lady's Book. This made it one of the first magazines in America to do this.
Other Magazines
Godey also published two other magazines. These were The Young People’s Book (1841) and Lady’s Musical Library (1842). However, these magazines were not as successful as Godey's Lady's Book.
Later Life and Legacy
In the 1870s, Louis Godey retired. He moved to St. Augustine, Florida. But he later returned to Philadelphia. He passed away there in 1878.
At the time of his death, Godey had a large fortune. He and his wife are buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
