{{Short description|Australian magazine (1899–1925)}} thumb|The Bookfellow magazine, Front cover, January 7, 1899. ''The Bookfellow'' was a monthly English-language journal published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The publication's focus was Australian literature<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://primo-slnsw.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=SLNSW_ALMA21149932070002626&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=EEA&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US|title=The Bookfellow|website=Catalogue|publisher=State Library of NSW|access-date=25 June 2018}}</ref> and editions were often accompanied by illustrations.<ref name=":1" />
== History == ''The Bookfellow'' was published in Sydney, by William Macleod from January 1899 to May 1899.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/version/26070766|title=The Bookfellow|date=1899|publisher=Sydney : W. Macleod|language=English}}</ref> Journalist A. G. Stephens, one of Australia's most influential critics, had made several attempts at producing a literary magazine for Australians. In 1894, he was recruited by J. F. Archibald for the weekly ''Bulletin''. He claimed the inside cover of the magazine for reviewing books and relaying literary gossip to interested readers. This section of the ''Bulletin'' came to be known as the ‘Red Page.’<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Osborne | first=R.|date=2005|title=Separating the 'Bookfellow' from the Bookfellow: A. G. Stephens and the Australian magazine reader [Paper in: Paradise: New Worlds of Books and Readers.]|url=https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=200708261;res=IELAPA|journal=Script & Print|language=en|volume=29|issue=1-4}}</ref>
Stephens assisted many emerging Australian writers by featuring their work on the ‘Red Page.’ In 1898, he convinced the owners of ''The Bulletin'' to sponsor a small magazine to increase the scope of the ‘Red Page.’ In January 1899, the first issue of ''The Bookfellow'' was published.<ref name=":2" />
The magazine actively promoted Australian writing and set out to educate Australian readers about developments in literature occurring overseas. The first issue, was subtitled ‘A monthly Magazine for Book Buyers and Book-Readers.’<ref name=":2" />
Those who wrote for the publication included Barcroft Boake, Christopher Brennan, Mary Hannay Foott, A. G. Stephens and A. J. Fischer.<ref>Stuart, Lurlene (1979), ''Nineteenth century Australian periodicles: an annotated bibliography'', Sydney, Hale & Iremonger, p.49. {{ISBN|0908094531}}</ref>
The magazine ceased after 5 issues, in May 1899. Stephens returned to the ‘Red Page,’ but following a souring of his relationship with new ''Bulletin'' editor, James Edmonds, Stephens left ''The Bulletin'' in November 1906 to open a small bookshop that he called "The Bookfellow." He resurrected ''The Bookfellow'' as a weekly magazine in January 1907; however, neither the bookshop, nor the magazine would see the year out.<ref name=":2" />
''The Bookfellow'' was revived again in the 1920s and ceased finally in 1925, but continued to operate as a publisher of books into the 1930s.
== Digitisation == The journal has been digitised in Trove<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-636005630|title=The Bookfellow.|website=nla.gov.au|language=en|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref> by the National Library of Australia<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guides/first-world-war/newspapers-and-magazines|title=Newspapers and Magazines {{!}} National Library of Australia|website=www.nla.gov.au|language=en|access-date=2018-06-25}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-636005630 ''The Bookfellow''] at [https://trove.nla.gov.au/ Trove]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bookfellow, The}} Category:Literary magazines published in Australia Category:Defunct magazines published in Australia Category:Magazines published in Sydney Category:Monthly magazines published in Australia Category:Magazines disestablished in 1899 Category:Magazines established in 1899