After emigrating from Germany to the United States,
young Charles Nordhoff developed his education in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1943, at
age 13, he apprenticed to a printer and thus received his first introduction
into journalism. He then joined the United States Navy and traveled around the
world while documenting his travels in a series of books. Upon returning to the
States, Nordhoff began a series of journalism endeavors, beginning at “Harper
& Row” as an editor. However, I found some disagreement in my research and
the information in the American Journalists textbook. Harper & Brothers didn’t
merge with Row, Peterson & Company until 1962, and the book implies that he
moved on from there to work as managing editor of the New York Evening Post in 1861. I presume the textbook author meant
to say “Harper & Brothers,” but it’s a noticeable mistake. After some time
working as an editor, Nordhoff wrote travel literature that became widely used
by tourists as guides. A city in California was named Nordhoff at the suggestion of one of the residents because she saw
many tourists carrying around his famous book about California. Nordhoff is an
important character to remember because he was at the top of his profession. At the time, the public got their news almost
strictly from newspapers, and one of the most prominent was the New York Herald. Acting as the
Washington correspondent for the paper from 1874-1890, Nordhoff retired with a
very full working life behind him. He lived just ten more years reflecting on
his accomplishments before his death in 1901 in cozy San Francisco. His books
are still being published today, and his descriptive helpful writing will never
fail to influence us.
I
received most of my information from the following:
American
Journalists Textbook
How often have you sat in your living room and wondered how it received its name? Edward Bok, editor of Ladies' Home Journal for thirty years, was the one who coined the term "living room". Ladies' Home Journal was extremely successful. While Bok was editor, the journal had one million subscribers. It was the first magazine to have ever reached that number of subscribers and it was "highly influential". However, before Bok was a well known editor and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, he was a poor immigrant struggling to survive in America.
ReplyDeleteEdward Bok was born in Den Helder, Netherlands. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was six years old. "He got his start reporting on children's parties for the Brooklyn Daily Edge." Afterwards, Bok was the editor of a church publication, which later became Brooklyn Magazine. Bok is mainly known for creating written materials for women. He founded the Bok Syndicated Press in 1886. This “included material written specifically for women” and other newspapers soon picked up on the “Bok Page”. Finally in 1889, Bok became the editor for Ladies’ Home Journal. Bok increased readership by making an effort to understand the publication’s audience and their desires.
“Bok was a champion of social causes, a pioneer in the field of public sex education, prenatal education and childcare, and an environmental activist in public health and the saving of Niagara Falls.” Bok created many awards that recognized philanthropic efforts, like the American Peace Award and The Philadelphia Award. Bok had a keen sense of style and was incredibly particular about the appearances of buildings, homes and advertisements. He created the Harvard Advertising Awards. These awards went to those who worked to raise the standards of advertisement in periodicals. He also helped to form The Philadelphia Commission, which was “devoted to the beautification of the metropolitan area in Philadelphia.”
Bok was truly a rounded citizen and had a great impact on women’s publications and magazines. Edward Bok is now buried at the base of the Singing Tower, which he loved dearly.
Sources Include: American Journalist, boktowergardens.org, britainccia.com