Abstract

_Histories for the Many_ examines the contribution of illustrated family magazines to Victorian historical culture. How, by whom, for whom and with which intentions was history used within this popular medium? How were class, gender, age, religion, and space debated? How were academic and popular approaches to the past linked to the materiality of the medium? The focus is set on the evangelical _Leisure Hour_ with comparisons to the _London Journal_, _Good Words_ and _Cornhill_. The study's approach to the serialisation of history in text and image combines periodical studies and book history with concepts from cultural studies, sociology as well as narratology.