 Cover of the first issue of Sunday at Home | |
| Publisher | Religious Tract Society |
|---|---|
| First issue | May 1854[2] |
| Final issue | 1940[2] |
Sunday at Home was a weekly magazine published in London by the Religious Tract Society beginning in 1854. It was one of the most successful examples of the "Sunday reading" genre of periodicals: inexpensive magazines intended to provide wholesome religious (or religiously inspired) entertainment for families to read on Sundays, especially as a substitute for "pernicious" secular penny weeklies such as The London Journal or The Family Herald.[3]
It was initially edited by James Macaulay, and later by W. Stevens.[4] Macaulay and Stevens also edited The Leisure Hour, a similar periodical which debuted two years earlier and was also published by the Religious Tract Society, though Sunday at Home was more overtly religious and had a more strongly Sabbatarian viewpoint.[4] Like The Leisure Hour, a typical issue of Sunday at Home led with a serialized piece of religious fiction, and included at least one large illustration.[4]
In addition to the penny weekly format, the magazine was issued in monthly parts at a price of five pence[4] (raised to 6p in 1863), and annual volumes ranging in price from around 5 to 10 shillings.[3]
In 1862, the magazine began including colour illustrations, apparently the first penny weekly to do so.[3]
In 1865, the magazine had an annual circulation of 130,000 copies, which increased steadily up to 1875.[2]
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