THE REVIEWER: March 1, 1921 (Volume 1, Number 2)

Richmond: The Reviewer, 1921. Stapled Pamphlet. Very Good binding. Octavo. 37-68 pp. First edition. As issued, in self wrappers. This copy has covers that are toned and a trifled soiled, a closed tear to the margin of two leaves; contents clean. The Reviewer began as a biweekly, shifted to a monthly and concluded its final years as a quarterly. A significant publication begun by Emily Clark, Hunter Stagg, Mary Dallas Street, and Margaret Freeman in Richmond in 1921. While its earliest issues are largely if not exclusively southern writers, over its 4 years it published work from some of the most talented writers of the period, southern and otherwise. In addition to publishing heavyweights like Gertrude Stein, Ellen Glasgow, H.L. Mencken, Carl Van Vechten, Amy Lowell, and others, it brought out new writers like Julia Peterkin who would go on to be the first southern novelist to win a Pulitzer Prize. In 1924 it was moved to Chapel Hill where Paul Green took over editing the magazine for its final year. In 1925, all unpublished manuscripts were used to begin The Southwest Review, still in publication today. In his article, "'An Experiment of Southern Letters': Reconsidering the Role of The Reviewer in the Southern Renaissance," Benjamin Wise writes, "The magazine was essential in the literary awakening of the region during this time--and is essential to our understanding of the period--not just because it was published, but because of what it published, who published it, and when it was published." He goes on to write, "The Reviewer changed over time in its short career, and the writing in its pages reflected the contested cultural terrain of the South in these years. It provided a forum for writing from and about the South, and in doing so The Reviewer played a crucial role in the development of a new artistic sensibility that reshaped southern literature." For such a significant publication which had at its peak over a thousand subscribers, it is fairly uncommon to find individual issues. Smith, Leanne. "Reviewer, The" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities. Wise, Benjamin E. "'An Experiment in Southern Letters': Reconsidering the Role of The Reviewer in the Southern Renaissance." The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 113. 2 (2005): 146-178.