The Wide World Magazine
Encyclopedia
The Wide World Magazine was a British monthly illustrated publication which ran from April 1898 to December 1965. It was resurrected (the same title was registered with Companies House) in 2009 as WideWorld, an online publication headquartered in England and devoted to outdoor sport, adventure and offbeat travel.
The magazine was founded by well-known publisher George Newnes
, also famous for Tit-Bits
, The Strand Magazine, Country Life
and others. It described itself as "an illustrated magazine of true narrative" and each month purported to feature "true-life" adventure and travel stories gathered from around the world. Its motto was "Truth is stranger than fiction".
In August 1898, it published the first in a number of installments of "The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont
", billed as "the most amazing story a man ever lived to tell", and claiming to be an account of a man who had spent thirty years in the outback of Australia
. The story caused a sensation, but was exposed as a hoax by the Daily Chronicle
, to the embarrassment of the publisher.
Some famous names occasionally wrote for the magazine (such as Arthur Conan Doyle
, Henry Morton Stanley
, Douglas Reeman
etc.), and it was copiously illustrated with photographs, as well as black and white drawings by such artists as Terence Cuneo, Cecil Stuart Tresilian, Alfred Pearse, Chas Sheldon, Paul Hardy, William Barnes Wollen
, John L. Wimbush, Charles J. Staniland, Joseph Finnemore
, John Charlton
, Warwick Goble
, Tom Browne, Ernest Prater
, Gordon Browne
, Edward S Hodgson, Norman H. Hardy, Inglis Sheldon Williams, and Harry Rountree
.
The May 1913 issue contained the first reports of the death of notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy
in Bolivia.
The Times
, in retrospect, humorously described the magazine as about "brave chaps with large moustaches on stiff upper lips, who did stupid and dangerous things".
The magazine was founded by well-known publisher George Newnes
George Newnes
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet was a publisher and editor in England.-Background and education:...
, also famous for Tit-Bits
Tit-Bits
Tit-Bits was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes on 22 October 1881 until 18 July 1984, when it was taken over by Associated Newspapers' Weekend, which itself closed in 1989. The last editors were David Hill and Brian Lee...
, The Strand Magazine, Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
and others. It described itself as "an illustrated magazine of true narrative" and each month purported to feature "true-life" adventure and travel stories gathered from around the world. Its motto was "Truth is stranger than fiction".
In August 1898, it published the first in a number of installments of "The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont
Louis de Rougemont
Louis De Rougemont was a would-be explorer who claimed to have had adventures in Australasia."De Rougemont" was born Henri Louis Grin in 1847 in Gressy, Vaud, Switzerland. He left home at the age of sixteen...
", billed as "the most amazing story a man ever lived to tell", and claiming to be an account of a man who had spent thirty years in the outback of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The story caused a sensation, but was exposed as a hoax by the Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the Daily News to become the News Chronicle.-History:...
, to the embarrassment of the publisher.
Some famous names occasionally wrote for the magazine (such as Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
, Douglas Reeman
Douglas Reeman
Douglas Edward Reeman, born at Thames Ditton, is a British author who has written many historical fiction books on the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars....
etc.), and it was copiously illustrated with photographs, as well as black and white drawings by such artists as Terence Cuneo, Cecil Stuart Tresilian, Alfred Pearse, Chas Sheldon, Paul Hardy, William Barnes Wollen
William Barnes Wollen
William Barnes Wollen was an English painter mostly known for his paintings of battle and historical scenes and sporting events.-Career:...
, John L. Wimbush, Charles J. Staniland, Joseph Finnemore
Joseph Finnemore
Joseph Finnemore was born in Birmingham in 1860 and educated at the Birmingham School of Art. He was a prolific book and magazine illustrator, who worked particularly for the Religious Tract Society....
, John Charlton
John Charlton (artist)
John Charlton , painter and illustrator of historical and especially battle scenes mainly from contemporary history.-Early life:Born to Samuel Charlton and his wife Mary Ann Charlton on 28 June 1849, in Bamburgh, Northumberland, he received his first lessons in drawing from his father when he was...
, Warwick Goble
Warwick Goble
Warwick Goble was an illustrator of children's books. He specialized in Japanese and Indian themes.Goble was born in Dalston, north London, the son of a commercial traveller, and educated and trained at the City of London School and the Westminster School of Art...
, Tom Browne, Ernest Prater
Ernest Prater
Ernest Prater was a noted English artist and book illustrator, notable also for his work as a war correspondent and reportage artist during the Anglo-Boer War.-Life and works:...
, Gordon Browne
Gordon Browne
Gordon Frederick Browne was an English artist and children's book illustrator in the late 19th century and early 20th century....
, Edward S Hodgson, Norman H. Hardy, Inglis Sheldon Williams, and Harry Rountree
Harry Rountree
Harry Rountree was a prolific illustrator working in England around the turn of the 19/20th centuries. He came from New Zealand in 1901 to London, when he was 23 years old....
.
The May 1913 issue contained the first reports of the death of notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy
Butch Cassidy
Robert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
in Bolivia.
The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, in retrospect, humorously described the magazine as about "brave chaps with large moustaches on stiff upper lips, who did stupid and dangerous things".
External links
- Buried alive by an elephant (The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
- 16 October 2004) - A floating Gold-mine (story from The Wide World Magazine, May 1907 - "Welcome to Brightlingsea")