A central editor, publisher, and periodical proprietor of late nineteenth-century Britain, George Newnes is remembered today principally for his contribution to the rise of New Journalism. He is also well-known for his periodicals, the most successful of which were the hugely-popular penny weekly

Tit-Bits

and the highly-influential illustrated monthly

The Strand Magazine

(the journal that made Sherlock Holmes a cultural phenomenon).

Born on March 13, 1851, George Newnes grew up in Matlock Bath, a small spa town in the Peak District – a rural area of Northern England between Manchester and Nottingham. His bookish father, the Reverend Thomas Mold Newnes, was a Congregational minister. His mother, Sarah Urquhart, came from a Scottish family of “modest fortune”, and delighted in treating

2359 words

Citation: Vranken, Thomas. "Sir George Newnes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 March 2020 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3329, accessed 23 November 2024.]

3329 Sir George Newnes 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.