Ladies' Line-up

When the late great Edward Bok invented the formula of modern women's magazines with his Ladies' Home Journal in 1889, he opened a course that was to be profitably traveled by many a U. S. editor and publisher. Great days for the Journal and its rivals continued right up to Depression, when advertisers began to shave budgets, talk about avoiding duplication in their use of mass monthlies. Pounding down the stretch in last year's race for cash and readers, three of them each rang up more than 2,500,000 circulation.

First was Woman's Home Companion (2,848,550), second Ladies' Home Journal (2,786,219), third McCall's (2,501,074)--(see below). Fourth was Pictorial Review with 2,108,579. When 69-year-old Delineator came fifth with 1,487,118, magazine dockers sensed that the field was overcrowded, knew that some one would have to be ruled off the track. Last week the new magazine line-up for ladies became known. Pending approval by stockholders this week, Delineator was to be liquidated, its readership swallowed by Pictorial Review, to give that Hearst property a whacking monthly circulation of over 3,000,000.* April issue now in the hands of the printers will be the last of Delineator as such. The pattern service of Butterick Co., Delineator's publishing parent, will continue separately. No other Delineator department will survive.

*A blue chip in the woman's magazine business is Hearst's monthly Good Housekeeping. With 2,165,766 circulation at 25-c- a copy, "Good House" last year booked more pages of advertising, for more money, than any of the lower priced monthlies.

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