Edward Bok: The Editor as Entrepreneur

Abstract

Edward Bok, a Dutch immigrant, manifested entrepreneurial talent long before he became editor of The Ladies’ Home Journal in 1889 and built it in to the world’s first magazine with 1,000,000 subscribers. Like many opinion leaders in the Progressive Era, he preached Adam Smith’s doctrine that pursuing self-interest is compatible with the common good. Like Theodore Roosevelt, whom he admired, he could take controversial positions without challenging the basic values of a business-oriented culture.