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On March 5, 1850, James W. Alexander wrote to his old friend and long-time correspondent John Hall to tell him about a new publishing venture.
My brother William is about to set up “the Princeton Magazine;” pp. 48, monthly. Of course we shall all help. It will not exclude scientific, classical, crudite, sportive, or Jersey articles. Probably a number out three weeks hence. “Princeton in 1801,” will open it, a reminiscence of my father.
James was referring to William Cowper Alexander’s editorial work on a publication that lasted just one year, but led to a tremendous outpouring of fascinating literature by the Alexander family.
Henry C. Alexander, in his biography of Joseph Addison Alexander, Vol. 2, p. 682, speaks of the family venture thus:
The Magazine was written by members of the family (principally by J.W.A.) with occasional articles by an outsider. The volume contained one hundred and twelve articles. Eighty-three articles were written in the family. To these may be added sixty-one notices of new books. These notices were almost exclusively from the pen of the editor.
John Hall adds that this one volume was treasury of valuable literary output by the family.
Twelve numbers of this magazine appeared in 1850, after which it was discontinued. The brothers James and Addison made it the repository of many of their desultory effusions….In a letter to the editor of these Letters, from the late Mr. Walsh, (Paris, Nov. 12, 1850,) that eminent scholar wrote — “The promise of the youth of the brothers Alexander seems to have been fulfilled. The Magazine abounds with matter which I read with keen relish.” — Forty Years’ Familiar Letters of James W. Alexander, D.D., Vol. 2, p. 112.
Samuel D. Alexander notes the family contributors to The Princeton Magazine in his Catalogue of the Writings of the Alexander Family, but only as to their names, not their specific writings. The articles and book notices by the Alexanders (Archibald, James, Addison and William) are varied and include poetry by Addison, social commentary by James, reminiscences by Archibald and much more. Attribution of these writings largely comes from John Hall and Henry C. Alexander. Sometimes authorship can be ascertained from the nom-de-plumes chosen by the authors, such as “C.Q.” for “Charles Quill,” a favorite pseudonym of James. Many of these “essays, dialogues, satirical squibs, bits of Latin criticism, popular philosophy,” etc. (H.C.A.), showing the wit and humor, knowledge of the world and of Scripture, and the keen intellect of brilliant writers have been added to the respective author pages at Log College Press, including the full volume of the magazine at William C. Alexander’s page. The magazine represents a slice of Princetoniana well worth diving into, and though it only lasted for one year, constitutes a treasury of Alexander family literature that is remarkable in its diversity of topic and quality of writing.
1850 was a very productive year for the Alexanders, and now that these articles are being added to Log College Press, we hope you will see what a treasure The Princeton Magazine of that year was.
