It's interesting to look back at the origins of CosmopolitanMagazine, seeing their first subscription numbers (in the25,000) range, into what it has become now. Its almost amazinghow the content has evolved over the years--from a one-timefamily magazine back in the late 19th century--to what is now; ademographic exclusive to females.

Before cosmopolitan magazine experienced world wide success,the initial founders and editors (Schlicht & Field) went out ofbusiness only 2 years after the company's launch. Only afterE.D. Walker, an ex editor for Harper's Monthly purchased therights to Cosmopolitan magazine did the business really takeoff. He didn't settle for the old way of doing things, with aninnovative sense he introduced book reviews, serial fiction, andcolor illustrations to the magazine. Only 1 year later afterCosmopolitans booming popularity, E.D. Walker sold the companyto John Brisben Walker, who quickly employed some of thenation's top writers. He went on to open a free correspondenceschool, which he had to retract almost immediately after only 2weeks more then 20,000 people signed up.

Cosmopolitan magazine was later sold to William Randolph Hearstin 1905. He began to expand the magazine by employing topwriters, and investigative journalists. Some of the bestarticles written came from the recruiting sense of WilliamHearst, he employed Alfred Henry Lewis, David Graham Philips,Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis and George BernardShaw, all who went on to write some of the most famous articlesfor their time.

As decades past, the magazine changed from strictly articles toshort novels and stories, sales soared (1.7 Million copies incirculation) and over 5 million in advertising revenues in 1930.Cosmopolitan magazine proved to be an unbelievable success,after the Second World War magazine sales topped the 2 millionmark. Unfortunately demand for the magazines content decreasedin the 50s, circulation numbers crippled to just over a million,despite the reduced revenue cosmopolitan magazine subscriptionswere still a profitable venture, even today Cosmopolitan is oneof the most subscribed to magazines in the world.