The Vegetarian Messenger

The Vegetarian Messenger. London: Fred Pitman, 1849-1897.

In his article about The Vegetarian Messenger, Liam Young describes the intersectional mission of the journal: “A 1-pence monthly, the Vegetarian Messenger’s aim was to disseminate vegetarian principles and practices among religious societies, philanthropic groups, temperance advocates, and other reform-minded audiences” (The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Victorian Women's Writing. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-02721-6_436-1#Bib1). The magazine published a range of articles, from poetry to reports of publications, meetings, and lectures, to dietary advice and recipes. Notable editors included Henry S. Clubb; the Secretary of the Vegetarian Society, R. Bailey Walker; Reverend James Clark, one of the founders of the Philadelphia Bible Christian Church; and Beatrice Lindsay, the first woman to edit the magazine.

The Vegetarian Society published The Vegetarian Messenger (1849–1860), which became The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger (1861–1897), The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review (1898–1952), The Vegetarian (1953–1958), and finally The British Vegetarian (1959–1971). The current membership magazine is entitled The Pod. While the journal served the Manchester and London Vegetarian Societies, its influence was international.

Last updated on April 26th, 2024

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