The First Appearance of

a Modernist Literary Masterpiece

The Little Review began in Chicago in March 1914 under the editorship of Margaret Anderson which after a brief sojourn to San Francisco, settled in

Greenwich Village, New York City in 1917 for the duration of its run, the last issue being published in 1929. It soon became the most influential literary

journal of the era.

Anderson was inspired by magazines created by other strong female literary figures of the era, most notably Emma Goldman’s Mother Earth.

In 1916 Anderson met and fell in love with the indomitable Jane Heap (left) whom she asked to co-edit the journal.

In 1915, Anderson and Heap, through the assistance of European editor Ezra

Pound, learned of a new work in progress by James Joyce entitled

“Ulysses”. When Anderson first read the chapter entitled "Proteus," she

exclaimed "This is the most beautiful thing we'll ever have. We'll print it if it's

the last effort of our lives." In the Autumn of 1917, Joyce began

submitting typescripts for publication in The Little Review and the first

episode, "Telemachus," appeared in the March 1918 issue.

The announcement printed in the previous issue was prophetic:

Owing to the tenuous financial status of the editors, the paper quality of the surviving issues is quite poor, essentially of pulp

quality. Surviving issues are quite scarce and extremely fragile. Complete sets are

uncommon.The best reference on Joyce in magazines is

A Bibliography of James JoyceBy John J. Slocum and Herbert Cahoon

Greenwood Press, 1971

The following is a roster of appearances and cover images:

April 1918Episode 2

May 1918Episode 3

June 1918Episode 4

September 1918Episode 6

October 1918 Episode 7

January 1919Episode 8 (part 1)Seized and burned by

Post Office

February/March 1919Episode 8 (part 2)

April 1919Episode 9 (part 1)

May 1919Episode 10 (part 2)

Seized and burned by Post Office

June 1919Episode 10 (part 1)

July 1919Episode 10 (part 2)

August 1919Episode 11(part 1)

September 1919Episode 11 (part 2)

November 1919Episode 12 (part 1)

December 1919Episode 12 (part 2)

January 1920Episode 12 (part 3)

Seized and burned by Post Office

March 1920Episode 12 (part4)

April 1920Episode 13 (part 1)

Episode 13 (part 2) Episode 13 (part 3) Episode 14 (part 1)

The September 1918 issue contains an interesting

testimony to freedom of the press from the new publisher

Through the efforts of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, Anderson and Heap were tried and convicted for profanity and fined a nominal but symbolic sum of $100. Anderson’s article in this issue described her reaction (see next two pages)