The Magnet

The Magnet was a British weekly boys' story paper published by Amalgamated Press from 1908 until 1940. Its defining feature was a continuing series of stories set at Greyfriars School, a fictional English public school located in Kent. The school stories were published under the house pseudonym Frank Richards and were written predominantly by Charles Hamilton, whose work created the paper's enduring cast, narrative settings, recurring conflicts, and distinctive comic tone. The best-known character was Billy Bunter of the Remove, a perpetually hungry, debt-ridden, boastful and accident-prone schoolboy whose popularity eventually eclipsed that of many of the other Greyfriars characters. The paper was created by editor Percy Griffiths, building on the commercial success of Amalgamated Press's earlier boys' publication The Gem. It was aimed principally at working-class boys, including readers who were unlikely to attend the sort of fee-paying public school represented by Greyfriars. The stories offered an imaginative version of school life filled with rivalries, pranks, sporting contests, social distinctions, mysteries, escapes and adventures. Most issues also carried a shorter serial, often in the detective, scouting or adventure genres, and many included the Greyfriars Herald, a fictional newspaper supposedly produced by the schoolboys. These supplementary features broadened the paper beyond its central school serial. The Magnet passed through several visually identifiable cover periods. Red covers characterized its first years, from 1908 to 1915. Wartime shortages made red dye difficult to obtain, leading to the blue-and-white period from 1915 to 1922. Blue-and-orange covers were then used from 1922 to 1937, followed by salmon-pink covers during the final four years. The paper's weekly circulation exceeded 200,000 during its strongest period. It later declined, reaching approximately 120,000 around 1930 and about 41,660 in 1940. Competition from newer and more vigorous boys' papers, including DC Thomson titles such as The Hotspur, contributed to the loss of readers. Paper shortages during the Second World War added further pressure. The middle and late 1920s and early 1930s are often regarded by enthusiasts and scholars as the paper's creative high point. During this period Hamilton increasingly treated The Magnet as his primary outlet, and linked multi-issue narratives became more prominent. Major story cycles included the Courtfield Cracksman, Methuselah, Lancaster and Brander rebellion series, as well as extended journeys through locations such as India, China, the South Seas, Egypt and East Africa. From July 1931 onward, Hamilton wrote every Greyfriars story published in the paper, although earlier issues had sometimes relied on substitute writers when he could not provide copy. The Magnet ended in 1940 after 1,683 issues. Its final issue began a new story cycle, while several completed or partly completed issues apparently remained unpublished. The characters survived through the comic Knockout, which was retitled Knockout Comic and The Magnet, and through later books, television adaptations and reprint editions. Greyfriars material continued to be issued in book form for decades, helping preserve The Magnet as an important example of British boys' periodical fiction and as the original major home of Billy Bunter.

The Magnet emerged in 1908 during the expansion of British popular boys' periodicals. Amalgamated Press developed it from the successful model of The Gem, but gave the new paper a different central setting: Greyfriars School, an invented public school in Kent. Percy Griffiths, an Amalgamated Press editor, was responsible for creating the paper. The format quickly established a recognizable combination of a principal school story, supporting adventure or mystery fiction, illustrations and occasional in-world editorial material such as the Greyfriars Herald. The paper's stories were issued under the name Frank Richards. Charles Hamilton supplied the great majority of the Greyfriars fiction, although editorial and production circumstances occasionally required substitute writers. The early years created nearly all of the characters who remained in the series, including Billy Bunter, whose comic appetite, financial opportunism and repeated failures became the most recognizable feature of the title. The paper was written for boys, particularly working-class readers, and presented public-school life as a setting for humor, conflict, aspiration and adventure rather than as an institution most readers would personally experience. The first period, retrospectively called the Red Magnet era, lasted from 1908 to 1915. The paper achieved a substantial readership, with its weekly press run eventually exceeding 200,000. The First World War affected production as well as editorial staffing. From 1915 to 1922 the covers were blue and white because red dye was difficult to obtain, and wartime paper restrictions reduced the length of issues. During this period other writers contributed a relatively large share of the stories. Editor J. N. Pentelow was particularly significant among the substitutes, and his contributions included material that departed from the usual treatment of established characters. The Blue and Orange era began in 1922. Hamilton's relationship with the paper strengthened, and his contribution became increasingly dominant. By the later 1920s only a small number of stories were being supplied by others. The paper also moved toward linked serials spanning consecutive issues, allowing more elaborate plots and longer developments than isolated weekly episodes. Notable cycles included the Courtfield Cracksman, Methuselah, Lancaster and Brander rebellion stories, together with travel adventures set in distant regions. These narratives became central to the paper's reputation, and the late 1920s and early 1930s are frequently described as a creative golden period. The title's commercial position weakened in the 1930s. Its circulation had fallen to around 120,000 by 1930, while newer competitors sought readers with faster, more modern or more aggressive treatments of school adventure. The launch of The Hotspur in 1933 and the appearance of the rival Red Circle school setting intensified this competition. Even as circulation declined, Hamilton's control over the Greyfriars material increased. After issue 1,220, published in July 1931, no further substitute Greyfriars story appeared; Hamilton wrote all such stories through the end of the paper. In 1937 the covers changed again, this time to salmon pink. The paper continued to use long serials, although some later plots repeated structures or ideas from earlier years. By 1940 circulation had fallen to approximately 41,660. Wartime paper shortages compounded the commercial decline, and The Magnet ceased publication after 1,683 issues. The last issue opened a new series, and at least four additional issues were reportedly already prepared but never published. Closure did not end the Greyfriars property. The characters moved into Knockout, which became Knockout Comic and The Magnet, while Hamilton continued to write new Bunter and Greyfriars books after the weekly paper ended. The material was later adapted for BBC television and repeatedly reprinted. Howard Baker's hardback editions and Greyfriars Book Club volumes, issued from the late 1960s into the 1990s, made much of the original run available to collectors and helped maintain the title's place in the history of British popular fiction.

• 1940

  Final issue

  [1]The Magneten.wikipedia.org

  The Magnet ends after 1,683 issues amid declining circulation and paper shortages.

• 1937

  Salmon-pink cover period begins

  [1]The Magneten.wikipedia.org

  The title changes to salmon-pink covers for its final years.

• 1931

  Hamilton becomes the sole Greyfriars story writer

  [1]The Magneten.wikipedia.org

  After issue 1,220, substitute Greyfriars stories cease and Charles Hamilton writes the series through the paper's end.

• 1922

  Blue-and-orange era begins

  [1]The Magneten.wikipedia.org

  The paper adopts blue-and-orange covers as Hamilton's role becomes increasingly dominant.

• 1915

  Blue-and-white cover period begins

  [1]The Magneten.wikipedia.org

  Wartime dye shortages lead to the first major cover-color change.

• 1908

  Publication begins

  [1]The Magneten.wikipedia.org

  Amalgamated Press launches The Magnet as a weekly boys' story paper centered on Greyfriars School.

An accessible, character-led British boys' weekly combining recurring public-school fiction, humor, adventure and illustrated serial storytelling for a mass working-class readership.

• Serialized school fiction · 1908

  Greyfriars School stories

  The principal feature of each issue was a long story about pupils, masters and visitors at the fictional Greyfriars School. The stories combined school comedy, rivalries, mysteries, sporting incidents, social conflicts and extended adventure plots. They were published under the pen name Frank Richards and were written overwhelmingly by Charles Hamilton.

• Comic school fiction · 1908

  Billy Bunter stories

  Billy Bunter, a member of the Remove, became the paper's most famous character. His greed, comic deception, habitual borrowing and repeated misfortunes supplied a durable source of humor while also providing a point of continuity across many different story cycles.

• Supporting periodical content · 1908

  Supplementary serials and Greyfriars Herald

  Most issues also contained a shorter serial, with subjects ranging from detection and scouting to general adventure. Many issues included the Greyfriars Herald, an in-world newspaper supposedly made by the boys. These sections were not generally written by Hamilton and gave the weekly a broader magazine-like format.

• 1940

  Publication closureOther

  Background

  Circulation had fallen substantially from its peak, while competition and wartime paper shortages weakened the title's viability.

  Action taken

  Amalgamated Press ended The Magnet after 1,683 issues.

  Aftermath

  Greyfriars characters continued in Knockout, books, television and later reprint editions.

  Source

• 1915

  Change from red to blue-and-white coversOther

  Background

  The First World War disrupted supplies, including the availability of red dye used for the original covers.

  Action taken

  The publication adopted blue-and-white covers and reduced issue length as paper became scarcer.

  Aftermath

  The change created a recognizable second visual period without ending publication.

  Source

1. 1The Magneten.wikipedia.org