In the decades between the 187s and 192s, literary periodicals (s?hitya patrik?), much like the newspapers and the books, became po­pul­ar among the middle-class Bengali homes – both as an affordable recreation for leisure hours, and as a major vehicle for the circulation of ideas?in?the?public domain. Periodicals, Readers and the Making of a Modern Literary Culture: Bengal at the Turn of the Twentieth Century begins by looking at the logistics of the production and circulation of periodicals that were oriented towards a widening readership market. Given their easily understood nature, their capacity for sustaining debates and adapt­ability by readers with diverse reading competencies, periodicals be­came the preferred means for dispensing modern education and enjoy­ment through the vernacular. The proliferation of periodicals, therefore, came to be perceived as a mark of a new national life (j?t??a j?ban) coming?into?existence. The book moves on to look at some of the defining debates that shaped readers’ perspectives on critical social issues and explains how these?were?tied?up?with?larger?concerns?over?ethical?social?life. Finally, it looks at the Bengali-Muslim and women’s periodicals and their readerships, and argues that the presence of multiple literary voices makes it impossible to speak of Bengali literary culture in any singular?term. About the Author Samarpita Mitra teaches at the Department of History at Jadavpur University,?Kolkata. \n