 It is one of the oldest continuously published literary periodicals in the United States, along with such other publications launched in the early twentieth century as "South Atlantic Quarterly" (1902), "Poetry (magazine)" (1912), and "The New Yorker" (1925).At its origins, the publication was democratic in its selection criteria regarding books to review, even excessively so, and for the first years every kind of publication—from entomological studies and naval histories to grammar books and reissued classics—was reviewed in its pages.Soon a clearer, more sophisticated focus on literary works per se was formulated, as the editors opened the frontiers of their publication to a broader geographical and cultural scope, expanding the parameters of the journal significantly to include reviews and articles addressing the work of non-European writers.