Beginning in the 1820's, the emergence of periodicals took off in society, the "age of the magazine". The publishing of periodicals required much attention and energy from the publishers and book sellers of this trade. The night before the publishing of the monthly enstallments, or "Magazine Day" as it was called, was full of hard work and determination to get the magazines on the stands. In fact, it was almost a competition among the trade as to who could publish and reach their readers the fastest. Magazine day was regarded with much anticipation, for readers wanted to know about their beloved characters. During these years of heightened excitement for periodicals and magazines, authors such as Dickens and Thackeray thrived. Unity was abundant throughout England, for everyone was reading the same thing and at the same time. However, by the 1870s this trade had slowly died away. At this point, literature was more abundant and could be found everywhere- in weekly, or even daily installments. Novels were being published in one sitting, and they were inexpensive to purchase.