Notes and Queries was first published in 1849 as a weekly
periodical edited by
W. J. Thoms. Many of the entries in the journal for its first seventy years were only a few paragraphs long, and occasionally as short as a sentence or two. Very frequent contributors include the Rev.
Walter W. Skeat, one of the most important figures in the field of English
etymology, and
Eliza Gutch, a founding member of
The Folklore Society. The foundation of such a society was suggested by Gutch through a query to the publication. Gutch contributed to the publication for over seventy years, using the pseudonym "St Swithin". Today the magazine is produced as an
academic journal. The articles are typically much longer than they were during the journal's early years, though they are still shorter than those of the typical academic journal. In addition, the "Notes" now far outweigh the "Queries", and book reviews have also been introduced. The focus is now almost entirely on literature. ==19th- and 20th-century editors==