It has been described as the successor to the avant-garde New Review, which had been established in 1889 by W. E. Henley and published works by writers such as Joseph Conrad, Henry James and H. G. Wells before closing in December 1897 due to low circulation figures.
Its name The Outlook; its price three pence sterling, its attitude — literary; its policy — Imperialism, tempered by expediency; its mission — to make money for a Jew; its editor Percy Hurd (never heard of him) ...[3] There were contemporary claims that it was financed by Cecil Rhodes, with whom Wyndham had a close relationship, and Scott Cohen notes that "balanced and thoughtful" contributions from people such as Rudyard Kipling and Max Beerbohm were secondary to "providing news and commentary on imperial affairs.
More often than not, the Outlook reported on imperial politics and policy in a tone of shrill jingoism that differed markedly from the sober reflection which had characterized its predecessor.
[4] By now supporting the Tariff Reform League of Joseph Chamberlain, Outlook was bought by Charles Sydney Goldman, who had made a fortune from his involvement in mining in Transvaal.
[11] Although he detested the work, the poet and socialist Basil Bunting wrote reviews and articles for the magazine from February 1927 and, although inexperienced, was appointed its music critic in October of that year.