Leviathan, a San Francisco-based monthly political journal, began publication in March 1969, and was distributed by V.R. Leviathan Publications. Impetus for the magazine's creation came from the Movement for a Democratic Society, a radical organization active during the late 1960's and early 1970's. Members of the Movement included Diane DiPrima, Todd Gitlin, Marge Piercy, Benjamin Spock, and Howard Zinn. The journal's purpose was to review political issues of concern to the Movement. Initially, the editors saw their task as one “of analyzing the anatomy of the U.S. imperialist whale and describing the various ways in which the movement was trying to rip that whale apart” (Leviathan, October/November 1969). Their perception of the power with which they had to contend gave the magazine its name.
In addition to an editorial office in San Francisco, Leviathan had editorial offices in New York and Boston and circulation offices in major cities throughout the United States. At first, issues were published alternately in New York and San Francisco. Approximately 50 pages in length, the magazine's format included articles, poetry, and political cartoons. Articles covered a wide variety of subjects, including international political movements, class conflict, racial struggles, anti-Vietnam War protest, and student movements. The magazine attracted such poets as Sylvia Plath, Bertolt Brecht, and Diane DiPrima.
In May 1969, Leviathan encountered financial problems and was forced to skip its May issue. The Boston office closed, and the number of issues was reduced to ten monthly issues and a double summer issue. Beginning with the July/August 1969 issue, the main administrative office moved to San Francisco, although publication continued to alternate between San Francisco and New York. The October/November 1969 issue marked a change in Leviathan's philosophy, as factionalism within the Movement dictated the changes in editorial policy. Calling themselves a “magazine in transition,” the editors determined that the journal must take a clear stand on issues. In 1970, publication was reduced to nine issues yearly, and the number of issues annually declined until publication ceased in 1971. In June 1970, the New York office closed.
Peter Wiley and Robert Gabriner were members of the San Francisco editorial board. Wiley, an investigative journalist, graduated from Williams College and did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to his work on Leviathan, Wiley co-authored Empires in the Sun (1982), on the political and economic landscape of the Western sunbelt. He also worked with the Committee on Miners.
In 1974, a new political journal was formed, merging Leviathan and Kinnikinnik. The new journal continued under the name Leviathan, although it was smaller and less radical than the original. Neither Wiley nor Gabriner were involved with the new Leviathan. It was published by Cutler Publications in Colorado Springs and continued until 1979.
