The Overland Monthly was established in San Francisco in 1868. Its first editor was Bret Harte (1868-70) who established it as one of America's leading literary journals. Its format was based on the the Atlantic Magazine and within six months had a circulation of 3,000 and by 1870 reached 10,000.

Ambroise Bierce, Edwin Markham, Mark Twain and Jack London all had their early work published in the journal. Circulation of the magazine reached 75,000 in 1912 but the publishers found it difficult to make a profit out of the magazine. The Overland Monthly ceased publication in 1930.