Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
A quiet encyclopedia with a personal desk
Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Everyday Life • Publishing

Backpages

"Backpages" is not a single standard encyclopedia topic title in the provided results.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Backpages is an ambiguous term with several distinct meanings. It can refer to the back section of a publication, a classified advertising website, or various cultural titles.

What it is

In publishing, 'back pages' often refers to the rear section of a newspaper or magazine. In British English, it commonly denotes the sports pages, and Canadian publications use the term similarly. The term can also be used as a plural form of 'backpage'.

Key details

Backpage.com was a classified advertising website founded in 2004 as a Craigslist rival. It was seized by federal authorities in 2018. Rock's Backpages is an online archive of music journalism, founded in 2000 by Barney Hoskyns.

Cultural references

Bob Dylan's 1964 song 'My Back Pages' has been covered by many artists. The phrase also appears in album titles, such as America's 2011 album 'Back Pages'. These uses are separate from the publishing term.

In short

  • Backpages can mean the back section of a newspaper, especially sports in British English.
  • Backpage.com was a classified ad website shut down in 2018.
  • Rock's Backpages is a music journalism archive.
  • My Back Pages is a Bob Dylan song from 1964.
Canadian angle

Canadian newspapers and magazines also use back pages to refer to the final section of a publication, and Canadian readers may encounter the term in media, music, and web archives.

Quick questions

What does 'backpages' mean in publishing?
It refers to the back pages of a newspaper or magazine, often the final section.
What was Backpage?
Backpage was a classified advertising website founded in 2004 and shut down after federal seizure in 2018.
What is 'My Back Pages'?
It is a Bob Dylan song from 1964, later used as a title for other works.

Sources

  1. Cambridge Dictionary — https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/back-pages
    Supports: Definition of back pages as the back part of a newspaper, often for sport news.
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpage
    Supports: Background on Backpage.com, its founding, business model, and shutdown.
  3. DBpedia — https://dbpedia.org/page/Backpage
    Supports: Summary of Backpage.com as a classified advertising website and its relationship to Craigslist.
  4. Wiktionary — https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/backpages
    Supports: Backpages as the plural of backpage.
  5. OneLook — https://www.onelook.com/?loc=olthes1&w=backpage
    Supports: Backpage as an alternative form referring to the final page of a publication.
  6. Weblio — https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/backpage
    Supports: Back page as the final page of a publication.
  7. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock's_Backpages
    Supports: Description of Rock's Backpages as an online archive of music journalism.
  8. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Back_Pages
    Supports: Bob Dylan's song "My Back Pages" and later performances/recordings.