The British periodical press developed slowly and faltered under early official controls, but flourished when political conflict created opportunities for journalists and publishers. The output of the news press grew and stabilized during the years of active warfare. By 1645 the news press included only half the number of titles of 1642 but double the number of issues published. The periodical press had reached a remarkable state of development by 1649, eight years after the first domestic newsbook appeared. Fifty-four different periodicals were published in that year, with a mix of short-running and long-running, bland and controversial, licensed and clandestine series, and a surprising diversity of subject matter. If the periodical press of 1695 displayed more discretion than valour, it had produced the essential elements that eighteenth-century publishers and journalists would wield more courageously. The business of news, information and entertainment was firmly established.