The name of the magazine Der Eigene' refers to the work Der Einzige und sein Eigentum by Max Stirners. The first editions were published quarterly, and later came out monthly. Early editions contained the philosophy of Stirners, as well as on the topic of anarchism, but not in later years. Issues also contained lyric poetry, prose and nude photography. Authors include Benedict Friedlaender, Klaus Mann and Thomas Mann, Theodor Lessing, Erich Mühsam and Ernst Burchard.
The publisher of Der Eigene had to fight against German censorship. For example, in 1903 a published poem Die Freundschaft was the reason for a lawsuit against magazine. The magazine won because the poem was written by Friedrich Schiller.
In 1933, when Adolf Hitler rose to power, the rooms of Adolf Brand were searched and all the materials needed to produce the magazine were seized.