Harpers Magazine - Regular Ed
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Literary, brainy, and left-leaning, Harper's Magazine is an American institution (the first issue was dated June 1850). Its clean, type-heavy design shouts "serious readers only": many pages are two columns of text, period, and the illustrations are mostly art (often photographic) and artistic adornments. The reading, though, is what matters. It's substantive and often sublime. Along with lengthy, thoughtful, frequently controversial articles on politics and culture, you'll find essays, short fiction, in-depth reporting, and a few book reviews. Bylines routinely represent leading writers and thinkers of the day. Standing features include the much-copied but rarely equaled "Harper's Index," in which statistics tell stories; "Readings," a section of excerpts ranging in length from a few lines to thousands of words; and "Annotation," in which a real-life document is reproduced and "explained," usually to devastating political or cultural effect. Each issue is a full meal for the mind. --Nicholas H. Allison ... Read more

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Great Educator
Interesting May 05 issue.When I saw the cover I sighed and with a somewhat sinking heart picked it up wondering who "now" had declared war on America.

Oh! why it's only the Christians now.This was a great issue.I had not read one in quite awhile and forgotten how funny and sad they could be.

The Harper's Index page is full of eyebrow lifting information.Readings was great.

The articles on the market economy and the religious right was a jaw dropper.I had to get up and look under the table to find where mine had fallen and rolled.Most everyone knows this information in some depth and degree but . . .these articles were different. Like some other books and articles I have read they are couched with the attitude of,"Wake up, please.Throw some water on your face, look around and Wake Up, hurry before it's too late".Once you get through the large amount of heartbreaking information contained(Please tell me that America did not `sell' cornmeal that we knew was going to starving people etc., etc., etc.) you are deposited at Karbola for an account of the Sunni versus Shia and then on to Katmandu and the monarchy and Maoists.The final article is on Tango dancers and somewhat of a relief.

After reading this you might want to go home and just pull the covers over your head.Don't.Waddle around to another section and fiind a magazine called "What is Enlightenment?"The April/May issue has a equally jaw dropping set of articles on the market economy.It's the perfect follow up to the Harper's.Harper's is a wake up call if you've slept late.WIE is the what can we roll up our sleeves and do about it.The people they interviewed are not Pollyannas.Several are quoted as saying that they really think there may be nothing left to do but totally dismantle the old system but they are willing to put that aside and focus on fixing instead of destroying and trying their hardest to make the new ideas work.

They have some incredible contributers to the articles and to the new system they are trying to impliment.Short articles from Dadi Janki and Joseph P. Milton are included.The article about Tex Gunning - President of Unilever Bestfoods Asia and his new direction for his company is wonderful.These are people who are trying to shift the whole attitude of companies.It's not the current spate of altrustic activity that is geared more toward upping sales with profit as the end result but a real shift to business conducted with the end result as a healthy, sustainable world.The end result would benefit humanity first, the business second and the shareholders third.Novel concept eh?They make you believe that it just may work.They are however very up front about the timeline and how many people have to be shifted - quickly - in order for it to work.

Read them both - it's worth the time and I think that they both have something very important to say.

A Superb, Thoughtful Monthly Magazine!
In the several years since my retirement, I have come to wait by my trusty old rusted metal mailbox around the third or fourth of every month, waiting for my monthly issue of two magazines, the Atlantic Monthly and Harpers. Each in iuts own way is likely the best amalgams of intellectual articles on a variety of subjects one can find in contemporary America, and each features a stable of highly regarded writers and authors. For good reason; from subjects as arcane as the supposed imminent fall of the Soviet union based on demographic and economic analysis in the mid-1980s to the recent synopsis of former spy Robert Baer regarding the evils of dealing with the highly corrupted Saudi regime, the magazine consistently offers an erudite, informative, and provocative look at aspects of contemporary reality one cannot find elsewhere.

Needless to say, I really enjoy reading Harpers, especially under the guidance of editor Lewis lapham, and its articles often lead me on Amazon searches for tomes by the talented authors, which in the case of said author Robert Baer, or perpetually sagacious satirist P.J. O'Rourke, or a whole raft of noteable others. All of them lead to some worthwhile reading experiences indeed. It avoids the trendy, so we are spared the suffering through the latest and greatest mass experiences in favor of intellectual roads less traveled, being grassy and rather wont of wear, makes for better and more satisfying traveling, whether trudging through the snow with my Wintertime Dunham Tyroleans or padding down grassy fields in my summertime Birkenstocks. Just keep on trucking! Enjoy!

Variable
During the 1980s and 90s Harpers decayed badly from a journal of literature and opinion into a collection of short pieces and meaningless charts- sort of a journal for the literary pretentious with a short attention span. During the late 90s and the early part of this century, an effort was made to recreate the old Harpers.

Gone now are the annoying fragments and pointless tables, but the quality of the writing is still variable. At its best, Harpers still trails far behind The Atlantic, and at its worst it's pitifully sophmoric. I'll try it again in a few more years. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7QO
Subjects:  1. Literature    2. General    3. Periodicals    4. Literary    5. News & Politics   

The New Yorker
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Founded in 1925, The New Yorker hardly changed for its first 60 years, both in its dry, type-heavy design and in its reputation as a writer's and reader's haven. In 1987 it was on only its second editor when management decided to shake things up. A rocky decade ensued, but The New Yorker is now back at the top of its game under David Remnick's editorship. Each issue offers commentaries and reporting on politics, culture, and events, with a focus that's both national and international; humor and cartoons; fiction and poetry; and reviews of books, movies, theater, music, art, and fashion. Several times a year special issues focus on a theme--music, fashion, business. The writing is mostly first-rate, frequently coming from top literary and journalistic talents. The New Yorker's weekly issues can seem overwhelming--so much good stuff to read, piling up so fast!--but it's as easy to dip in for a small snack as it is to wade in for a substantial meal. --Nicholas H. Allison ... Read more

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good magazine with sensible left of center views
New Yorker is one of the best magazines available in the US. It has a good mixture of articles on current events, culture, fiction, humor. And one shouln't forget those notorious cartoons. The lengths of the articles range from the very long to the very short, and should amply sustain one's weekly need for reading material.
Please be aware that all articles have a coat of liberal paint. But the New Yorker is probably the most sensible left of center media source in this country.

The Magazine to Impress Others that You'll Actually Like
I have been subscribing to the New Yorker for five years now, and it has been a very enlightening experience.The New Yorker does its part in covering big news stories, but it's not really a news magazine.The perspectives are unique (and admittedly lean to the left), and the kind you're not likely to get elsewhere.The authors use the first person because they tend to be part of the stories they're covering.Take Jon Lee Anderson, probably the most credible reporter covering the Middle East today.His "Letters From" various cities involve accounts of his meetings with locals and leaders.

Other segments are more like NPR stories--unique perspectives on largely uncovered topics that aren't time-sensitive.You'll get in-depth looks into developments in medicine, law, architecture, etc., that otherwise wouldn't get on your radar unless you were in that profession.And, the writers incorporate the "larger questions" in stories focused on recent events.Like Malcolm Gladwell's recent account of a playwright who plagiarized material from a former article written by him.He parlayed his personal struggle into a good summary of legal and ethical positions on the use or development of one person's idea by another.

I have grown to look forward to reading the Fiction selection each week.Sometimes I don't like the piece, but I enjoy getting the chance to read writers that I normally wouldn't and those that I normally would.

Additionally, the magazine has added more dedicated issues--most recently the "Food" issue, in addition to standbys like the "Style" and "Fiction" issues.I loved the "Food" issue, especially one writer's account of the search for truly authentic pasta that involved a work night in Mario Batali's kitchen and a trip to Italy.

I enjoy the balance of hard news, balanced interest stories, and arts that the New Yorker provides.I began my subscription to get a different perspective than what I got from local Southern news, and I keep it for the same reasons and many more.

This magazine is extremely left wing
I am a physician and purchased this to have a few magazines in my waiting room.I will not renew my subscription because this magazine has become so left wing.The covers and articles are too contriversial and one sided.I will continue with Smithsonian, Scientific American and People as my waiting room magazines.I was a bit surprised by how extremely left wing this magazine has become. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7T5
Subjects:  1. Literary    2. News & Politics    3. Regional   

New York Review Of Books
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If all book reviews aspire to the condition of magazines, the New York Review would represent the best realization of this aspiration to date. It retains the character of a book review, published 20 times a year. But since its inception over 30 years ago, the reviews have been long, dense (recent years have brought the practice of footnotes), and learned. Significant fiction is pondered, along with bits of poetry, slices of science, and gobs of political science, history, economics, biography, art, and music. The reader of the New York Review easily feels relieved of the cultural burden of having to read a book once having completed the sufficient burden of having read a thorough review of it. Although the impeccably left-leaning editors would be loathe to agree, only major figures or discourses in the European intellectual tradition need apply to their pages for consideration. Hence, for example, although occasional "pieces" on certain worthy movies now appear, popular culture is not a serious concern. Lately, the Review has given over more of its pages (from 60 to 80 each issue) to journalistic reports--the latest political currents in China or Russia, the state of affairs in Kurdistan or at Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay. Its core identity remains, however, that of a magazine unequaled for addressing intellectual "issues"--Darwin under attack again, pedophilia continuing in the Church, whither globalization--through reviewing them as these issues appear in book form. --Terry Caesar ... Read more

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Among the very best...
NYRB and the Atlantic Monthly are among my favorite subscriptions; In terms of sheer intellectual depth and range, it is very tough to beat the NYRB.While I do not read the NYRB cover to cover, I end up spending at least 5 hrs on each issue.

The main strength of this magazine is the fact that a typical article is written by an expert with deep knowledge of the subject (some times opinionated; but always intelligent and engaging).While the article typically draws on more than a single book, I like the fact that the article is typically written as a commentary around a theme and is more than a summary of the books under review.

Highly Readable
THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS is published 20 times a year, biweekly except in January, July, August and September. It is a respected publication which is devoted mostly to reviews of current books and an occasional movie. It also contains articles of social or political interest. The Letters section is usually brief with little waste.

Contributors to a recent edition included Mark Danner, Sister Helen Prejean and Daniel Mendelsohn. Reviews covered such diverse items as a collection of short stories by Graham Greene and two books about the actress Anna May Wong in addition to ALEXANDER, a film directed by Oliver Stone.

THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS consistently offers provocative writing in a highly readable style. It definitely deserves its reputation for excellence.

Read NYRB and be the best-informed it is possible to be
NYRB features long, in-depth articles about recent books and events.The "reviews" frequently take the book under discussion as a starting point for a wide-ranging essay which then becomes a work in its own right.Indeed, I've seen articles in NYRB referred to in academic papers.Don't fear that NYRB will bore you, however.I've often found a NYRB article to be a great introduction to an area of thought or literature previously unknown to me.

The only negative is a rather tedious Michael-Mooreish political stance.I have no objection to seeing Bush bashed, but wish that NYRB could do so in a more creative and less repetitive manner. Maybe once in a while we could hear from someone who actually likes the man?

Nevertheless I find NYRB an indispensable periodical.I find it a great complement to The Economist, which features a more pro-business and pro-free trade economic stance and wider, but less deep, coverage of the world. ... Read more

Asin: B00007G2SO
Subjects:  1. Literature    2. General    3. Periodicals    4. Literary   

Onion - National Ed
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One Of The Best Things Out There!!!
the onion is really great. i've never read an issue that didn't crack me up. it's the news with a comical twist. i could always pick up a free copy in nyc but i just subscribe to it because it's totally worth it.

Funny and More
The Onion is famous for its current-events and popular culture satires, which are consistently spot-on.The brash sense of humor and subtle insights into the personalities and issues being addressed makes this magazine worth its admittedly hefty subscription rate.The magazine contains more material than the website, so you definitely want to get your hot little hands on the paper edition.

But the humor isn't even the largest part of the magazine, just the front.The Onion A.V. Club takes up most of each issue, with in-depth articles on current movies, music, books, personalities, and more.It has a distinctly New York-oriented bent, as given away by things like concert listings for NYC, but most of it is applicable to the avant-garde and the hip-n-happening nationwide.

This magazine is an emblem of its age.Get it, read it, study it, and inject it directly into your bloodstream.Then you'll never wonder what's REALLY going on in the world around you again.

The Best Journalistic Satire Ever Put To Paper
When the satire in MAD Magazine™ ain't quite doin' the trick, I turn to The Onion™'s unbelievably hilarious write-ups that take shots at just about everything & everybody you can imagine. From the complex intricacies of geek culture (Nate Orenstam's Op-Ed "Who Says Java Programmers Don't Have A Sense of Humor?"), "local" stories ("Church Group Offers Homosexual New Life In Closet"), and world events ("India's Top Physicists Develop Plan To Get The Hell Out of India"), no one is safe from the satirical wrath and wit of this weekly publication! Offtimes, just the titles of the articles alone (like "Adam Sandler Fans Disappointed By Intelligent, Nuanced Performance") send me into fits of barely-controllable laughter (My personal fave: "Special Olympics Tee-Ball Stand Pitches Perfect Game")! And funnier still is the fact that some folks and governmental agencies from around the world have read some of these fine little bits of journalistic parody and mistook them for actual news pieces!

If you wish to see a preview of what you can expect from "America's Finest News Source"™, check out the online edition at TheOnion.com. But just so you know, the web site features only part of the content that's available in the corresponding print edition. If you wanna get it all, you're gonna hafta subscribe...

Fair warning: the content of most Onion articles tend to be of an adult nature in content and language. Strongly recommended for mature readers only!

`Late ... Read more

Asin: B00006KREC
Sales Rank: 660
Subjects:  1. Periodicals    2. Entertainment   

Gourmet
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Disapointing at best.
If finally decided to try out this magazine. What a disappointment. This magazine is like 90% ads. And for so many pages you would expect more pictures of the recipes. Some recipes don't even have a picture or will have a tiny one in the corner. Yes many of the recipes are great and you learn a lot about traveling (like if this were a traveling mag.), but you will be better off buying their books. Skip this one, it's not worth it.

Magazine needs help
I agree this magazine has gotten worse through the years.
Also too many ads.

Bring back the old Gourmet
Gourmet used to be one of my favorite magazines, and for many years I either subscribed or bought it at the newstand.It had great recipes, a lot of information on ingredients and cuisines, and beautifully illustrated travel articles that gave me a real feel for the places.Gourmet may have been a little stodgy and old school (Bon Appetite, which I also subscribed to, was always trendier), but there was no higher quality food magazine.

All that changed a few years ago when the editorial staff was replaced.The look of the magazine is now totally different, as is much of the content.The increased number of ads makes it hard to find the articles and recipes.The tone of the editorial content is shriller and more hype-driven.The magaizne is seems more oriented toward Foodies out to stalk the current In chef than to home cooks who want to serve high quality food.Between the content and the layout, the magazine seems to be on overdrive.What I want in a cooking magazine (or for that matter a magazine of good living) is something that doesn't scream trendy at me.Unfortunately, that no longer describes Gourmet. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7QH
Sales Rank: 103
Subjects:  1. Food & Gourmet    2. Cooking   

ARTnews
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And then there is ARTNews
ARTnews takes its hits from readers: paper is not high quality, the inks smear after a couple of readings, there is a lot of `outsider art' in the ads and a lot of competitions, schools, prizes etc most of which seem to stress entrance fees over artistic interest, and the reporting seems weighted to out of focus art shows.But there must be some reason it is still around, despite the competition.ARTnews is a quick read, lots of things happemn between its coevers, and it seems to be of more interest to working artsts than to the big gun collectors and museums.That is fine: the art world is bizarre enough in its diffuse goals (when there are some evident!), and this journal seems to satisfy the casual magazine collector.The writing by contributing editors is definitely improving and some of the critiques are very eloquent.A good bargain art periodical

keeping up with the trends
As an artist, I need to be "in the know" a bit, and ARTnews is one of the 3 magazines I subscribe to for this purpose.
I use it primarily for: # 1, the ads, which are mostly gallery ads, and let me know what is showing, and where. # 2, the exhibit reviews (N.Y., National, International), for the same reason as # 1, and the classifieds, which sometimes give a competition notice not available elsewhere.

Regular departments include: "ARTtalk", which is the lighter side of the news, and "National/International News", which has more of a business slant, obituaries, etc.

Each issue has a "theme". The November 2001 for instance, has fashion design, with 3 articles on art/fashion, and one on Mary McFadden's sculpture collection. It also has "The New Climate", about art after 9/11, from a response by several artists to the loss of a 100 million $ in art.
Also included is a large section on new art books, and the obligatory "avante garde" piece. There are too many "shock art" articles in this magazine for my taste, therefore 4 instead of 5 stars, but I guess some people still consider this a "trend".

Good quality paper, excellent color reproduction, and the wide range of art represented make this a useful magazine for both artist and collector. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7OP
Sales Rank: 529
Subjects:  1. Art (Arts)    2. Fine Arts   

Grays Sporting Journal
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Gray's Sporting Journal is one of the hidden gems of sporting and wildlife magazines. Consider the publication values: photographic essays (on drift boating, for example, or trap shooting in Europe) are part of every issue and are always very well done; the pages are glossy, thick and substantial; there's art (usually a painting) in the back of each issue; you'll often find a poem tucked away in its 150-plus pages; and there are fewer advertisements here than you'll see in a Field & Stream. But what makes it most difficult to send an issue to the recycling bin is the writing, which is of a depth, breadth, and quality that you will be hard-pressed to find in any other outdoor magazine. The source of this writing helps to account for its value--specifically, it comes from all corners, including university professors who find meaning in the outdoors and their interaction with it, and people who were obviously hunting and fishing long before many people were born. But no matter whether the story you're reading seems to emanate from a campfire or a classroom, the writing itself is almost always engaging. Some will find that the combination of high art and the advertisements for exclusive game ranches makes the publication feel too much like you're sipping cognac in a leather chair in your library. The writing, however, is never so stuffy, and stays firmly rooted to the outdoors that inspire it. ... Read more

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Interesting reading for hunters & Fishermen
This magazine is a pleasant change from "Field & Stream" and "Outdoor life" The articles are well written and harken back to a day and age when one had time to sit by the fire and read a good story.5 stars for writing quality. It's expensive per issue but you'll get your money's worth out of the reading time. Ad's but far fewer than those other pulp journals. ... Read more

Asin: B00005Q7E3
Subjects:  1. Sports & Outdoors    2. General    3. Recreation. Leisure    4. Sport & Leisure   

York News-Times (York County, Nebraska)
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Warning!This is NOT the New York Times!
I'm sure most of you reading this already know this is the local paper in York county, Nebraska.But in case you may be mixed up (like me), this isn't a bargain subscription for perhaps the best national paper in the U.S.A; rather, this is a rather steep price for a decent but rather narrowly focused local paper from our Heartland!

Great National Paper
Probably one of the finest national papers I've read. It goes in depth with all the national news so you learn a lot more than what you get from state papers. Also what makes the new york times one of the best papers is that it has a higher reading level so its able to achieve more in a literary sense. For example the OP-ED pages expands the mind while expanding your vocabulary ... Read more

Asin: B00006L2U6
Sales Rank: 3976
Subjects:  1. Newspapers