What magazines are worth subscribing to?

[salvorhardin]

In this thread, DUer Lil Missy asked if Newsweek was worth subscribing to. The almost universal consensus was, "No!!"

The Nation and Mother Jones were bandied about as better alternatives by several people, including me even though I'm not as keen on The Nation under Katrina vanden Heuvel as I was when Victor Navasky headed the magazine. Please note, I'm not saying The Nation sucks, only that it's had better editors.

So what magazines do you think are really worth subscribing to today?

For my own part, I'll recommend Lapham's Quarterly and n plus 1 magazine. Both are smart, literate, and liberal (as in liberal arts), although too pricey for my pocketbook. Thankfully, like the New Yorker, a lot of their best content appears for free online, but, if I could subscribe, I would.

[virgogal]

1. None. I get all I need on the net and I'm damned old. The newspaper will go next.

[Fawke Em]

58. I was a former newspaper reporter.

That said, newsprint, as such, shouldn't die because we need to charge advertising to pay for good reporters.

I had to leave the profession because of the pay - I couldn't raise a son on $20,000 a year - and the stuff you get online is going to suffer because online ad pay is half as expensive.

Not questioning why you opt for convenience, but we have to find a way to pay good people to report.

[northoftheborder]

3. Texas Observer is great. Also The Nation, and Mother Jones.

Others are good, such as New Yorker, Yes Magazine, (can get online), but I can't take all of them. I get too many mags. as it is, although I've cut way down. Two gardening, Herb Quarterly, and Fine Gardening.

[Warpy]

4. Harper's and The Economist come to mind

The only other ones I bother with are fiber trades.

[jberryhill]

5. High Times

[demmiblue]

6. If I were to subscribe to anything, it would be to Mother Jones.

The coverage on Wisconsin was epic!

[FarPoint]

7. The Nation, Food Network

First and Soap Opera Digest.

[elfin]

8. New Yorker and Vanity Fair

Yes, some pop culture, but also in depth progressive coverage of important issues.

[Warren Stupidity]

24. The new Yorker digital edition on the iPad is crack cocaine.

They've figured out how to do magazines right for this century.

[elehhhhna]

45. and Architectural Digest

that covers it imo

[grasswire]

9. if you had to choose between today's Harper's and Lapham's Quarterly...

...which would you choose? (Keeping in mind that Lapham used to head up Harper's)

[salvorhardin]

14. I think Lapham's

It's far more original than Harper's, by which I mean that Harper's tends to cover topics and issues I see everywhere. Harper's is still a fine periodical though.

[grasswire]

16. Lewis Lapham, my hero

He once asked me to write something for Harper's in the 90s. The idea of submitting work to him was so intimidating that I just couldn't do it. To my everlasting regret.

[salvorhardin]

22. Wow! What an honor though...

[asjr]

10. Smithsonian and

National Geographic magazines are my favorites.

[HopeHoops]

13. "National Geographic" is a dangerous thing to subscribe to.

It's so hard to even contemplate putting them in the recycling bin.

[grasswire]

17. and nooooobody wants the old ones.

Not even the thrift shops.

[HopeHoops]

26. Well of course not - they don't have big-tittied bimbos on the cover.

, almost.

I still get lost in the old ones (like 40+ years ago) when I come across one in a box of old papers.

We're not far from the "grandparent" stage and I plan to keep them on the lower shelves just like my grandparents kept a set of elementary school encyclopedias on theirs (as well as National Geographics). I still have that set of encyclopedias, and they'll be out too.

[annabanana]

20. Mine go (sans address label) into doctor's offices

and other waiting rooms
(Along with Mother Jones & The Nation)

[Greybnk48]

46. I do Smithsonian and Nat Geo as well.

We've taken these two for 32 years. I took Discover for 20 years and just stopped it. I like it very much and may renew again if I miss it.

[TygrBright]

11. Consumer Reports n/t

[Fawke Em]

59. Ugh.

Really?

A whole magazine that bases it's reports on a group of people who have enough free time to rate something?

In other words, the idle wealthy who like their Beemers even though they're in the shop more than my Ford ever was .... especially considering that it's never been in the shop.

[TygrBright]

61. "Free time?"

You don't know much about Consumer's Union, do you?

Have you even SEEN a copy of Consumer Reports?

baffledly,
Bright

[salvorhardin]

64. Consumer Reports is indeed excellent

[HopeHoops]

12. "Black Belt", "Organic Gardening", and, well, that's about it.

[Neoma]

15. Bookmarks

http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/

It's a book review magazine.

[salvorhardin]

25. Oh, that reminds me...

The New York Review of Books is also excellent.

[Blue_In_AK]

19. Outdoor Photographer and Cooking Light.

That's it for me. I don't want my entire life to be consumed by politics.

[JackRiddler]

21. Harper's and The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist

Must admit, have yet to read a Lapham's Quarterly, although for 30 years or so he made the modern Harper's I so love (and that remains excellent, but not as great as when he was the editor).

[rhett o rick]

23. Yes! nm

[dweller]

27. try this

http://www.www.thesunmagazine.org/

wonderful mag

dp

[mysuzuki2]

28. Let's see now; Life, Saturday Evening Post, Galaxy, Modern Photography.

Unfortunately, they all went under years ago!

[Inspired]

29. Macleans, Vanity Fair, Scientific American and Scientfic American Mind.

In my opinion.

[Octafish]

30. In These Times

Once featured work by Kurt Vonnegut.

[grasswire]

31. another good choice

I can read it at my library, and do. Can't subscribe to everything.

[Octafish]

42. Remember ''Lies Of Our Times'' grass-san?

Put out by a group of lefty intellectuals interested in correcting the "paper of record," an online archive exists of its four year run:

LOOT

Please check out the September, 1991 issue in which they answer the critics of Oliver Stone:

http://liesofourtimes.org/

Of all people, TIME magazine put the kabosh on them as "conspiracy nuts."

[grasswire]

54. I totally missed that at the time.

Thanks for the tip. I'll read them.

[City Lights]

32. I currently subscribe to Mother Jones and Rolling Stone.

If I were to subscribe to another one it would be The Nation.

[Lil Missy]

33. How about "The Week", or "Time"? I'm asking, not suggesting.

[flvegan]

34. Veg News, Bite Back! and Consumer Reports.

Okay, ignore that second one. You'll wind up on a "special" list.

And yes, I do like Consumer Reports.

[RebelOne]

35. Vegetarian Times is a good one. I subscribe to that. n/t

[flvegan]

37. That is a good one.

And good value for money.

[doc03]

47. I find consumer reports prejudiced to American products. Another thing

CR is anti consumer. Example: Back when I subscribed to CR they sent me an advertisement for a CR Health magazine. I filled out the card enclosed for a free issue of CR Health. A few days before I received my (free) issue they sent me a bill for a 3 year subscription. I looked over the magazine and returned the bill saying cancel like they instructed me to do. I never received another magazine and kept getting bills for it. After several months I get a letter from a collection agency. I wrote the collection agency a letter explaining I never ordered the magazine and I wasn't going to give them one red cent. I never heard back from them after that but it appeared to me they tried to intimidate me into buying the magazine I didn't want. Sometimes I will look at the POS at the library or book store but I will never subscribe to them again. I suppose that incident shows up on my credit score too.

[flvegan]

49. I used to believe that as well.

The American bias. Used to piss me off when it came to cars. "Honda good, Chevy bad!" Unga bunga. That seems to have changed and rightfully so. As far as the other issue posted, seems that's not about the magazine quality but about the collection/customer service area of the company.

[libinnyandia]

36. The Progressive, American Prospect, Atllantic Monthly

[hfojvt]

38. I get The Nation, Mother Jones and The Progressive

I don't keep up with reading them though.

[Archae]

39. Lego Club's magazine.

I got it for free when I bought the Lego videogame of "Pirates Of The Carribean."

Fun stuff if you like Legos.

http://club1.lego.com/en-US/subscription/default.aspx?SkuId=9052b50e-271e-46d2-9abb-e1950f8cc438&step=1&CountryId=US

[justiceischeap]

40. I get Game Informer, Mother Jones and Vegetarian Times.

I also used to get an UK magazine called Fortean Times but I don't know if it's published any longer.

[salvorhardin]

43. Fortean Times is awesome!

I wish I could afford it. Here's my friend's article on the Watertown Ghosts from a couple years back: http://www.forteantimes.com/features/fbi/3256/the_watertown_ghosts.html

[justiceischeap]

44. I used to buy it at my local Borders but they stopped carrying it

but I do agree it's awesome. And thanks for the link to the article!

[Sheepshank]

41. Brads Deals Has Bon Appetite 1yr for $5

The recipes are not all overboard, complex and high brow for my decided lack of culinary skills. Gives me some great ideal for making food interesting. Interesting food, leads to more variety. More variety leads to healthier eating. Healthier eating gives one more stamina. More stamina to get on DU and read posts, get informed and respond...but more importantly more stamina to get out and knock on doors to make sure a Rep is not installed in the Whitehouse.

[ellenfl]

48. vanity fair, in these times, the progressive, consumer reports

i'm so far behind reading vf, but its articles are mostly timeless and interesting . . . and not all politics.

ellen fl

[FarCenter]

50. Wilson Quarterly, Scientific American, Bloomberg Business Week, Science

[customerserviceguy]

51. I'm partial to Wine Spectator

Also Northwest Palate, Beer Advocate, and Draft magazine. But I encourage others to subscribe to what they deem relevant to their lives.

[ThomThom]

52. Rolling Stone

their political stuff is real good

[sad sally]

53. Washington Spectator - only $10 bucks (or $9 for seniors & students) for 22 issues

What Bill Moyer sez' about Lou Dubose, the editor:

"...Lou Dubose, a seasoned, pugnacious, old-fashioned, fact-based, hard-punching (always above the belt, of course, even inside the Beltway) reporter from Texas, where Dante wrote his Inferno because that's where Lucifer landed to apprentice for Washington.

March him down the aise to the alter where awaits the "Washington Spectator," a publication known for scraping the whitewash off the White House and the smile from political malefactors of every stripe.

And there you have it...a born again union of democracy's last, best hope: an editor who fears no one and a publication that fears nothing."

It's a non-profit - Public Concern Foundation - a good read.

[fishwax]

55. Smithsonian

I subscribe for myself and have also given subscriptions out as gifts in the past. Good stuff.

[jwirr]

56. I get BackHome and Nat Geo "Kids" for my great grandchildren. BackHome is published by the crew

that used to own The Mother Earth News. I also like The Nation.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

57. The New Yorker, Art in America.

Parabola.

[kentauros]

60. Bottom Line Personal

http://bottomlinepublications.com/

I also like Consumer Reports.

If you like cooking, go with Cook's Illustrated, still one of the best out there.

If Gnosis magazine was still in business, I'd highly recommend them

[frazzled]

62. The New Yorker

Been a subscriber for 30 years. It's in the bathroom or on the nightstand ... wherever you might need it.

I don't have time or patience anymore for NY Review of Books: they were stacking up and making me feel guilty. I did Granta for a bit, but lost track of it.

For cooks: I used to subscribe to Gourmet, for literally decades, and really used it regularly, plus all the pretty pictures; when they went under they switched me to Bon Appetit, and it sucks. Don't bother.

[WCGreen]

63. The Economist....

It a great look at the world.

It is conservative in it's editorial bent, but the reporting is spot on.

[Ship of Fools]

65. Washington Spectator & The Nation for me...

[ThatsMyBarack]

66. This:

[link:http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=93968|

[Spider Jerusalem]

67. The Economist, Vanity Fair, the Atlantic, Harper's

[TwilightGardener]

68. I don't subscribe, but always buy Cook's Illustrated.

[bemildred]

69. Harper's and Science News.

Others: Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, The Nation, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone.