What magazines do you subscribe to?
August 9, 2005 11:35 PM   Subscribe

What paper magazines do you subscribe to? Why? Or, if you're poor, what paper magazines would you subscribe to if you had the money?
posted by joshuaconner to Media & Arts (87 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Economist and Nature. (But I can get Nature online for free.)
posted by Rothko at 11:41 PM on August 9, 2005


The New Yorker is worth every penny if you like to read. We get National Geographic for the pictures. I would get Believer if I had the money, also Nylon is good if you are a lady or into fashion.
posted by slimslowslider at 12:27 AM on August 10, 2005


Make, Lace (a sneaker mag), Reset (a swedish video game mag), Humo (a belgian mag).

I'm also thinking about getting a subscription to RES but I'm probably not going to because the international subscription is twice as expensive as the US one. Damn you, shipping costs!
posted by Skyanth at 12:29 AM on August 10, 2005


Science News and Foreign Affairs
posted by Common Sense at 1:08 AM on August 10, 2005




financial times (daily), the economist (weekly), and foreign affairs (bimonthly).
posted by bryak at 1:51 AM on August 10, 2005


I've loved the few copies of Wallpaper I've ever seen and would happily accept a subscription from any benefactor.
posted by peacay at 1:52 AM on August 10, 2005


In my house, we get:
National Geographic(though I often find it depressing).
Men's Health(for the metrosexual in me)
C & EN(Work)
Newsweek(A gift)
Reader's Digest(For the jokes)
Country Woman(For the Jello recipes)

Oh, and apparently LL Bean quarterly magazine (even though we've never subscribed...)

I keep meaning to subscribe to Family Handyman, the BMW magazine, and (maybe) Cooking Light, but there is enough paper being delivered here already. Maybe after one of the above expire.
posted by madajb at 2:34 AM on August 10, 2005


For music and movies, I have never seen a mag as great and full of content as the British Uncut...unfortunately, its subscription price is insane for Canadian delivery, so I buy a few a year at the newsstand...

one minor complaint is that they aren't usually too hard to please, but they do seem to like cool stuff, so...I forgive them their follies. Generous of me, eh?
posted by Richat at 2:45 AM on August 10, 2005


The London Review of Books; in the past, Le Nouvel Observateur but I found I didn't have time to read a weekly. My dad gets Private Eye, which is great.
posted by altolinguistic at 3:02 AM on August 10, 2005


Previously.

Also.

But I can't find the AskMe thread that told me I could find shockingly cheap subscriptions on ebay. That comment, whoever's it was, saved me probably a hundred bucks a year.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:23 AM on August 10, 2005


Runner's World, Cooking Light, Shape, and Weight Watchers Magazine - all procured via ebay. I think I spent maybe $20 total for all of these; $20-$30. Cooking Light and Shape are two-year subscriptions.
posted by cajo at 4:36 AM on August 10, 2005


The absolutely wonderful music magazine, Plan B. If I had the bucks, I'd still subscribe to the Economist, the New Yorker, and Harpers.
posted by Marquis at 5:08 AM on August 10, 2005


If I paid for a magazine subscription, it would be Dance Magazine, because I like ballet.

I used to get Martha Stewart Living (gift subscription) and enjoyed it very much. I also had The New Yorker on a gift subscription, but found it difficult to keep up with, plus which it's changed so much from when I used to read it in college; it's become much more interested in politics, and I haven't.
posted by JanetLand at 5:22 AM on August 10, 2005


The New Yorker and Harper's.
posted by youarejustalittleant at 5:25 AM on August 10, 2005


Real Simple
Cooking Light
InStyle

Cooking light I use frequently. The other two are mental junk food magazines I usually take with me to the YMCA for bike riding and leave/donate.
posted by xena at 5:34 AM on August 10, 2005


Oxford American, the magazine of "good Southern writing." It's my favorite.
Comes with a Smile, a music quarterly with an accompanying cd.
Vanity Fair
If I had the money, the New Yorker, the Economist, Gourmet, and Down East (a magazine about Maine).
posted by jdl at 5:36 AM on August 10, 2005


The new(ish) music issue of Oxford Amazing is really terrific.
posted by Marquis at 5:44 AM on August 10, 2005


Wired and Reader's Digest
posted by geeky at 5:53 AM on August 10, 2005


The National Geogaphic and Wallpaper* would do me. I don't subscribe because I have no time. The Sunday Times makes a good, cheap substitute too.
posted by wackybrit at 5:54 AM on August 10, 2005


Time Out New York, The New Yorker, Macleans and Hot Press.
posted by jamesonandwater at 5:56 AM on August 10, 2005


Before & After
Richmond
I.D.
Magnet
City

I will probably start getting Scientific American, Discover, or Mathematics Magazine soon too.

I also pick up issues of White Dwarf when I'm in my local Games Workshop.
posted by patgas at 6:01 AM on August 10, 2005


Readymade, a great magazine about building things out of other things.
posted by mcsweetie at 6:12 AM on August 10, 2005


The only magazine I subscribe to is the Atlantic Monthly. Every bit as insightful as the New Yorker, but without the unfortunate NY-centredness. Plus, they've got William Langewiesche.
posted by Johnny Assay at 6:12 AM on August 10, 2005


PC Gamer and Wired. What can I say?
posted by jenovus at 6:12 AM on August 10, 2005


Readymade and Rolling Stone, for now. (Though I sadly read my mother's National Enquirer whenever I visit her.)
posted by itchie at 6:28 AM on August 10, 2005


Cooks Illustrated we get now and I thinking of getting Mother Earth News (I'd be all over it if I could get it for $10 like Americans.
posted by Mitheral at 6:29 AM on August 10, 2005


Wired, for old time's sake.
posted by Evstar at 6:32 AM on August 10, 2005


i'll second Readymade, nice magazine!
i'm also wanting to get a subscription to chili pepper magazine soon...
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 6:35 AM on August 10, 2005


Retrogamer
posted by Frasermoo at 6:38 AM on August 10, 2005


For a long time I stopped subscribing to print mags because I hated the extra junk mail that doing so produced. I broke that a few years ago when I got my first Mac because when I bought the computer a free subscription to MacWorld came with it. I have found the tips in that magazine very valuable and haven't noticed any extra crap coming with the same name that I used to subscribe to it.

I get Sports Illustrated because SI can't seem to stop sending it to my dad who passed away over a year ago. I have ignored the requests to extend the subscription, but they keep sending it. I'll cancel it now that we are moving though.

If I had the bucks (and the time) I would subscribe to The New Yorker again. The writing is brilliant, but I could do without the stuffy NYC-centric crap. I say time because I have found that personally I set aside magazines to read when I "have time" only to find I never get around to it. And unfortunately I hate reading magazines or newspapers online.

S@L reminded me that I would like to get Cook's Illustrated in the future. Thanks Steve.
posted by terrapin at 6:48 AM on August 10, 2005


I have subscribed to
Wired
Real Simple
Jane (shut up, it was a gift subscription from my mom who remembered my high school love of Sassy magazine)
Fortean Times
Utne Reader
Propaganda (goth magazine, I think I've outgrown it since, at 26, I'm twice the age of their average model)
Carpe Noctem (another goth magazine, not sure if this one is still in print)
Side Line (EBM/synthpop music magazine)
Sew News
Threads
Bon Appetit

Now, nothing since I'm poor.
Which is a real shame as I am a total magazine junkie.

If I was going to resubscribe to any of them I think it would be Real Simple, Side Line, Sew News, and maybe Bon Appetit or another cooking magazine (I'd prefer something a bit more international/exotic).
posted by Kellydamnit at 6:50 AM on August 10, 2005


Second the Atlantic Monthly, the last great general interest magazine. Thoughtful and surprising articles every month.
posted by LarryC at 6:57 AM on August 10, 2005


I subscribe to

Shambhala Sun
Buddhadharma
Stay Free (I subscribed on dobbs reccomendation that it was a"thinking man's Adbusters, to which I say maybe, but since I subscribed it has shifted its focus to social issues in Brooklyn, which is fine, but a little less interesting to me).
Adbusters
Wired
Blender (again -> best mainstream American music mag out there, even if they do rip off Mojo)
posted by Quartermass at 7:13 AM on August 10, 2005


I'm a sucker for all of those architecture and design magazines, especially Dwell.
posted by lilboo at 7:20 AM on August 10, 2005


Bust
Harper's
Yoga Journal
Scientific American
posted by smich at 7:22 AM on August 10, 2005


Saveur
Inspired House by Taunton Press (used to get Fine Homebuilding; it was informative but way too advanced for me)
This Old House
Family Handyman
Eating Well
Stop Smiling
The American Scholar (Since Anne Fadiman left it's a shadow of its former self; I won't be renewing.)

I pick up Cooking Light from time to time and generally read the New Yorker online.
posted by Sully6 at 7:25 AM on August 10, 2005


Readymade (household hacks) and Make (technology hacks). I still prefer to pick-and-choose which issues of Adbusters I buy, so I haven't subscribed to that one, but YMMV.
posted by Crosius at 7:27 AM on August 10, 2005


I don't subscribe, but two good magazines that haven't been mentioned yet are The Sun and the Wilson Quarterly.

The Sun is interesting mostly for its regular feature of readers' letters on a particular theme. And there's usually some good short fiction, and an interview with a left-leaning activist or a spiritual advisor of some sort.

The Wilson Quarterly is similar to the Atlantic Monthly, with fewer ads and distractions.
posted by bricoleur at 7:33 AM on August 10, 2005


I have no subscriptions right now, but here are a few I regularly read and some that I pick up when I have the chance:

Regularly: Tokion, Giant Robot, XLR8R

Irregularly: I.D., The Wire, New Yorker, Harpers, The Economist, Believer, Wired, GQ, Esquire, Anthem, Res, Fortean Times, The Fader, Rolling Stone, Spin, Newsweek, Time, etc.

I also pick up (and occasionally buy) one of the first three S@L mentioned (National Review, The Weekly Standard, The New Republic). Sometimes I extend that to reading The American Conservative online. I really don't see the purpose in reading only magazines that are expressing views you already have. Food for thought is great. I'd also suggest browsing the magazine racks at a well-stocked store that includes a variety of magazines and literary journals. I've bought a few random issues of different magazines that have introduced me to new writers and topics. Try figuring out who the best writers are in the magazines you like and find out if they freelance elsewhere or have written any books.
posted by mikeh at 7:37 AM on August 10, 2005


American Scientist. In-depth science reporting, like Scientific American was before they dumbed it down.
posted by bitmage at 7:39 AM on August 10, 2005


Regular subscriptions at my house: Harper's, Entertainment Weekly and BH&G for me, Weekly Standard and Coin Prices for the other gnome, and Ladybug for the littlest gnome.

Freebies or procured on the eBay cheap: Art Jewelry, Computer Gaming Monthly, New York, Psychology Today, Art in America, Movieline.

Stuff I buy, and I should just get subscriptions: Poets & Writers, Bust, Bead and Button, Utne Reader, Game Informer, New Yorker, various small litmags.

Reborn magazine I'm looking forward to: Factsheet Five.
posted by gnomeloaf at 7:56 AM on August 10, 2005


The New Yorker. It's a fabulous, fabulous magazine. It makes me smarter every week, and I love them for it. If I could subscribe to just one magazine, this would be it.

Wired. Eh. I loved it a decade ago. I still like it, but I could do without it.

The Atlantic Monthly. Like The New Yorker, only less so.

I wish I could subscribe to The Economist, Nature, Scientific American, Consumer Reports, Washington Monthly and Jane's (not to be confused with Jane).
posted by waldo at 8:01 AM on August 10, 2005


I subscribe to Wired, Make and Outside. If I had more loot, I'd subscribe to The Economist, The Nation, Cook's Illustrated, Bitch, Harper's, The Atlantic, Mojo... I could go on like this.

I'd subscribe to Dirt Rag if I still lived in the Northeast. I'd like to subscribe to Adbusters, Stay Free and Esquire, except that I don't think any of them are nearly as good as they used to be. And I'd like to subscribe to a video game magazine, except that I've never seen one I really liked.
posted by box at 8:16 AM on August 10, 2005


I subscribe to the New Yorker and Oprah (insert obligatory defensive comment here) and refuse to go without them. I get Bon Appetit too, but I have no idea why, since I don't pay for it, never ordered a subscription, don't like it and have asked them to stop sending it multiple times. If I had the money I'd get Dwell, Bitch, Real Simple and possibly Cooking Light. At the gym I read Esquire and at doctor's offices I read Readers Digest, which never fails to astound and appall me.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:52 AM on August 10, 2005


Mother Earth News
Backhome Magazine

We're geeks trying to get back to a simpler life :)
posted by Kickstart70 at 9:01 AM on August 10, 2005


I don't have any subscriptions (although I receive Maxim and Stuff without ever subscribing), but I usually buy Wired, Scientific American and Playboy.

Actually, this morning I was thinking getting a subscription for Harper's. Living in México I can't get it in newsstands.
posted by Penks at 9:04 AM on August 10, 2005


I cant believe that no one has mentioned The Week yet. It's the magazine that - were we ever forced to narrow our subscriptions down to just one - would easily be our top choice.

Current Subscriptions:
The Week
Real Simple
Reader's Digest
Marie Claire
Allure
Lucky
Cargo
PC Magazine
Wired
Money
Writer's Digest

Previous subscriptions:
Newsweek
US News & World Report
Harper's
Cosmopolitan
Glamour
W
Men's Health
posted by roundrock at 9:12 AM on August 10, 2005


Harper's
Maisonneuve
posted by furtive at 9:21 AM on August 10, 2005


The Atlantic, Esquire, and The New Yorker
posted by kirkaracha at 9:25 AM on August 10, 2005


Another Atlantic subscriber.
posted by gimonca at 9:37 AM on August 10, 2005


The New Yorker, Science, Nature, Forbes, & High Country News (HCN is more of a newspaper, but its bimonthly, so I think it counts more as a magazine).
posted by devilsbrigade at 9:39 AM on August 10, 2005


New Yorker
Dwell (about to be cancelled, don't like it that much)
Jane (same as above)
Harper's
Vanity Fair
National Geographic
Fine Homebuilding
Fine Woodworking

And at work:
Adweek
AdAge
MacWorld
MaineBiz

I'd love to get more. The New Yorker is my favorite, though. The day it arrives I generally sit down and read it cover to cover.
posted by miss tea at 9:41 AM on August 10, 2005


New Yorker, Harper's here. My free Maxim subscription from this thread ran out in May.
posted by horsewithnoname at 9:50 AM on August 10, 2005




I'm clearly such a girl- Glamour, Allure, Lucky, Teen Vogue and Time Out New York.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:51 AM on August 10, 2005 [1 favorite]


for woodworkers my favorite is Taunton's Fine Woodworking.

a magazine i've wanted to try but can't afford is the Strand. i see no one has recommended it yet. can anyone give an opinion on it?
posted by mirileh at 9:57 AM on August 10, 2005


In my house we get:

The New Yorker
The New York Review of Books
The Economist
Vogue
One Story

But I also read (at the local library) the Times Literary Supplement, Bookforum, Poetry, and the Threepenny Review.
posted by josh at 10:00 AM on August 10, 2005


Not sure if it qualifies as a magazine, but I used to subscribe to the Village Voice, and loved it. I live in Minneapolis, but the Voice was a way of living in my favorite city for an hour or two every week. I guess the reasons I don't anymore, is not enough time and concentration to read magazines, and hated the way the black newsprint always rubbed off on your hands and couch and anything else it touched, just like a regular newspaper. Still read the Voice online though.
posted by marsha56 at 10:00 AM on August 10, 2005


The Economist
Found (!)
National Geographic Adventure
posted by hellbient at 10:16 AM on August 10, 2005


Those of you who say magazine subs are too expensive should haunt eBay. I've subscribed to many mags from there and they have the cheapest prices I've ever seen. Three years of Car and Driver for $15 (one year for $5). And one deal offers the three main bridal mags (for two years each) plus a two-year sub to Shape, all for $10 total. They tend to have all of the mainstream consumer mags, but the more obscure offerings are harder to come by.

I have no connection with any of the sellers, but it's been both good and bad for me. Good in that I get magazines super cheap, bad in that I can no longer see my coffeetable.
posted by GaelFC at 10:35 AM on August 10, 2005


New Yorker is top of my list too, and National Geographic is always welcome.

The New Scientist is a weekly UK publication now available in the USA for $50/pa (if you hunt.) It's decent science authoritatively (mostly) written without too much popularization or dumbing down, but also very accessible -- highly recommended!
posted by anadem at 10:40 AM on August 10, 2005


Gotta have the Economist. Subscribe to Velonews for old times sake. I'd subscribe to teh New Republic if I had more time to read.
posted by Carbolic at 10:42 AM on August 10, 2005


Yes, seconding The Week.

It even summarises the entire week's events in The Archers.
posted by blag at 10:45 AM on August 10, 2005


Sailing, Sail, Cooks Illustrated, Fine Woodworking, Fine Homebuilding, The Washington Monthly, The Atlantic, New York, New Yorker, Time Out New York, Verbatim. And Fence, not because I read modern poetry but since my sister is the editor and publisher.
posted by nicwolff at 11:10 AM on August 10, 2005


Loads of them come to my house.

Glamour
Cosmopolitan
Jane
Allure (got it in a package deal with Glamour and Jane)
ESPN the Magazine
The Sporting News
Sports Illustrated
Mother Jones
Chicago
Fast Company (I get that free through Jaycees)

I buy Lucky every month, I really should subscribe.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:36 AM on August 10, 2005


Oh yes, and Time Out London.
posted by altolinguistic at 11:37 AM on August 10, 2005


Cook's Illustrated
Harper's
Atlantic Monthly
Scientific American
Make
IEEE Spectrum
Ski
posted by skwm at 11:43 AM on August 10, 2005


Here we go:
Dwell
Roundel
Bimmer
Cooks Illustrated
Readymade
Shallow Water Angler
Esquire
Tide (coastal conservation association)
posted by daddymax at 12:05 PM on August 10, 2005


Magazines I currently subscribe to:
1. Entertainment Weekly (Pap, but entertaining pap)
2. The New Yorker (Worth the price)
3. Esquire (Still good)
4. ReadyMade (Great)
5. RealSimple (Great, great magazine)
6. Playboy (Eh, it's cheap)
7. Newsweek (Free with my NPR membership)
8. Oxford American (usually excellent, but spotty recently)
9. Bon Appétit (Up and down)
10. GQ (Getting better)
11. Details (Getting worse)
12. Macworld (Free)
13. Macuser (Free)
14. Rolling Stone (Quantity over quality)
15. Maxim (it's practically free)
16. Paper (Not as good as it once was. The new redesign sux)
17. Bust (Great, amazing magazine)
18. Vitals (Basically a catalog)
19. Giant (I've liked it so far)
20. Cooks Illustrated (Fantastic!)
21. Budget Living (Great)

I used to have over thirty subscriptions, but most of those magazines have shut down or I let my subscription lapse for one reason or another.

Yes, I know I have a problem.
posted by ColdChef at 12:17 PM on August 10, 2005


My father and I have the New Yorker. He hates posessions, yet loves to read, and no longer has the attention span for books. So this is perfect for him. I for a subscription for myself after I got him his, as the articles he talked about sounded so interesting I wanted to read them for myself.

I adore the New Yorker.

I used to get Punk Planet, and may resubscribe when I'm employed again. I love the mag, just can't afford it at the moment.
posted by spinifex23 at 12:20 PM on August 10, 2005


I can already tell, just by looking at this thread, that my list is going to grow by at least five new magazines. Curse you!
posted by ColdChef at 12:25 PM on August 10, 2005


Oh, and it's a little too pricey for me (even though, now that I think about it, I ALWAYS buy it on the newsstands), if you love music, you should consider Paste.
posted by ColdChef at 12:30 PM on August 10, 2005


"Bitch" magazine and "Bust" magazine. They are both feminist takes on/responses to pop culture. Great stuff.
posted by Radio7 at 12:36 PM on August 10, 2005


The Week (love it love it love it -- look forward to it every week)
Harper's

Although, after reading this thread, I'm thinking of getting back to the Atlantic Monthly, and the Wilson Quarterly looks interesting, too.
posted by papercake at 12:59 PM on August 10, 2005


If I had more money, I would definitely subscribe to The Believer.
posted by exceptinsects at 2:40 PM on August 10, 2005


A lot of repeats -- Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Financial Times, Barron's, The New Yorker, Playboy, Time, a lot of industry magagzines, then my membership mags - NRA, etc. New Yorker is my favorite, actually pay real money for that.

Miles are a good way to buy these magazines, FT is 3100, Economist 3900, 1Q WSJ 1200, Barron's something like 1600 for 2Q(?). Really cost effective when you break it out. If you don't fly you can bank them up with a rewards card ($3100 on Discover will get me $31, 3100 on AMEX will get me a year of FT 'valued at' $298). Enjoy.
posted by sled at 3:59 PM on August 10, 2005


I get:

McSweeney's
Runner's World [gift subscription]
Ultrarunner
Trail Running [...theme?]
Cooking Light

Previously received, haven't yet renewed:

ReadyMade

I would also like:

The Economist
Adbusters
posted by Bella Sebastian at 4:01 PM on August 10, 2005


I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Games Magazine and it's sister publication World of Puzzles. It is always a red letter day when one arrives.

Also:
Entertainment Weekly (which helps me keep up with pop culture)
Cooks Illustrated (no better cooking magazine out there)
Martha Stewart's Living
The Big Takeover (which helps me keep up with indie music)
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:05 PM on August 10, 2005


At the moment, I subscribe to Scientific American and Wired. I used to get Technology Review and Mental Floss (neat trivia magazine), but dropped them to save money. I get a few magazines/journals through professional memberships, and my alma mater sends me the alumni magazine. There are a lot of magazines I'd start getting if I had the money, but the one I really drool over is New Scientist. Great magazine. The Annals of Improbable Research would also be a neat subscription.
posted by Aster at 5:31 PM on August 10, 2005


Woodsmith - good, clear thought-out plans, minimal crap, no ads other than for their own stuff
Smithsonian
National Geographic

I used to subscribe to Gourmet, but found I didn't have time anymore to read it.

I wanted to subscribe to The Funny Times, but apparently they didn't want to take my money.
posted by plinth at 6:50 PM on August 10, 2005


I subscribe to The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Foreign Affairs, and Cook's Illustrated, but have since spent most of my time reading their content online (which is accessible w/ a subscription). And, frankly, I find that going through the Cook's site to recall recipes is far easier than paging through a non-indexed stack of back issues. I'm considering switching my Economist and Cook's subscriptions to web-only, if only so that I don't have to worry about storing/recycling all of this useless paper.

The only publication that I subscribe to that has no online content is Edward Behr's quarterly newsletter, The Art of Eating.
posted by bl1nk at 11:35 AM on August 11, 2005


I should add, I buy No Depression ("The Alternative Country(Whatever That Is) Bimonthly") often enough that I should probably subscribe. I've never read music magazines, but I really like this one.
posted by lobakgo at 1:42 PM on August 11, 2005


I'll third and fourth MAKE... Lots of cool projects and ideas to keep yourself busy. You don't really have to be an uber-geek either, everything is explained so the average person (ie dummies like me) can understand. Great resource.

I also subscribe to...
ESPN
Wired
posted by TetrisKid at 1:11 PM on August 12, 2005


Ultrarunner
Marathon & Beyond
Cooks Ill.
Harper's
Make

After reading this thread I fear the number will increase.
posted by OmieWise at 4:49 PM on August 15, 2005


I am constrained by the cost of shipping to Canada, otherwise I'd get these:
Entertainment Weekly
Cook's Illustrated
Eating Well
Colors (with Spanish or Italian)
Better Homes and Gardens

I probably wouldn't buy these, but I do enjoy paging through:
Cooking Light
Real Simple
Women's Day
Games Magazine
Utne Reader

Lots of suggestions in this thread; I'll be checking some out!
posted by Melinika at 1:43 PM on August 16, 2005


Still enjoy:

Mental Floss
Cabinet
Make

Used to enjoy:

Juxtapoz
WYWS - While You Were Sleeping (still published?)

Occasionally enjoy:

Tokion
Mass Appeal
posted by o0o0o at 12:13 AM on January 30, 2006


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