What are your favorite print publications?

May 13, 2022 5:09 AM

Though print keeps getting left for dead, I still get a lot of joy and utility out of the physical magazines and newspapers I read - prompted by the recent move to digital-only by one of them, what are your favorites?

I'm particularly interested in niche, hobby-oriented + music magazines, but am casting a broad net here.

posted by ryanshepard to Media & Arts (15 answers total)

Recent question that might help.
posted by humph at 5:23 AM on May 13, 2022 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, humph - search did not turn that up for me.
posted by ryanshepard at 5:29 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

The Point. Great writing, beautiful layout.
posted by 15L06 at 5:38 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

I didn't post this in the recent thread that humph linked to b/c it didn't fit that poster's parameters, but if you've never seen one of their print issues, No Depression puts out a lovely physical product. It's not cheap (the most economical option is $17/issue, issues come out quarterly), but part of that expense is offset by the fact that there are zero advertisements. Beautiful photography, personal essays, interviews, etc. Issues are around 100 pages each and come on a nice matte stock. I don't know how broad the appeal is, but if you're into songwriter/roots/Americana music at all and are able/willing to cover the cost, I can't imagine anyone would be disappointed.

On the other end of the music subculture spectrum, Razorcake is good, cheap, DIY, non-profit punk fun, on the off chance that does anything for you.
posted by Ufez Jones at 6:15 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: maggot brain (edited by mike mcgonigal who did yeti once upon a time) is a fantastic music magazine that does deep dives into 'cult' music and art as well as some modern artists generally on the fringe. it's published through third man books so jack white is presumably footing some of the bills. (but don't hold that against it?)
posted by noloveforned at 7:12 AM on May 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Archaeology Magazine, definitely; $24 dollars but well worth it. I also like American Archaeology as well, but, this is my field. If I had to pick one, Archaeology is the one I would pick.
posted by gudrun at 7:39 AM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

Sight and Sound is always good.

It probably doesn't fit your criteria, but I subscribe to both the paper and digital versions of the Economist. Reading the paper version at the kitchen table is easier on the eyes than digital. For me it's still a benchmark of good writing and analysis, and design that's the best kind of boring.
posted by snarfois at 8:02 AM on May 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

I love Jacobin, which is an American socialist magazine. Generally good writing, very nice production/design, and you get a lot of perspectives that don't come up much in mainstream American media.
posted by number9dream at 8:14 AM on May 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: "Chickpea is an ad-free, community-based vegan food & writing bi-annual, here to bring whole-foods cooking & living to a beautiful, practical level. [...] Our print issues are made with gorgeous, thick matte paper, meant to last for years to come"
posted by alex1965 at 9:20 AM on May 13, 2022

Fretboard Journal is a beautiful fretted instrument (mostly guitar but occasionally mandolins/etc) magazine. Amazing guitars that I could never justify purchasing, but love to drool over! :)
posted by Doktor at 9:21 AM on May 13, 2022

Best answer: Tape Op ...the best recording magazine in the entire universe.
posted by The_Auditor at 9:51 AM on May 13, 2022

Best answer: If I was to subscribe to any paper magazines they would be

Model Engineer not just model-focused though as gets into large projects, tooling, and simply very good, precise writing about precision things with moving parts.

Resurgence (& Ecologist) spirituality, ecology, systems, painting, sculpture, reviews - hard to categorise as they interview politicians, spiritual leaders, progressive groups...

Monocle work, business, travel (articles on artisanal making are common - shoes, paper, textiles, fragrances...) - it was reading a Monocle article on one person startups in 2010 that pushed me to running my own company.

Geographical, global geography from a progressive and British point of view.

Dark Mountain (printed annually, also online and IRL communities). Dark Mountain is not about happy hope / happy endings, but about using all creative expression to look (and plan) for very uncertain futures. "Much in contemporary thought is made up of myths masquerading as facts, and it is refreshing to see these myths clearly identified as such." — John Gray

DM was Initiated by Dugal Hine and Paul Kingsnorth - the latter is no longer involved.

Topos , THE magazine for landscape architects, graphical and well-written, in English and German. Each issue has a topic, my Issue 86 is Construction and landscape, looking in-depth at getting complicated landscapes built and planted.
posted by unearthed at 2:43 PM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

I'm middle aged and upper middlebrow. You'll pry my corporeal issues of The New Yorker out of my cold dead fingers, though the fact is I usually read about one story these days.
posted by less-of-course at 4:47 PM on May 13, 2022 [2 favorites]

Lapham's Quarterly
posted by egeanin at 7:40 PM on May 13, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Seconding Sight and Sound - their redesign from last year is lovely and it’s renewed my enthusiasm for reading it, which had been waning a little before that.

I also enjoy The Wire. If I’m honest I don’t enjoy the vast majority of the music they review and write about, but I do find it interesting and I enjoy reading the magazine. I find it inspiring that, every month, there are so many people, who I’ve mostly never heard of, creating interesting music.

And the London Review of Books is also a good read on a wide variety of topics.
posted by fabius at 5:16 AM on May 15, 2022