The Magazine Rack: The Best Articles Ever

My columns and reviews are about pointing out the appeal of whole publications, so I only refer to individual articles when it helps me describe what the magazines are about. The folks at the Cool Tools website have compiled a list of outstanding magazine articles with links to the full text for most. Many articles published in The New Yorker, Esquire, Harper's, and the Atlantic make the cut-no wonder, given their reputations. See Robert Scheer's November 1976 Playboy interview with Jimmy Carter. Looking back after Bill Clinton's shenanigans it's hard to believe people made such a fuss over Carter's remarks about it being a sin to even look at women other than his wife, Rosalynn. Goes to show that part of what makes some articles great is their ability to capture a Zeitgeist.

But real gems show up in less expected places. Have a look.

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It didn't make Cool Tool's list, but the most recent high-profile example of a politically important article is Rolling Stone's "The Runaway General," published in the July 8-22, 2010, issue, but widely reported on before it hit the newsstands. As anyone not living in a cave knows, the article led directly to General McChrystal's resignation as the top commander in Afghanistan. WWD Media reports that Rolling Stone had impressive newsstand sales from that issue despite the article being freely available online-further evidence that traditional print magazines are neither dead nor seriously endangered, at least so long as they publish compelling stories.

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I have fond memories as a kid of reading Patrick McManus's humor in Outdoor Life. Not great literature, but mighty fun stuff. And have you ever seen Weatherwise's annual photography contest? If not, treat yourself to it. It's in the September/October issue and online.

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Most of the magazines I review for LJ have the potential to provide great reading experiences. They typically offer some distinctive content, a few quirks, and have an original strength. Many of the issues I read have an outstanding article or two and perhaps some noteworthy photos or other graphic art. But very few consistently deliver at a high level, and the quality of an issue in hand isn't enough to predict with confidence what future issues will be like. A good example of that is National Affairs. I liked it enough not only to name it a Best of 2009, but to also personally subscribe. The subsequent issues have left me disappointed because the writing descended from insightful and philosophical analyses of social policy to a collection of rather narrowly focused policy wonk pieces.