Recommended Magazines

I have a reoccurring nightmare that I will be solo dining at a restaurant and I won't have a magazine to read. A fresh magazine is such a delight - as soon as it has been liberated of scent strips and subscription cards. My favorite part of traveling is picking magazines from the airport newsstand and road trip snacks from gas stations - I like to be prepared! My magazine interest is deep -  I have bound library copies of the New Yorker and full run of Nest. The only reason that I don't get National Geographic is I am afraid that I will not be able to throw away old issues.

 

The World of Interiors - Subscription

The World of Interiors

My absolute favorite magazine is digital, not paper. It's a bummer but a necessity as The World of Interiors is a UK publication and the stateside paper subscriptions is about $110 a year. The cheapest US source for the World of Interiors  - and it isn't very cheap - is via Zinio for a digital subscription. I would prefer a print subscription, but I have to admit that being able to screen grab stuff for the archives is pretty sweet.

World of Interiors makes you wonder why other interior design magazines aren't be better. It is a irreverent, though not nearly as nuts as Nest (my all time favorite [deceased] magazine.)

Hidden Treasures: Searching for Masterpieces of American Furniture

I just read this book in a day. Amazing. Really fantastic view inside the antique dealer world from two justifiably famous picker dealers. When they were thirteen, their joint collection of stoneware was exhibited in museums. Though the collection was probably worthy, the Keno twin's charm and force of will was almost certainly the deciding factor. As a bit of a collector, I found it very inspiring. Joyfully, I realize that I need to up my knowledge and history to bring more context to the things I love.

 

At time of writing, 1 cent.

 

The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 (Vol. 1) (The Complete Peanuts)

An amazingly generous publishing effort to bring together the complete Peanuts run in a beautiful Seth designed book. I am a Peanuts fan, though not the biggest Peanuts fan, but I was surprised how profoundly moving I found this to book to be. Chronological of the first couple of years, it is startling to come across 'firsts' - like the first time Charlie Brown has the squiggle on his shirt or the first time Snoopy's ears stand straight up. In the first year - arguably in the first cartoon - the Peanuts universe is pretty well set, but how Charles Schulz refines it - always staying true - over his lifetime is a masterwork.

 

At time of writing, a comparatively heady $9.69.

Life Stories: Profiles from The New Yorker

The New Yorker Profile is my favorite feature of the magazine - with the possible exception being Annals of Crime and Rascality or Letter from California. David Remnick, the current longtime editor of the New Yorker, brings together a best selection from the entire history of the magazine. The Ernest Hemingway profile is an amazing trip through New York with drunk Hem (including a trip to the legendary outfitter Abercrombie & Fitch) complaining about how he just wants to go and see the "kraut" - Marlene Dietrich. The Profiles aren't always about famous people, for example, another favorite is the Calvin Trillian piece on crime beat reported Edna Buchanan.

 

At time of writing, 1 cent.