All-time Favorites: Periodicals

The New York Times and The New Yorker. September 1. 2013.

People assume “periodical” means “magazine.” Yet newspapers count as well—after all, they publish at regular intervals.

NextIssue offers a variety of magazines—and since I discovered the app, I’ve added a digital armload of new regular reading to my list, spanning general interest and niche publications: Fast Company, More, Town & Country, and Fortune, to name a few.

Yet which periodicals are my all-time favorites?

I have only two favorites that I’ve read for decades. And it seems I have a New York City obsession—although I’ve never wanted to live there and don’t find it a compelling vacation spot.

Yet I do love the city from afar. For over a century, New York City has owned American publishing. The best writing and editing and publishing? Happening in New York City.

The New Yorker

I remember first thumbing The New Yorker in a doctor’s office as a youth, wondering who would read page after page of dense, boring text.

When my freshman English professor required us to subscribe, I found I’d encountered the publication too young and without context. Reading it opened new worlds and exposed delicious long-form journalism, short stories, essays, and criticism. Truly, the magazine has profoundly influenced my interests, beliefs, and understanding.

I’ve never let my subscription lapse.

The New York Times

Back in the free days, I read The New York Times by clicking headlines in the publication’s e-mail updates. Once the paper limited the number of free articles a person could read each week, I turned highly judicious in which links I’d click.

Eventually, as I recounted in a previous post, I subscribed to the print edition, which includes on-line and multimedia access. As a result, I’ve grown more enamored than ever.

What do I miss? Share your list of all-time favorite periodicals.