Magazines
By Steve Black & Clayton A. Couch -- Library Journal, 3/1/2008
New reviews just in!
American Heritage | Antenna | art ltd. | Everywhere | Race/Ethnicity
American Heritage. 1947. q. $24. Ed: Edwin S. Grosvenor. www.americanheritage.com/magazine. ISSN 0002-8738. illus. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: United States—Civilization. Issue examined: Vol. 58, No. 3, Winter 2008)The venerable American Heritage endured a near-death experience in 2007 when Forbes unexpectedly announced the magazine’s suspension after the April/May issue. Grosvenor purchased the magazine and became its new editor, replacing the now-retired Richard F. Snow. Publication resumed in winter 2008. The new version has slightly more white space and simpler graphics, but the look, feel, and scope of content will be familiar to readers. The first issue of the reincarnated magazine includes "Why We Need History" by Pulitzer Prize–winning author David McCullough, "Black Monday" by Fed chief Alan Greenspan, and a feature on women in combat. This attractive and intellectually entertaining magazine still belongs in every library; it deserves to be read by anyone interested in American history and culture.—S.B.
Antenna. 2007. q. $28. Ed: Tony Gervino. www.antennamag.com. ISSN 1936-8852. illus. index. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: Fashion. Issue examined: Vol. 2, No. 1, Winter 2008)
In this visual dictionary of current fashion for young urbanites, the colorful, artful images picture products without human models. Predictable categories of graphic Ts, hoodies, and shoes (under K for "kicks") share the alphabet with corkscrews, cufflinks, scratch-off games, trophies, and yo-yos. Playful, irreverent commentaries by and about people in the New York fashion world inhabit a small portion of the pages. To avoid confusion over whether a page is content or advertisement, the Antenna logo appears on each content page. An index provides URLs for where to buy included items. An entertaining, current guide to urban street fashion.—S.B.
art ltd.: West Coast Art + Design. 2007. bi-m. $23.95. Ed: George Melrod. www.artltdmag.com. illus. adv. Aud: Ga, Ac (Subject: Art, American—Pacific States. Issue examined: Sept. 2007)
The artist profiles and gallery and show reviews in art ltd. are substantive and lavishly illustrated. The aesthetic will be familiar to readers of Art in America or ArtForum, yet the editors have crafted for art ltd. its own distinct character. With relevant advertisements and signed articles and reviews, art ltd. also features high-quality production and design, creating a visual appeal that rivals any first-rate art periodical. Main articles in the examined issue cover the 100th anniversary of the California College of the Arts, light artist Dan Flavin, and the Jupiter Hotel art fair in Portland, OR. Although focused on West Coast art and design, art ltd. will be appreciated by anyone interested in contemporary art.—S.B.
Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game. 2007. s-a. $120. Ed: John Thorn. www.mcfarlandpub.com/baseball.html. ISSN 1934-2802. Aud: Ga, Ac (Subject: Baseball—History. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 2007)
One of the more compelling sports-related publications to come along in a great while, this journal studies the development of America's national pastime as a major spectator sport. The premier issue is unostentatious, solid, and a great read. For fans interested in the history of the World Series, Robert H. Schaefer's "The Postseason Play of 1902" examines the challenges during the late 19th and early 20th centuries of organizing a successful interleague championship series between the National League and its competitors. For larger public and academic library collections.—C.C.
Everywhere. 2008. bi-m. $14.99. Ed: Todd Lappin. www.everywheremag.com. ISSN 1940-9613. illus. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: Travel. Issue examined: Issue 1, Jan./Feb. 2008)
Highly readable and entertaining, this travel magazine embraces a contemporary way to produce a periodical. Content is gleaned from readers’ posts at www.everywheremag.com, a Web 2.0 project gathering reader-written and reader-evaluated stories and photographs. Professional editing and graphic design enhance material from the web site to fabulous effect. Everywhere features consistently engaging travel stories and photos from eclectic perspectives. Topics in the inaugural issue include visiting Antarctica by chartered ship, traveling home for the holidays, tips on enjoying Tokyo, and snow cave etiquette. Articles rarely offer specific details on where to go, sleep, or eat but are rich with travel ideas and cultural insights. Everywhere should interest most readers, even those who haven’t been bitten by the travel bug.—S.B.
Logan Magazine. 2006. q. $14. Ed: Laurie Olson. www.loganmagazine.com. illus. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: People with Disabilities—Lifestyle. Issue examined: Spring 2007)
Created by the mother-daughter team of Laurie and Logan Olson, Logan Magazine seeks to promote healthy, fun lifestyles for young people with disabilities. Logan Olson, who sustained a serious brain injury at 16, epitomizes what the magazine is all about: success, toughness, and style in the face of adversity. Profiles in the Spring 2007 issue of surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a shark attack; thriving restaurateur and athlete Carrie Davis, born with a congenital limb deficiency; and 19-year-old world traveler Lukas Bratcher, who has endured quadriplegia for his entire life, are especially uplifting. Logan Magazine belongs in most public libraries.—C.C.
Monocle. 2007. 10/yr. £75. Ed: Tyler Brûlé. www.monocle.com. ISSN 1753-2434. illus. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: Global Affairs. Issue examined: Vol. 01, Issue 02, Apr. 2007)
Perhaps to attract advertisers and audiences, many mainstream news publications layer fluff content around the ever-vanishing incisive reportage that was once their raison d'être. While the general readership's demand for light fare is apparent, there's a now-underserved audience hungry for intelligent commentary and news coverage—a sophisticated group that Monocle looks to attract with comprehensive articles on such topics as the Norwegian economy and the Ecuadorian political landscape. Its especially suave design and well-researched content make it a good buy for libraries interested in improving their news and current events collections.—C.C.
n+1. 2005. s-a. $38. Ed: Allison Lorentzen & others. www.nplusonemag.com. ISSN 1549-0033. illus. adv. Aud: Ga (Subject: American Literature and Politics. Issue examined: No. 4, 2006)
As perhaps the most potent new literary journal to arise in the last few years, n+1 deserves every accolade that comes its way. With an emphasis on memoir and literary essay forms, it projects a level of seriousness that is too often muted in other publications by an editorial stance favoring ironic detachment over attentive engagement. Philip Connors's memoir about his career in journalism and his years at the Wall Street Journal exemplifies this trait in the profiled issue, as does Mark Greif's "Afternoon of the Sex Children," a compelling essay dealing with America's obsession with sex and youth. Highly recommended for most public and academic libraries.—C.C.
Perspecta, The Yale Architectural Journal. 1952. Irreg. $20. Ed: Kanu Agrawal & others. mitpress.mit.edu. ISSN 0079-0958. Aud: Ga, Sa (Subject: Architecture. Issue examined: No. 39, 2007)
Although Perspecta is the oldest student-edited architectural publication in the United States, its approach is unequivocally new in spirit. Indeed, each issue might as well be classified as a separate entity, as the design, layout, and contents are unique. The guiding theme for Perspecta 39 is "Re_Urbanism," i.e., how capital cities are reinventing themselves—architecturally speaking—around the world. Cities such as Brasília, Brussels, Belgrade, and Beijing, among others, are profiled in terms of how their architectural features inform and affect each city's social currents. Highly recommended for academic libraries with significant design and architecture collections.—C.C.
Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts. 2007. s-a. $87.50. Ed: John A. Powell & Mac A. Stewart. inscribe.iupress.org/loi/rac. ISSN 1935-8644. Aud: Ac (Subject: Ethnicity. Issue examined: Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2007)
Scholarship and courses on race and ethnicity proliferate in colleges and universities, and this journal fills a clear need. The editors plan each issue to be based on the theme of a classic work. The inaugural issue starts with a selection from Oscar Handlin’s The Uprooted, followed by six peer-reviewed articles that critique and expand upon Handlin’s work. Designed to include pieces by authors from multiple academic disciplines, Race/Ethnicity is recommended to support research and coursework in race and ethnic studies. The style of writing is too specialized to attract much interest among general audiences. [Electronic subscriptions are available for $78.75; combined print and electronic subscriptions are $122.50. Includes access to back issues. E-ISSN: 1935-8652.—Ed.]—S.B.
VIEW. 2001. a. Free. Executive Director: Robin Karson. www.lalh.org/view.html. ISSN 1550-5545. illus. Aud: Ga, Sa (Subject: Landscape Gardening. Issue examined: No. 7, Summer 2007)
Published by the Library of American Landscape History, an organization concerned with North American landscapes and their stewardship, VIEW serves to educate readers about the value of these landscapes in American life. More of a newsletter than a magazine, it is nonetheless a worthwhile read. The profiled issue contains a thought-provoking feature on Mission 66, a somewhat divisive 1950s-era National Park Service initiative intended to improve the condition of America's national parks infrastructure, along with short articles on the preservation of Longue Vue House and Gardens in New Orleans and Wilcox Park in Westerly, RI. VIEW is appropriate for large public and special libraries.—C.C.
| Author Information |
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Steve Black is a librarian at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, and teaches a course in serials at the University at Albany. He is also the author of Serials in Libraries: Issues and Practices (Libraries Unlimited), and he interviews editors on Periodical Radio |
