The American Magazine

by Amy Janello

A book which documents and celebrates the editorial and graphic creativity of America's magazines during the past 250 years.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810919095
• ISBN13: 9780810919099
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: ABRAMS
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 4.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 10.7" x 12.4"

Customer Reviews

A magazine celebration, in a book.

This stunning book originally came out in 1991 and it really should be reprinted. It celebrates 250 years of the American magazine though the focus is clearly on the last eighty years or so and essentially consumer titles that belong to the Magazine Publishers of America and the American Society of Magazine Editors. The sixteen chapters cover the editorial aspects of magazines: fiction, news, women's titles, graphics rather than the more commercial areas: subscriptions, printing, distribution but advertising does get a chapter to itself. An interesting chapter shows in photos how the editorial folk do their job. Visually the book is a joy to look at thanks to designer Beth Crowell. There are over five hundred images, this includes hundreds of covers and spreads, and a neat touch is using a fifth color: grey, for the many pages that have pictorial sections. The paper, typography and printing all contribute to this being just right. If you work in magazine publishing or want a record of what publications looked like in past decades you'll enjoy this beautiful book. Another out-of-print book that is worth looking out for is Modern Magazine Design by William Owen, beautifully produced though it is not a 'how to' book on design but a contemporary history of European and American publications. The 340 illustrations concentrate on spreads rather than covers. ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.