Comments on: Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years

Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years

kirkaracha — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:03:14 -0800

Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years as selected by the American Society of Magazine Editors.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:05:38 -0800

Some background and descriptions. "Of the top multiple-winners, Esquire, Time and Life magazines each had four covers."

By: dobbs

dobbs — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:30:43 -0800

Neat. Cool they chose that issue of Blue. When it came out I stole a portion of that image and collaged it with some others for one of my first business cards. Hadn't seen that cover in years.

By: maryh

maryh — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:31:58 -0800

Thanks, kirkaracha, these were good to see again. But where's Art Spiegleman's Easter Bunny crucified on an IRS form? (Sorry, couldn't find the image.)

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:32:46 -0800

as soon as i saw the text of this fpp, my first thought was "that national lampoon with the dog better be on there." it was, and i am now satisfied.

By: kosher_jenny

kosher_jenny — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:45:39 -0800

What, no Mad?

By: Mach3avelli

Mach3avelli — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:47:17 -0800

Some just seem there as token "moments." But overall, quite impressed, because these top-# lists tend to be very lame.

By: trondant

trondant — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:48:34 -0800

Mad

By: jbum

jbum — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 00:49:37 -0800

Here are my favorite 3500 magazine covers of the past 100 years:

By: maryh

maryh — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 01:50:07 -0800

Very cool, jbum.

By: undule

undule — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 02:43:53 -0800

indeed, that's swank jbum As for the FPP, that Esquire cover of Clinton is bad ass -- Great find, good stuff.

By: oliyoung

oliyoung — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:34:12 -0800

Great FPP but can someone the significance of Glamour (#37)?

By: biffa

biffa — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:57:30 -0800

oliyoung: The first mainstream American women's magazine to feature an African-American model on it's cover. What is the significance of the 1974 People cover of Mia Farrow? (#26) I have to admit I've never liked the Lennon/Ono shot, it makes him look like some kind of parasitic creature. Not saying that isn't interesting, just that it engenders a negative reaction in me.

By: SashaPT

SashaPT — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 03:58:26 -0800

The Mia Farrow People was the first issue. (What's not in my brain to make room for that trivia?)

By: monkeyJuice

monkeyJuice — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 04:52:40 -0800

It would be nice if there was a follow up to what the cover was about.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 05:59:44 -0800

You can't trust the editors at magazine.org, they've got a hidden agenda of magazine promotion. For shame.

By: Cookiebastard

Cookiebastard — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:11:51 -0800

This list means nothing without the infamous July 1974 Cat Fancy.

By: davelog

davelog — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:13:54 -0800

I generally ignore these 'top xx' lists because I hardly ever agree with them, but when I read this one, the first cover that came to mind was the Lampoon dog cover... and it's included in their top ten. I approve.

By: allen.spaulding

allen.spaulding — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:21:51 -0800

I can't be the only person who finds the Dec. 10, 2001 New Yorker (New Yorkistan) way overrated. Some great picks otherwise, including ones (like Demi Moore) of which I never would have thought.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:41:32 -0800

Link isn't working. :(

By: orange swan

orange swan — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:42:13 -0800

Seems more like they were chosen more for the significance of their content than for their design aesthetic. Although some are outstanding in that area as well.

By: Optimus Chyme

Optimus Chyme — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 06:48:55 -0800

Never mind; working now. I really miss magazine covers without eighty separate blocks of text of them.

By: cillit bang

cillit bang — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 07:11:05 -0800

Still broken for me.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 07:33:00 -0800

Broken for me too, but the "background and descriptions" link lists them. 6. The New Yorker – Sept. 24, 2001 – 9/11 – Twin towers drawing in all black against a gray skyline 7. National Lampoon – January 1973 – "If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog" – Man pointing gun at terrified dog If either of those had been missing, I'd have cried foul. As it is, I'm satisfied. And jbum, that link is fantastic! (Also amazing, astounding, and full of thrilling wonder.)

By: blahblahblah

blahblahblah — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 07:54:46 -0800

Darn it, the link is down, but you can at least see the top three covers on the main page. And the jbum link rocks -- thanks!

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 08:01:34 -0800

Thanks for the entertaining link kirkaracha (yr username made me smile too:). I'd never seen a number of the covers and figured their significance was historically meaningful as well as visually interesting. I thought there should be brief, informative captions on the image page itself, historical significance included where appropriate. It seems that magazine.org may have now deliberately cut the link? I'm glad I got to see it while the link was working. The New Yorkistan cover was hilarious and bravely mischievous in light of it being the cover of the New Yorker only 3 months after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. The Life Magazine one dated April 30, 1965, "Drama of life before birth", with the fetus in womb was one that deeply impressed me as a kid and has stayed with me since. Usually conservative, The Economist one dated Sept. 10-16, 1994 with the omg copulating camels apparently depicting "The Trouble with Mergers", gave me a good guffaw. The New York cover dated June 8, 1970 with upper east side society matrons posing with radical chic fists upraised captioned "Free Leonard Bernstein" is a jab at his hanging out with the Black Panthers.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 08:16:04 -0800

p.s. I agree with languagehat about jbum's way cool sci-fi covers link, just the technology is amazing. There are a few other fun magazine cover sites worth poking around for fun and nostalgia.

By: JackFlash

JackFlash — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 09:47:54 -0800

How could they have forgotten Spy Magazine's monroe-esque cover shot of Hillary?

By: Superfrankenstein

Superfrankenstein — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 09:58:48 -0800

What, no Famous Monsters?

By: stevis

stevis — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:27:31 -0800

One that I was expecting to see, but didn't was the O.J. Simpson TIME Magazine cover. It was the first issue after Warner bought Time-Life and they infamously altered his photo to make him look evil, rather than use a straight news photo.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 14:07:21 -0800

Time and Newsweek OJ covers, from the same mug shot.

By: dougny

dougny — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 20:41:58 -0800

I am also partial to the infamous Kim Jong Il "Greetings, earthlings" cover. Can't find a good link, but you can see a small version of it here.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Fri, 28 Oct 2005 12:47:15 -0800

Speak Up critiques the covers.