Two weeks ago we listed the best magazine covers of the decade. This week I present the best (or at least a close contender) for each decade from 1920 to today:
The New Yorker (1926)
Ever since their launch in 1925, The New Yorker has set the standard for magazine cover art.
Boys Life (1931)
This anniversary cover—showing the passing down of manly wisdom from one generation to another—exemplifies what has made the official youth magazine of the Boy Scouts of America relevant for 100 years.
The Saturday Evening Post (1941)
Norman Rockwell produced over 300 covers for the magazine, almost every one a classic.
Time (1950)
Selling the world the American Way of Life, one bottle of sugar water at a time.
Esquire (1968)
Muhammad Ali as the martyr St. Sebastian is an apt metaphor for the Me Decade that was soon to follow.
National Lampoon (1973)
The best magazine cover in the history of publishing.
National Geographic (1984)
This photo of a 12-year-old Afghan refugee went on to become one of the most popular images of the twentieth century.
Fast Company (1997)
The nexus of individualism and marketing perfectly captured the late 1990’s zeitgeist.
The New Yorker (2001)
The unforgettable cover.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
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If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
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