# What magazines do you miss? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931 "2014-06-03T15:34:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/1 "2014-06-03T15:34:30Z")
Nothing is sadder than getting your favorite magazine and seeing “LAST ISSUE” pasted somewhere on the cover…unless it’s waiting for that magazine and later finding out that it stopped publishing without even getting a chance to say goodbye. For me, they would be _The Wittenburg Door_, a religious satire mag written _by_ religious people. You can get a small taste of what is was like [here.](http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/) [_The Comic Reader_](http://d1g4sq00ps2bp3.cloudfront.net/img/_categories/_images/Fanzines/cr167.jpg), a truly fan-based magazine about comic books. _National Lampoon_, home of Dirty Duck and _Son O’God_ comics. Some of the best satire I ever read came from the pages of that irreverent rag. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/2 "2014-06-03T15:42:02Z")
It was definitely a product of its times, but I really enjoyed [Spy](http://books.google.com/books?id=AXKlThqFFT0C&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1&atm_aiy=1990#all_issues_anchor)magazine. As a tool for satirizing celebrities and politicians, it couldn’t make it today – that’s what the Internet’s for. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/3 "2014-06-03T15:49:15Z")
Briefly, when I was a kid, there was a magazine called _Provoking Thoughts_. It had a lot of great math and logic content, geared towards curious children. I was one of the original subscribers when it started up, and enjoyed it right up until the company went bankrupt. And it’s technically still around, but the modern _Scientific American_ is so far fallen from its heights that it might as well not be the same magazine. Not only are the classic columns like “Amateur Scientist” and the math columns by Gardner and Hofstadter gone, but the general reporting now falls prey to any crackpot willing to write up a few pages. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/4 "2014-06-03T16:41:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And it’s technically still around, but the modern _Scientific American_ is so far fallen from its heights that it might as well not be the same magazine. Not only are the classic columns like “Amateur Scientist” and the math columns by Gardner and Hofstadter gone, but the general reporting now falls prey to any crackpot willing to write up a few pages. back to its roots. i recall seeing some issues, maybe about a century ago, it was much about new stuff, kinda like Popular Science or Popular Mechanics. ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/5 "2014-06-03T16:45:46Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > It was definitely a product of its times, but I really enjoyed [Spy](http://books.google.com/books?id=AXKlThqFFT0C&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1&atm_aiy=1990#all_issues_anchor)magazine. As a tool for satirizing celebrities and politicians, it couldn’t make it today – that’s what the Internet’s for. My one and only too! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/6 "2014-06-03T17:22:04Z")
Some magazines I miss are still around, but they’ve changed so much, effectively “my” magazine is dead. I miss Omni, Starlog, Science '80, TV Guide (the “real” one, not the crap that exists now), Popular Hot Rodding (it “died” about 1980, if you ask me, but was still in print not so long ago). ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/7 "2014-06-03T17:25:46Z")
Cracked, I don’t know if the magazine is still available but the online version isn’t the same. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/8 "2014-06-03T17:33:46Z")
Jane magazine. [XOJane.com](http://XOJane.com) isn’t quite the same. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/9 "2014-06-03T17:42:18Z")
**Command** - it’s a wargaming magazine, the perfect mix of historical background and game complexity. It went new places with game mechanics and topics, current ones don’t even try. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/10 "2014-06-03T17:46:12Z")
Eerie Creepy Savage Sword of Conan… and of course, the Weekly World News. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/11 "2014-06-03T17:56:00Z")
**Hit Parader** (still around) and **Circus** , but I think I really just miss being a teen in the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/12 "2014-06-03T17:58:41Z")
Another vote for Omni. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/13 "2014-06-03T18:02:23Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > **Hit Parader** (still around) and **Circus** , but I think I really just miss being a teen in the 90s. How about the best rock and roll magazine that ever existed-_Crawdaddy!_? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/14 "2014-06-03T18:06:36Z")
The 70s and 80s versions of **Popular Photography** and **Modern Photography**. Yes, I know there is a current PopPhot and it pretty much swallowed up (or merged with) ModPhot, but it is nowhere near the same. ModPhot had nuts and bolts and PopPhot had techniques galore, both crossing over into each other’s forte, too. Any month growing up as a photographer, I could get my tech-y fix, learn new (to me) techniques, and see what was happening all over the wonderful world of photography. Online sources, such as dpreview and others, are nice, but there was just something major cool about holding those mags in my hands, reading them on lunch breaks, going back to an older issue in my pile to reread something based on a current Q, etc… Even **Shutterbug** has changed with the times. I get it online now, via my tablet. The way **Sky & Telescope** has changed over the decades is a little disappointing, as well. I _liked_ the boring details, ya know? One super important current plus for me, tho, is the online customizable sky chart. Adjustable to my exact location for any time of day (or night). Try doing _that_ in a dead tree mag! I know it’s mostly because of the changing landscape of publishing, and some things are actually better now, but I can still miss those old rags, right? 😉 **OMNI** ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/15 "2014-06-03T18:49:40Z")
As a kid I spent countless hours reading Cracked and Mad but I can’t say I miss them now because I’m not their audience anymore but I loved them back then. I miss Computer Gaming World. But when it was in its heyday. The issues were sometimes over 200 pages long and had real journalism. It became a shell of its former self and then died. As a kid and teenager I loved pouring over TV Guides each week. The articles. The Cheers and Jeers and planning what shows I would watch. I would often check the schedules of the movie channels for any late night “To Be Announced” entries because they would often be premieres of movies months before they were supposed to air (it was often near the end of the year so I assume they did it for tax purposes). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/16 "2014-06-03T21:48:47Z")
Definitely miss National Lampoon I also miss many SF magazines: Aboriginal SF Realms of Fantasy Galaxy Worlds of If Fantastic (especially in the Barry Malzberg era) Omni In general magazines, I miss Newsweek. I subscribed for over 30 years, but quit just before the end when they tried to be relevent. To a certain extent, I miss the original Life, which I read as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/17 "2014-06-03T21:50:59Z")
Wow, I thought I’d come in here and be the only one to mention _Spy_ and here it’s already received a couple of mentions. I guess great minds do think alike. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/18 "2014-06-03T22:04:42Z")
The British kids magazine [Look and Learn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Look_and_Learn) damn well educated me as a kid in the 70s: the breadth and quality of the articles was astonishing, and the artwork was captivating. [Here’s a sample](http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/): it’s amazing to reflect that this stuff was pitched at 12 year olds, and very successfully. If I have a love of history now, this magazine is why. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/19 "2014-06-03T22:08:57Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > As a kid and teenager I loved pouring over TV Guides each week. The articles. The Cheers and Jeers and planning what shows I would watch. I would often check the schedules of the movie channels for any late night “To Be Announced” entries because they would often be premieres of movies months before they were supposed to air (it was often near the end of the year so I assume they did it for tax purposes). TV Guide magazine is still being published. (I know, I’m as surprised as you are, but I verified it.) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931/20 "2014-06-03T22:09:44Z")
3-2-1 Contact was my favorite as a kid. I miss it in the nostalgic sense. Entertainment Weekly has experienced the magazine version of “network decay”. I miss it from 5-10 years ago. It was for the masses, but was a lot smarter. Back when Stephen King wrote an article every now and then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-magazines-do-you-miss/689931.md?page=2)