# What's the most obscure general circulation periodical publication? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2014, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076 "2014-12-01T22:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/21 "2014-12-02T14:24:18Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I recently heard about **Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot** , a magazine for home weavers. > > That’s people who weave at home, not people who weave _a_ home. Similarly there’s “Knit n’ Spin”, which drives me crazy as they obviously so wanted to name it “Knit on it and Spin”. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/22 "2014-12-02T15:00:26Z")
More on my above-referenced American Book Review, the publisher of that is also the founder of the critical theory journal “symplokē”, which by all accounts is a super-niche publication for a few super-intellectuals who have heard about it, also published in the same dusty south Texas town over a hundred miles from the nearest airport. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/23 "2014-12-02T15:21:46Z")
Recall, the OP did exclude academic journals. We all know that there are very specialized disciplines which have their own literature. (So I apologize for including Library Resources and Technical Services.) ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/24 "2014-12-02T18:12:27Z")
The UK quiz show ‘have I got news for you’ has a round that often includes these. Here’s a list of the ones that have appeared over the years. I’m ashamed to admit that I used to work for a publishing company that has several entries on that list. My favourite was ‘plastics and rubber weekly’. Is there so much innovation in that world that a monthly magazine wouldn’t be enough? > **[User:Pseudomonas/Guest Publications on Have I Got News for You](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Pseudomonas/Guest_Publications_on_Have_I_Got_News_for_You)** > > This article has been nominated for deletion here. Whilst I agree it's not encyclopaedic, it is pretty damn cool, so I'm just putting it here until I get round to putting it on an external website for posterity > The final round on Have I Got News for You (HIGNFY) is usually "Missing Words", where the panel has to complete partially obscured headlines of national papers from the past week. > Since the second episode of Series 6, it has usually featured a "guest publication", an obscure magazine or... ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/25 "2014-12-02T22:51:10Z")
Maybe “Fate” magazine. Journal of Fortean like content ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/26 "2014-12-03T14:35:53Z")
Oh no. Not obscure at all. Verrrrry popular. (Can’t get it’s shit together and send us itself on a regular basis though.) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/27 "2014-12-03T15:26:37Z")
Soldier of Fortune maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/28 "2014-12-03T18:59:16Z")
Also not obscure - we don’t get it but people ask for it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/29 "2014-12-04T00:17:43Z")
For many years, I’ve seen a magazine at Barnes & Noble called “KMT”. Very few people would even have a clue what it’s about, but I do remember my 9th grade history class. It’s a magazine for Egyptologists. I think “Cigar Aficionado” is awfully specialized, too. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/30 "2014-12-04T07:15:52Z")
I suspect that most of the publications mentioned so far have circulations in the thousands or tens of thousands. [_LF Examiner_](http://lfexaminer.com) is a print newsletter for the people who make and show large-format (hence LF) or giant-screen films, aka IMAX films. It focuses primarily on the original science and nature documentaries made specifically for museums and science centers, not so much on the Hollywood features that Imax Corporation now converts for multiplexes. It serves an industry of about 2,000 - 3,000 people worldwide (a pretty small universe of potential subscribers) and has circulation of about 200 copies nine times a year. I doubt you will hear about a smaller publication that is operated as a business, rather than as a hobby. Much smaller and it couldn’t support a single-person operation. How do I know about it? I’m the editor and publisher. (Fortunately, my wife has a much more lucrative job.) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/31 "2014-12-04T14:13:48Z")
Three that I subscribe to are _Mythprint_, _Mythlore_, and _The New York Review of Science Fiction_: > **[Mythopoeic Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythopoeic_Society)** > > The Mythopoeic Society (MythSoc) is a non-profit organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and C. S. Lewis, all members of The Inklings, an informal group of writers who met weekly in C. S. Lewis' rooms at Magdalen College, Oxford, from the early 1930s through late 1949. > The Mythopoeic Society was founded in 1967 by Glen H. GoodKnight. Originally composed of discussion groups based in the Los Angeles area, it expande... > **[The New York Review of Science Fiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Review_of_Science_Fiction)** > > The New York Review of Science Fiction is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarship. For the first 24 years, it was published by David G. Hartwell's Dragon Press, but with the start of volume 25, it has shifted to publisher Kevin J. Maroney's Burrowing Wombat Press. > The journal is indexed in the MLA International Bibliography and other s... They all have several hundred subscribers, I’d guess. _The New York Review of Science Fiction_ may even break a thousand. _Mythprint_ and _The New York Review of Science Fiction_ are now mostly distributed online. I’m not sure if I’d call these academic journals or not. While _Mythlore_ and _The New York Review of Science Fiction_ do print articles that are of the quality of academic papers, the readers are mostly unaffiliated with academia. They are fans of the subjects of these periodicals. _Mythprint_ is just a newsletter though. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/32 "2014-12-04T16:40:32Z")
The oddest niche magazine my library gets (unsolicited and unpayed for) is [The Pumper](http://www.pumper.com/): “Dedicated to the liquid waste industry.” Of special interest is their cover story on the year’s [“Classiest Truck.”](http://www.pumper.com/blog/2014/12/vote_for_the_classiest_truck1) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/33 "2014-12-04T18:14:32Z")
But I don’t want to see the classiest truck! I want to see the least classy truck! I want the one with the best poop related pun! ETA - for awhile we got a gift subscription to a magazine for fuschia enthusiasts. The plant, not the color. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/34 "2014-12-04T18:16:28Z")
“The Star”, published by the the National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana, was a staple of public libraries until its print run ended in 2001. The Hansen’s Disease Museum still publishes an online newsletter. [http://www.fortyandeight.org/the-star/](http://www.fortyandeight.org/the-star/) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/35 "2014-12-04T18:45:46Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > “The Star”, published by the the National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana, was a staple of public libraries until its print run ended in 2001. The Hansen’s Disease Museum still publishes an online newsletter. > > [http://www.fortyandeight.org/the-star/](http://www.fortyandeight.org/the-star/) Yes, things really fell off after circulation dropped to almost zero. Regards, Shodan sorry ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/36 "2014-12-04T19:23:02Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > But I don’t want to see the classiest truck! I want to see the least classy truck! I want the one with the best poop related pun! > > ETA - for awhile we got a gift subscription to a magazine for fuschia enthusiasts. The plant, not the color. Fuchsia. Frequently misspelled. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/37 "2014-12-04T19:26:17Z")
See, if our anonymous donor hadn’t stopped giving us that magazine I might have known that. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/38 "2014-12-04T20:19:38Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > But I don’t want to see the classiest truck! I want to see the least classy truck! I want the one with the best poop related pun! For full poop pun usage, the names of porta-potty companies can’t be beat: [Tee-Pee Septic](http://teepeeseptic.com/TeePee_Septic/Home.html) [Johnny on the Spot [URL=“http://www.dumpandrun.com.au/”]Dump and Run](http://www.johnnyonthespotinc.com/) [Full Moon Rentals](http://www.fullmoonrentals.com/Welcome.html) [Oui Oui Enterprises](http://www.thebluebook.com/ch/htm/0044682400000.shtml) [Doodie Calls](http://www.superpages.com/bp/New-Orleans-LA/Doodie-Calls-Inc-L2063350080.htm) [Willy Make It?](http://www.willymakeit.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/39 "2014-12-04T20:53:54Z")
When my parents needed one for construction I told them to go with the one with the funniest name. Royal Flush unfortunately did not call them back, so they ended up with Farmer John. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2014, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076/40 "2014-12-05T01:53:43Z")
[Grit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit_%28newspaper%29)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-obscure-general-circulation-periodical-publication/706076.md?page=3)