' was an American magazine first published in the year 1947. It changed its name with the calendar and remained ' until its demise in 1948. Because its title changed with the year, it is indexed in libraries by its subtitle, ''The Magazine of the Year''. ' was a publication owned by hundreds of the best writers and artists of the day – owners who were also contributors. It was headed by

Clifton Fadiman Clifton Paul "Kip" Fadiman (May 15, 1904 – June 20, 1999) was an American intellectual, author, editor, and radio and television personality. He began his work in radio, and switched to television later in his career. Background Born in Brook ...

and among the writers who signed on were

Roy Chapman Andrews Roy Chapman Andrews (January 26, 1884 – March 11, 1960) was an American explorer, adventurer, and Natural history, naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He led a series of expeditions through the politi ...

, Roger Butterfield,

Ilka Chase Ilka Chase (April 8, 1905 – February 15, 1978) was an American actress, radio host, and novelist whose career spanned stage, film, and television. Born into a well-known New York family, she made her stage debut as a child and later became a ...

, Walter Van Tilburg Clark, Laura Z. Hobson, Howard Lindsay and Walter Lippmann. Included were John McNulty, Andy Rooney, Christopher Morley, Ogden Nash and S. J. Perelman. There were

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American author, muckraker journalist, and political activist, and the 1934 California gubernatorial election, 1934 Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

and Irving Wallace. The graphic artists Karsh and Marsh, Gropper, and Virgil Partch signed on. The magazine, on both pulp and coated paper, about the size of ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' and ''

Coronet In British heraldry, a coronet is a type of crown that is a mark of rank of non-reigning members of the royal family and peers. In other languages, this distinction is not made, and usually the same word for ''crown'' is used irrespective of ra ...

'', told of the changing times and of the new world coming. Readers in the forty-eight states learned about the territory of Alaska. FM broadcasting was going to give the air waves back to the listeners. Dr. Kinsey had some interesting news.

John Gunther John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an Americans, American journalist and writer. His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-sell ...

named all the white males who ran America. Social Security, a decade old, was reviewed. Rheumatic fever was a major killer of children. Nathaniel Benchley ventured "Up in Benchley's Room" and

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

recommended a few science books. Painter Jack Levine was hailed as a new young talent. A short story by

Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel '' Invisible Man'', which won the National Book Award in 1953. Ellison wrote '' Shadow and Act'' (1964), a co ...

, soon to be part of his new novel ''Invisible Man'', appeared. Tasteful nudes and mildly funny cartoons were not eschewed. ' was more expensive than some other magazines of its time. It cost 35 cents a copy at the newsstand, at a time when the weekly ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

'' cost 10 cents a copy (raised to 15 cents as of the November 15, 1947, issue). The magazine's run was not fully successful. Around September 1947, the magazine sent a postcard to subscribers, stating that until then, the magazine had "let everybody down" and been "flat, dull, ordinary". The postcard went on to inform readers that " ople have been fired, ideas and departments shelved", and that they would soon receive a ' which the editors could send out "(for the first time) with confidence and some pride". Early in 1948, the magazine began to run advertising. Nevertheless, in May of that year, ' wound up laying off its circulation department and then going to court for approval of a reorganization under the National Bankruptcy Act. According to ''Time'' magazine, despite the talents of its owner-contributors, ''The Magazine of the Year'' "had bought too much bottom-drawer stuff, because it could not afford the prices other magazines paid for top-drawer pieces". ''The Magazine of the Year'' came to an end with the June 1948 issue, after having published sixteen issues; at the time publisher Walter Ross ended publication, the magazine was $150,000 in debt after having cost its investors $700,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:47 1947 establishments in New York (state) 1948 disestablishments in New York (state) Monthly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1947 Magazines disestablished in 1948 Defunct magazines published in New York City

See also

References