Magazine Gift Ideas

Magazines make great gifts. There, I've said it.

There was a time in my life when I would never have thought of giving a magazine subscription as a gift to someone. I wanted something tangible, something I could wrap, something the gift recipient could unwrap. But now, friends and family are scattered. If I have to wrap something, I also have to ship it, which is not that much fun. When the recipient unwraps his or her gift - assuming it got there in one piece - I won't be there to watch. You don't have these issues with magazine subscriptions, but that's not the best part.

The best part about giving someone a magazine subscription as a gift is that the person gets a gift from you over and over again, throughout the year.

My first subscription gift was to my mother. She loves Vermont, and I got her a gift subscription to Vermont Life. Two great things occurred. First, Mom could not return the gift. (She returns everything.) Second, she'd call me up every time she got the magazine, telling me about one of the great articles she'd just read. Following that success, a friend was given a subscription to Cook's Illustrated. "Beyond perfect," was how she subscribed the magazine to me, over and over again.

There's really no great secret to giving magazine subscriptions as gifts. Choose one of the recipient's interests, choose an appropriate magazine, and there you have it. I've listed some specific ideas below.

	If you think I'm overstating the case by saying that Cook's Illustrated is the best magazine in the world, you've probably never seen a copy. Anyone who has the least interest in cooking would adore this magazine. It is beyond helpful. From the publisher: Cook's Illustrated provides readers with recipes, cooking techniques, and product and food recommendations extensively developed in our extensive Test Kitchen facility - the same kitchen featured on our cooking show, America's Test Kitchen.
	There's probably no sense in getting someone who lives in Michigan a subscription to Southern Living magazine; but if you know someone who does live in the South, this is the perfect gift. Most people think of Southern Living for the great recipes, but there's also information on gardening, homes, and more. From the publisher: This magazine is edited for and concerns the tastes and interests of contemporary Southerners. The magazine regularly traces developments in the areas of travel and recreation, homes and building, gardening and landscaping and food and entertaining.
	Now that we've covered things that taste good, let's discuss things in good taste. Smithsonian Magazine is (dare I use the word?) classy. It's interesting, it's absorbing, it's appreciated by men and women, and it appeals to both Democrats and Republicans. What more can one ask for? From the publisher: This magazine chronicles the arts, environment, sciences and popular culture of the times. It is edited for modern, well-rounded individuals with diverse, general interests. Each subscription includes a membership to the Smithsonian Institution which provides special discounts at Smithsonian gift shops, world travel opportunities through Smithsonian study tours and information on all Smithsonian events in any area.
	Condé Nast Traveler is a great gift for all types of travelers, including armchair travelers. It's wonderful when you're looking for vacation ideas, and there are all sorts of helpful ideas about how to travel in style. From the publisher: The editorial focus of this magazine is to provide the experienced traveler an array of diverse travel experiences encompassing art, architecture, fashion, culture, cuisine and shopping. It also offers tips for general travel and travel savings.
	People like opera or they don't. I'm not trying to convert anyone here, but if you have someone on your gift list who does like opera, he or she will be forever grateful for a subscription to this fine magazine. (If your intended gift recipient should, however, prefer rock music, all is not lost; just get the person a subscription to Rolling Stone.) From the publisher: To inform, engage and entertain the U.S. opera audience with special emphasis given to opera on radio, television, CDs and video.
	And finally, there's Harper's Magazine. Here's another choice that's tasteful and appropriate for just about anyone on your gift list - of course, it will help matters if he or she is of the literate sort, and being open-minded would also be a plus. From the publisher: Edited to cover current social, political, cultural, scientific and economic issues. It includes reporting, essays, fiction and memoirs by distinguished writers and promising new voices. It regularly features a statistical index, short cuts from international texts and analysis of current media.

A few more magazine ideas - including those that are quirky and/or special interest in nature:

We have a page devoted just to poker magazines - which, now that we think of it, is a bit odd, because there are only two of them...... It's probably because we like poker........

Thanks to the nice folks at Google, you can search our site for a particular term or phrase: