Artilleryman

If you are interested in American Civil War artillery, this is THE reference for you. Coggins book is great for most first level study, but this magazine and their authors is certainly the next level. I have been a subscriber of their earlier mag, The Muzzle Loading Artilleryman...back in the 70s. The Paulsen brothers have been 'figuring-out' ACW cannon that long and first hand. They helped me determine the rate of fire for a 10lb Parrot rifle...since the rounds were so tight that the round's sabot had to be chiseled for it to slide down the rifle barrel. The ammo wasn't fixed either so the rate of fire was slow compared to the Howitzers and Napoleons...hence artillerymen of the time liked the smooth bores better, even 6 lbers!

The quality of the print is excellent, the format is comfortable, and the article selection is also decidedly diverse enough to keep your interest.

If you need info on ACW arty, ask the authors! They are a valuable resource and quick to aid your particular interest.

If you are a re-enactor, this is an invaluable aide to improve your 1st person impression as they have a terrific amount of knowledge on sighting devices, loads, and lanyards.

You won't go wrong with this valuable resource! Get it today!

"Dedicated to the advancement of safety and skill in the exhibition and competition shooting of muzzle loading cannon and mortar"....

Have been subscribing for decades, and "Artilleryman" covers all aspects of historical and antique artillery; News, History, How to do, Classified Ads, Safety, Reenacting, Competition, and much more.

Simply the best.

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First Things

If you have never picked up a copy of "First Things" you need to do so today. There is simply nothing else even remotely like it. No amount of praise could be too lavish for this magazine.

"First Things" an interfaith religious magazine. Yes, I said religious, a word hovering on the brink of the suspect list lately. The magazine does lean to Catholic and Protestant issues, although I have read articles by Jewish writers as well.

In this month's issue (May 08) there are articles on whether or not Shakespeare was Catholic, the ethics of immigration, a very interesting article on marriage, and a warm and personal reflection on William F Buckley. Also a comparison between hard-core atheists like Nietzsche, Freud, and Marx, and the new, soft-core atheists like Dawkins and Hitchens, who call God evil, even though "in order to make such value judgements one must assume, as the hard-core atheists are honest enough to acknowledge, that there exists somewhere, in some mode of being, a realm of rightness that does not owe its existence completely to human invention, Darwinian selection, or social construction (p 75).

You need it to keep abreast of the gossip about the breakup of your favorite mainline denomination and the outrages of liturgical dumb bunnies! To cleanse your mind after an hour spent watching the bilge that television producers call entertainment! To keep your sanity as western civilization collapses!

You need it as a gift to a student leaving to be brainwashed in one of our universities.

You need it as the perfect gift for those atheist friends of yours who claim all believers are barely sentient.

And, of course, it is an obviously necessary gift to yourself.

The journal "First Things" fills an important niche in the intellectual landscape of the ever-changing marketplace of ideas. It is, as its description states "the journal of religion, culture, and public life." In my humble opinion the definite article in the description is well deserved since "First Things" has positioned itself as the definitive journal on those three subjects and especially on their intersection and interplay. The ordering of the importance those three subjects from the description also reflects more or less accurately how prominently they are covered in the pages of the "First Things." The journal has gained considerable reputation for its unapologetic stance on the role of religion in public life, especially when it comes to politics. This is one of the thorniest issues that is often misunderstood: religion, just like any other ethical system, can and should inform those decisions that are relevant for the common good.

The editor-in-chief of the magazine is father Richard John Neuhaus. He is a public intellectual par excellence and someone whose opinion and knowledge I admire a great deal. His mega-column/article "The Public Square" is a regular feature in every issue of the "First Things."

Besides "The Public Square" each issue of "First Things" has several lengthy in-depth articles, a few shorter opinion pieces, book reviews, correspondence and poems. Over the years contributors to the "First Things" have included Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), Avery Cardinal Dulles, Christoph Schönborn, George Weigel, Stephen Webb, R. R. Reno, Timothy George, Stephen Barr, Joseph Bottum, Michael Novak, and many, many others.

All past issues of "First Things" (older than two months) can be found on the journal's website () and I would strongly urge anyone who is interested in finding out more about this wonderful publication to visit the website. In addition, the website features a daily blog article that cannot be found in the journal itself.

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First Things is a thoughtful magazine with articles that will still be worth reading ten years from now. Like Atlantic Monthly, Touchstone, New Yorker, or Foreign Policy, First Things is filled with ideas that are analytical and thoughtful. Unlike all of those aforementioned publications, the viewpoints found in First Things are decidedly Catholic, and the focus of the magazine is on social or religious issues.

I have been a subscriber to First Things for fifteen years now, and an admirer of Richard John Neuhaus, the editor (died in 2009), an intellectual tour-de-force. Since the death of Neuhaus, the publication has taken on a distinctively different look; for example, the front cover, which used to feature the contents as a teaser to what might be found within the magazine, now displays a black and white line drawing, symbolic of some topic covered inside. The new editor of the magazine, Joseph Bottum, has improved the magazine by making it more visually appealing.

First Things: Within the spectrum of Catholic and Jewish thought, it contains wide-ranging articles and reports on how religion and society interact. It's definitely a publication worth reading, especially for an evangelical such as I.

W.T. (Ted) Hinds

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I never know what to expect from an issue of First Things, only that the content will delight, surprise, and satisfy me. The latest issue, for instance, carried three intriguing headlines on the cover "Cicero is a Superstar" "Pete Seeger is a Communist" and "Mitch Albom is an Idiot." Wonderful! I didn't know where to begin!

This magazine is a right of center look at the interaction of Religion and Culture from a generally Catholic point of view. Being Catholic, the "right of center" can often be very different than the main stream right of center perspective portrayed in the popular media. The positions are more thoughtful, and on issues such as immigration, you can feel the concern for both the immigrant and the native in their writing.

The book reviews are always worth reading, even if you never intend to pick up the books discussed. They get some powerhouse names to write some of the reviews, and this being a more serious magazine than some of these writers usually show up in, you can see their mind at a stronger task than you usually do. I'm thinking particullarly of a few National Review writers who I wish would write in the NR at the same level of seriousness they approach writing in FT.

***Compared to when Neuhas ran the show?***

How does this magazine stack up to what it used to be, in Neuhaus' capable hands? It is being passed, like all good traditions, to the new generation (which, truth be told, is mostly the old generation, minus Newhaus).

The articles are just as good. The letters to the editor are still the strongest of any magazine I read. The book reviews are as compelling. Joseph Bottum is still trying to figure out how to make The Public Square his own, but he has some very impressive shoes to fillit'll take some time to get there, but I have no doubt he'll find a way to honor the past while moving forward in his own way.

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First Things magazine is a valuable guide to faith, culture & world events. It represents eccumanism of CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity" veriety, not of the lowest common denominator.

If you want to know what commited & intelligent believers are thinking & talking about, look no further!

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Food & Wine (1-year auto-renewal)

"Food & Wine" is a classic doctor's office magazine, particularly if that doctor is a plastic surgeon. The target audience is clearly affluent, but the advice and articles work for most anyone.

The magazine offers a wide-ranging, monthly look at several topics: home; travel; restaurant overviews; general cooking info with recipes and tips on quick meal prep; healthy eating/lifestyle; and a few wine-related articles, including food pairings and an insights into wine types and varietals.

The layout of the magazine is easy on the eyes. The design (photography and text) is in keeping with other magazine of this genre; in short, it is high-quality, but not groundbreaking. For the visually-challenged, though, the font size selection is definitely on the small side. As for the writing, it is neither better or worse than the competition. At between 100 and 120 pages, "Food & Wine" is perhaps a bit skimpy page-wise, but still average for the cover price. And while there are many ads for upper crust products, the magazine wisely clusters them in such a way that articles are less broken up over scattered pages than some other magazines a nice touch.

The recipes reflect the current trends multi-ethnic, Puck-ish, and with a bent for unusual pairings of ingredients. But to their credit, a simple scan of the recipes shows few of the bizarre, impossible-to-find ingredients that are the bread and butter of some other gourmet magazines.

Good magazine for a decent price that makes it worthwhile for even us "commoners".

Food and Wine is a pretty good magazine for those who enjoy the finer things in life when it comes to unusual cuisine and expensive fermented beverages. This publication is usually very longover 250 pagesand its packed full of recipes, travel excursions to wine growing regions, and general facts about different varieties of wine and where to find them.

One thing about this magazine that surprised me at first is the emphasis on the food. I know the magazine is titled "Food and Wine", but my initial impression was that this would be a magazine devoted entirely to wine with occasional mention of the foods that go with wine. It isn't like that at all. The food sections and the recipes are just as important as the featured wines. Recipes are so frequent, in fact, that the magazine even has an index located near the front with all the recipes listed by food type, showing the page number to turn to for the recipe.

Besides the frequent talk about food and wine, this magazine is also dedicated to entertaining. I have heard it suggested that this magazine should change its name to "Food, Wine, and Entertainment". It would make sense, because conviviality and highclass partying are certainly an important component of this magazine.

There is one thing about Food and Wine that I wish was different. I appreciate the factual information and I like the personal touch that you find in some of the stories about winery owners, chefs, and the like. But I think Food and Wine gets a little too sidetracked from time to time in its reporting. For example, it is common to find stories that talk about subjects like home decorating. This would be fine in a magazine about home design, but I don't think it belongs in a magazine like this.

Overall, this is still a good publication. Lovers of great eats and fine drinks will enjoy it the most. It's worth taking a look, if nothing else, just for the recipes. Even if you're not a frequent imbiber of the fruit of the vine, there is still something of interest to be found in the pages of this magazine.

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I subscribed to Food & Wine for a while and was continuously disappointed. The articles are on the superficial side and more importantly a lot of the recipes and product reviews are not as well researched as they should have been. I experienced more than one flop trying their stuff. The magazine tries very hard to be trendy and pick up the latest and greatest in the cooking and restaurant scene without being careful enough in deciding what is actually an important or meaningful trend rather than a fad. This magazine can't hold a candle to "Bon Appetit" or "Gourmet".

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I subscribed to this magizine for a year and liked it. I typically don't get more than one year of a subscription to this kind of magizine because collecting many years worth of magizines is more trouble to keep, and look through for recipies than what is practical.

One years worth of this magizine has given me a wide range of recipies and ideas for dinners and wine selections. My complaint is that most of the recipies use a lot of hard to find and expensive ingredients. If you're on a grocery budget, you'll be quite limited. It has articles about putting together dinner parties, and pictures of the home and guests the dinner parties are held in. In this, I found it interresting to see how different people live....although I doubt I'd ever end up at a posh dinner party discussing my summer beach house, winter ski lodge, and that great set of $80 per peice china that I just had to have....I'm more likely to be at a potluck of mix n match dishes.

Although I don't have exotic ingredients at my disposal, I have been able to alter many of the ideas presented to better fit my needs and time constraints. I found the issue las Thanksgiving on how to do a big thanksgiving dinner very usefull, and incoperated many of the recipies into thanksgiving and christmas dinners with great success.

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There are more highly regarded cooking magazines out there, but this one works for me for one simple reason: The recipes are generally dishes that I enjoy cooking, and I have yet to get a dud out of here. For the somewhat ambitious amateur like myself, this magazine works well without being too obscure.

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Militaer Und Geschichte

This is an excellent German military history magazine. It is written in German and there are 6 issues per year. Each magazine has 50 pages. The topics cover all global military topices, but with focus on Germany and Europe. Majority of topics are about WW2, WW1, Prussia, and European military history.

Example topics are: Stalingrad, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Waterloo, Sinking of the Bismarck, Kamikaze, Operation Desert Storm, German Unification Wars 1864-1871, Pocket of Falaise, Battle of Verdun, Joan of Arc, Battle of Sewastopol 1942, Battle of Cambrai 1917, The Seven-Year War of Fredrick the Great, The Red Baron, Sparta, Battle in the Alps 1915-1918, General Guderian, Kursk 1943, D-Day, Blitzkrieg, Battle of Koeniggraetz 1866, Kreta 1941, etc.

A few of these magazines come with a DVD (so far 3 of the issues had a DVD with a documentation movie included). So far (Nov 2011) there have been 54 issues and 2 special editions.

There is one main topic in each magazine which covers around 1/3 of the magazine, while the rest of the articles are shorter. The magazine is easy to read, has great maps and photos.

While this is of course not a deep dive into a specific topic, it is a good summary and also a perfect introduction into historical topics and afterwards readers can then look for more in depth literature if they want to learn more about a speicfic topic.

This magazine also covers many battles and topics which are barely known, e.g. the German Farmer Wars in the 16th century, war in the Alps 1915-1918 (with DVD), the Battle of Lueneburg 1813 (first battle won by German forces against Napolean) etc.

It is in German and therefore German language skills are required to enjoy this magazine. I love to take it on business trips, since it is an easy read for the airplane.

Early American Life

The best magazine choice for those interested in period furnishings, decor, and culture, and wishing to emulate the same today. This is not a magazine about jacuzzis but about history. In addition to interesting and inspiring features, Early American Life is a forum for artisans to advertise their skills and wares, equally valuable to readers.

This magazine never seems to run out of interesting articles with wonderful accompanying pictures. It's always fun and enlightening to pour over its contents.

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My mother subscribed to EAL for years and I recently came across an old copy and realized how much I had enjoyed the magazine. When I discovered that it was still being published I subscribed and the first issue just arrived this week. It is still a delightful magazine for the those interested in by gone ways and antiques.

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American Poetry Review

I have enjoyed this publication for several years... Another reviewer here denigrates the quality of articles and poetry BUT in fact as with any poetry publication, there are writings that will appeal to you and stuff that you will dislike completely. After all, few fields are as filled with differing tastes and styles as poetry (I can't imagine a poetry publication where all poems are of universal appeal). The essays and articles will either be of interest to you or not. I usually find a few that are well worth the reading time and some that are excellent and others that are memorable. CAUTION: this is not a mass market publication. It can be demanding (after all, even a single poem can take time to read and re-read) and I rarely manage to find time to read the entire issue before the next one is available. RECOMMENDATION: Ignore the negative review... find a copy, read it and decide for yourself.

Your initial post: Dec 5, 2011 4:48:04 PM PST

Last edited by you 1 minute ago

Anne K. Smith / Greenwood S.C says:

American Poetry Review

If you like only light lyrical poetry with uplifting messages, this is not the magazine for you. There are many other periodicals that address more accessible poetry. The poems and articles in this magazine do demand more time and a background in writing and literature to fully appreciate them.

This reviewer says that he has been reading American Poetry for years, and says the poetry is usually awful and the writers are terrible. I question why he would continue to read the publication for years if he finds it so inferior to other literary magazines. Most people have a limited amount of time and would not continue to give so many chances to writing that has failed them so frequently. If I had not already been a reader and fan of APR, that alone would tempt me to read it. What is it that has pulled him back to it for years????

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I know APR is supposed to be one of the better poetry magazines out there, and I think it has one of the highest circulations of any poetry magazine, but it's more of the National Enquirer of poetry magazines. It's a large, newspaper-style format that contains mostly bad poetry and dull articles. You'd be better off subscribing to Poetry, The Hudson Review, The Texas Review, Tar River Poetry, or any number of other journals.

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Mostly ads and some bad some good poems to read. Found many poems inaccessible. More like a pulisher's ad sheet than a review of poetry.

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APR publishes in volume and, within self-imposed limitations of its editorial bias, in high quality. This alone sets it apart from most every other print outlet for poetry. I may like only 20% of what I read in a particular issue, but I am one who subscribes to the print version of the NYT to get the weekend Book Review section. The essays tend to the New Yorker / Harpers long format, or academic, or both -not easily skimmed.

APR, like most other literary magazines, suffers from the myopic view of most humanities publications: the editors tend to select writing that ignores goings-on in science, technology and interdisciplinary confluences.

This periodical has one disagreeable feature. The large format, low quality paper may attract some, but I find it in opposition to the very nature of poetry. There's something wrong about finding walked-over, muddy copies of APR on the floor of your local Starbucks along with used car ads from your local newspaper. Or would that be a good thing? I've subscribed off and on for a couple of decades, and it's, by design, not a satisfying collectible.

I tried reading it on Zinio over the last year, but the Zinio UI seems to have been designed by Martians.

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