Under the supreme tutelage of Editor Lewis Lapham, Harper's Magazine consistently churns out intense, dramatic, sincere, frightening, uplifting, and challenging commentary. If others in the media censor their opinions in the face of big brother, Harper's makes up for it with brutally honest assessments of culture, politics, and world affairs.
At first look, Harper's seems a leftist publication, but if you read it a little more carefully, it's a lot more Mark Twain than Karl Marx. I'd call it centrist, but even that implies straddling the center between two extremes. Like Twain, Harper's is more of a somewhat irascible, yet always caring voice on the outside, not on one end of the spectrum or another, but rather on a different spectrum altogether.
The attitude is egalitarian, never pompous. The voices are reasonable, if sometimes angry or alarmed. Harper's is definitely not a liberal magazine in the sense of Marxist socialism. Harper's is liberal in the sense of Jeffersonian liberalism. It's opinions seem more focused on improving local cultures and economies and challenging the demagogues and central planners who seek to control the masses, be they Democrat or Republican. Perhaps Harper's is the Jim Jeffords of the magazine world.
Harper's is an eloquent and impassioned magazine that delivers carefully constructed and inventive views of the world each month. There is an overriding sense of seriousness and genuine compassion found in every issue. In a world where so many media sources are merely parrots for a larger corporate or political agendas, Harper's stands out as an autonomous voice of indignant opposition to censorship and blind nationalism. If you care about the world we all inhabit and genuinely want to discover how we might all get to a better place, give Harper's a read. It may not provide the answers, but it certainly raises all the right questions.
Here's a quick breakdown:
1. Harpers will feed your need for the trivial. The Index is a fascinating collection of facts and figures, and the front-of-book section is probably one of the most quirky, laugh-out-loud funny and stimulating in the business.
2. Great fiction. Some up-and-comers submit, along with some old pros (a recent story by Joyce Carol Oates was outstanding)
3. Great features. Some great topics, albeit a lot of environmental stuff, it's still well-rounded and well-informed. Great ones I've read recently include a look at maids, SUVs, education reform and more.
I can see why people might not like this magazine because it appears to be "uppity." In fact, the only thing that annoys me about this magazine is the letters to the editor, where all of the Ivy-league intellectuals write in and try to prove how smart they are. But I think the appeal is more widespread than that. And you'll be paying less than a dollar an issue -you'll definitely get your money's worth.
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I finally received a subscription to this amazing magazine as a gift, and I've read my first issue cover-to-cover over the span of two days. This month's (February 2003) issue includes, among other things, an essay on the inevitable doom that humans will eventually face when our planet experiences its next major cosmic collision.. Unless, of course, we manage to annihilate ourselves via environmental, militaristic, pathological, or technological means, pre-empting the arbitrary extinction caused by an asteroid or comet.
Every issue of Harper's contains excellent essays, fiction, political discussion, and of course the Harper's staples, such as the Index. Many of the stories and essays win major literary prizes such as the O'Henry award, and get included in high-profile anthologies such as the *Best American* series. Certainly, for a writer, if you are chosen to appear in Harper's, you are at the pinnacle of your craft.
Although the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and many other smaller literary magazines consistantly offer excellent content and visually pleasing formats, Harper's seems to lead the pack -maybe because of it's no-nonsense approach, limited advertising, regionally non-specific content, and diversity of topics. The fact that Harper's is aided by a non-profit organization must contribute to its quality; certainly any independence from advertisers can only improve the open-endedness and creativity that Harper's excels in.
Read Best Reviews of Harper's Magazine Here
In the several years since my retirement, I have come to wait by my trusty old rusted metal mailbox around the third or fourth of every month, waiting for my monthly issue of two magazines, the Atlantic Monthly and Harpers. Each in iuts own way is likely the best amalgams of intellectual articles on a variety of subjects one can find in contemporary America, and each features a stable of highly regarded writers and authors. For good reason; from subjects as arcane as the supposed imminent fall of the Soviet union based on demographic and economic analysis in the mid-1980s to the recent synopsis of former spy Robert Baer regarding the evils of dealing with the highly corrupted Saudi regime, the magazine consistently offers an erudite, informative, and provocative look at aspects of contemporary reality one cannot find elsewhere.
Needless to say, I really enjoy reading Harpers, especially under the guidance of editor Lewis lapham, and its articles often lead me on Amazon searches for tomes by the talented authors, which in the case of said author Robert Baer, or perpetually sagacious satirist P.J. O'Rourke, or a whole raft of noteable others. All of them lead to some worthwhile reading experiences indeed. It avoids the trendy, so we are spared the suffering through the latest and greatest mass experiences in favor of intellectual roads less traveled, being grassy and rather wont of wear, makes for better and more satisfying traveling, whether trudging through the snow with my Wintertime Dunham Tyroleans or padding down grassy fields in my summertime Birkenstocks. Just keep on trucking! Enjoy!
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Harper's, like the Atlantic and The New Yorker is written for those looking for more in-depth analysis and coverage on political and cultural affairs with a sampling of serious literary prose. Personally I prefer the Atlantic, which I read regularly, only picking up Harper's when I have time and something in it interests me, which is usually two or three times a year.
Just looking at the cover and pages inside convey Harper's as a serious tome, perhaps too serious for the casual reader, especially compared to the more colorful pages of the Atlantic and playful New Yorker cartoons. Nevertheless, Harper's is an American icon in it's genre having published many articles from great names since it's inception in 1850.
A number of reviewers complain about it being left leaning and that stance clearly sprouts from the now recently departed editor Lewis Lapham, who has been an outspoken critic of the current administration. Mr. Lapham shares his views in a two page opinion piece and in the full page listing of various "fun facts" known as the Harper's Index. Serious readers will be able to get beyond this as simply a "viewpoint" and see the entire magazine for the serious writing that it is. I would contend this represents the best in "critical analysis" rather than bias. I would also simply suggest you view the other reviews made by people espousing this periodical as overly biased. For instance, at least one of those claiming liberal bias here is also praising an Ann Coulter book.
So if you feel underwhelmed by the typical content you get even in a 60 minute broadcast or a political round table free-for-all and you're interested enough in this magazine to read it's reviews, you should probably pick up a copy of it for two or three months and give it a try. I recommend you also check out The New Yorker and the Atlantic to compare.
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Good quick scan of what's new in the sciences. I've subscribed for over 10 years It use to be a 16 page weekly that had short concise pithy summaries of the latest news in science with reference to original source. It was clearly the best summary for busy folk or those just preferring a quick titillating overview. In recent years they switched to a 32 page format every two weeks. At the same time the article quality seemed slip a bit getting more verbose and longer. The genre of the adds also changed. I'm guessing in response to economic pressures. In frustration, I looked for a replacement, but Science News is still the best broad field science overview I have found including science blogs available via Kindle. Most articles are still short at a paragraph or two to half a page with one or two longer feature articles. Relevant color photo graphs are also included. If you are at all interested, it is worth a try. I find articles that relate to work (Medical device R&D), that my wife, kids, friends and I discuss, and that relate to various books I'm reading. Besides entertaining for those interested in learning, I find it a nidus of serendipity.
