100 Years of magazine covers

We've all had the experience of looking at a five- or ten-year old magazine and being surprised at how old-fashioned it looks. For instance, I was looking at the Golden Anniversary issue of Esquire published in December, 1983 and was amazed at how dated the layouts were, at the continuing excellence in illustration. I laughed out loud at times (mostly at the ads for such things as the then-brand-new personal computers).

Black Dog Publishing of Britain has published 100 Years of Magazine Covers, a book likely to create similar amazement and amusement. Written by Steve Taylor and designed by Neville Brody, it has images ranging through the history of Vogue, Life, Time, The New Yorker, Mayfair, as well as more subversive publications such as Oz and Sniffing Glue. A real chronicle of popular culture on both sides of the Atlantic.

"If you pick up a copy of this week’s Heat magazine in 30 years time, think how funny it will seem," says the Black Dog website. "Our obsession with D list celebrities’ private lives, weight loss and reality TV shows, will become ridiculous in the light of tomorrow’s trends.

"Magazines provide us with snapshots of moments in cultural history. Their disposable nature means that they have to sell quickly, and their covers vie for attention on the shelves with images of beauty, sex, shock, humour and celebrity; presenting our fears, desires and aspirations crudely and honestly. When looked at retrospectively, they become fascinating documents that can tell us more about our past self-image than any academic text."

Nominally $59.95 in Canada (£29.95 in the U.K.), Amazon.ca is offering the book for $37.77 (plus shipping) as a pre-order (the book will be released here May 1).

Thanks to Design Edge Canada for the heads-up on this publication.