A collection of magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles.
Magazines are typically published weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly or quarterly, with a date on the cover that is in advance of the date it is actually published. They are often printed in color on coated paper.
They fall into two broad categories: consumer magazines and business magazines.
Consumer magazines are aimed at the public and are usually available through retail outlets. They range from general-interest titles such as Time, Esquire and Cosmopolitan, which appeal to a broad spectrum of readers, to highly specialist titles covering particular hobbies, leisure pursuits or other interests. Among the hundreds or thousands of topics covered by specialist magazines are, for example, computer games, fishing, particular marques of automobile, particular kinds of music, and particular political interests.
While most of these magazines are available in the whole of the country in which they are published, some are specific to a local area, and a relatively small number are available internationally - often through localised editions so that, for example, the copy of Maxim bought in the USA does not contain the exact same articles as the edition on sale in the UK. Most make the bulk of their money from advertising, and earn a smaller amount from the purchase price paid by readers; a few are free.
The other broad category of magazine is the business magazine, sometimes called a trade magazine or B2B magazine (B2B standing for business-to-business]. These publications carry news and other information relevant to a particular profession or industry. Some are sold through retail outlets, and indeed some of the most general such as Forbes and Business Week are in many respects similar to the current-affairs-oriented consumer magazines.
However, many business magazines are available only, or predominantly, on subscription. In some cases these subscriptions are available to any person prepared to pay; in others, free subscriptions are available to readers who meet a set of criteria established by the publisher. This practice, known as controlled circulation, is intended to guarantee to advertisers that the readership is relevant to their needs. Very often the two models, of paid-for subscriptions and controlled circulation, are mixed. Advertising is also an important source of revenue for business magazines.
Although similar to a magazine in some respects, an academic periodical featuring scholarly articles written in a more specialist register is usually called a "journal". Such publications typically carry little or no advertising.
"Periodical" is the word usually used to describe magazines, journals, newspapers, newsletters, and anything else that is published in regular intervals for an indefinite period of time, but "serial" is sometimes used, especially in librarianship.
Many weekend newspapers incorporate magazine supplements, such as Parade and LIFE in its most recent incarnation, both in the USA, and the Sunday Times Magazine in the UK.
The Gentleman's Magazine, first published in 1731, is considered to be the first general-interest magazine. The oldest magazine still in print is The Scots Magazine, which was first published in 1739, though multiple changes in ownership and gaps in publication totaling over 90 years weaken that claim.
The most widely distributed magazine in the world is Reader's Digest (founded in 1922). Its worldwide circulation including all editions comprises 21 million copies and over 100 million readers.
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