Magazines GQ (1-year)
Books and Publications Average Rating:

Rating: - One of the most renowned magazines.
They really seem to have turned around with their new editor in chief, who came on board in the September issue. They have some cool stories, even if some of them do get continued in the back, but that just means (depending on how far along you are), that you have the rest of the mag to look forward to. I dont really like any of the style tips and the clothes, and depending on how big the issue is, you'll have to trudge through about 30 pages of ads, before u get to the first page of the TOC. It's nice to see an Editor's column (or page) now, even though this EIC seems to be just a little too arrogant. Like every mature men's mag, they review CD's and books. I'd say 8 out of 12 issues are usually thick, and I'm not sure if the September issue (their last monstrously huge issue) will be like that this year or not, Overall, it's still very interesting. I love the font they now use on the cover and in a couple of sections of the mag. Very tech like.

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Rating: - not worth it
Always a great magazine but do to the fact the subscription magazines are nearly 1/4th the size of the newstand editions, Im giving 1/4th the stars. Theres no cologne ads and getting it a day earlier then the stores really isnt that important to me.

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Rating: - Recent changes have ruined a once great men's magazine
I've been a GQ subscriber for over 20 years but recently dropped my subscription. This is no longer the great men's magazine it once was. The features have dwindled in substance in favor of pictures and been overwhelmed by exploding ad content, making the "meat" minimal and very difficult to find.

Space which used to be devoted to interesting fashion, travel, "mixology" and dining has been diverted to titillating "skin" shots and silly lists of things which are uninteresting, useless and often offensive. What little fashion remains will be useless to those who inhabit even a semi-traditional world, though if your taste runs to 4 day beards, long uncombed hair and leather, you'll love it.

Also permeating the "new" magazine is a very heavy handed political agenda. The old GQ profiled politicians on occasion but with a focus on their personal side and without political "spin" to the story. Every issue of the new GQ trashes conservatives and Republicans from cover to cover. Examples---the current issue somehow finds a way to take a swipe at President Bush under the pretext of answering a reader question about loafers; a profile of singer Toby Keith is sneeringly derisive of his pro-U.S. songs; a recent review of several new British mystery writers found a way to spend much of its space trashing Margaret Thatcher, etc., etc.

So, the old GQ wasn't political and did a great job focusing on a broad range of fashion and other items of interest to guys with an emphasis on the traditional. It was interesting, entertaining and informative. The new GQ seems to me to have minimal use for anyone, even big city "hipsters" on whom the publishers have decided to focus. If you want liberal politics, or "skin" photos, you have far better magazine choices. There's precious little else left in GQ except for the scruffy guys in page after page of ads.

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Rating: - Better than most
I've sub-scribed to GQ for about a year now. Having gone through a recent editorial change, the fashion angle of the magazine seems to be tilting more towards the "hipster" set, and less on classic fasion. Case in point - "How to pull off jeans and a hoodie w/ you suit coat"? Yeah - that'll fly in the corporate ranks.

A recent spread on English suits what closer to what I would call the classic side, but a set of threads from Seville Row is out of the reach of most men at around two grand US. Plus, there is quite a bit of skin to try and at lest keep up with the Maxim's and FHM's. Not nearly as much, but it's there.

Nonetheless, for those flaws, there is plenty of good writing and you'll at least get a sense of where fashion is heading. Am I going to drop six bills for a Prada cashmere turtleneck - probably not, but could something simliar be had for a fraction of that? Absolutely.