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

Rating: - Great Photography But Lately, Way Too Political
I gave Vanity Fair 4 stars based on the photography alone. When taken in concert with the tone of recent anti-Bush articles, it drops to 2 stars. Now I might not agree with the magazine's political point of view but that's not really my beef. The problem is this isn't supposed to be a political magazine! It's about fashion, society, Hollywood, travel, etc. There are so many political magazines available that if one is looking for that kind thing, it's easy enough to find. Why must the left continue to demonstrate that they truly do control the media and use that influence time and time again to push their agenda? It wouldn't be so bad if they were honest about it by telling readers that Vanity Fair was a political magazine, but they don't. If you look at the cover and the articles mentioned, you will see few, if any, references to the Bush bashing that's inside. As an example, a recent issue featured a shirtless David Beckham on the cover. They used the sex angle to sell copies but once you opened the magazine, you'd find no less than 7 articles that talked about Bush, the Republican party or the Iraqi war. All of this is mixed in between pages of the shirtless soccer player and various Hollywood celebs. Again, I'm not against a magazine with a political agenda, I'm just disappointed it has to be this one. I wish they'd stick with what they do best and leave the politics to someone else. Let's face it, we know this is a Hollywood magazine and therefore know the political point of view to which they subscribe. We don't have to be hit over the head with it every issue. After a while, it begins to look pitiful. Hopefully, after the election, things will get back to normal because the photography by Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber and the late Herb Ritts is terrific.

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Rating: - Not just a woman's magazine.
You just have to know when not to buy the magazine. Two or three times a year. Otherwise it is a very good international magazine.
I would advise subscribing if you live in the U.S. Its price is ludicrous compared to what we pay in Europe at the newstand. Here is approximately 6 Euros per issue. It more than makes up for the smug letters from Dame Edna and assorted insider's navel watching that you find every month.

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Rating: - About as thick as Vogue.
Yes most issues are as thick as Vogue, which of course means like 50 pages of ads, before you get to the first page of text, but overall, I'm really impressed with their articles. They write about a variety of topics, and I thought it was great, how in the March (current) issue, the Editor In Chief, decided to use his column, to show the names of everyone who's died since the war in Iraq began, and where they were from, and what rank they were. It was really sad seeing these guys who were only 19, and they had their whole life ahead of them still. (Of course, these were all the people who had died as of press time for the issue). I believe the count was 472, and that has risen by almost 100, but it was still a very nice gesture. So what genre is Vanity Fair in exactly? Well, first off, dont let the name fool you and dont think just because when you first open it and you come to your first perfume sample, that it is only a magazine for women. Because further on in, they also have male models, so it's kind of for both genders. Some might say it's an Entertainment mag, but I hear it's just General Interest, and that's why it's not in the women's magazine section of my local grocery store, and it's just to the right of the Entertainment ones, so apparently, it's General Interest, and it means it's for anyone. You really shouldn't be ashamed to get it, like I first was. EDIT 3/13/04: After recieving the new issue today, I'm completely sure it more for women that anyone else.

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Rating: - Save your money!
This magazine is a real wasteland of advertising and a few scanty features on a long ago Hollywood golden age scandal, a Dominick Dunne windbag diatribe on some C-list celeb scandal, a couple music and book reviews along with the cover celebrity interview. There is sometimes a political investigatory piece worth reading but overall you'd be better off saving your money and buying the few blockbuster issues (the Hollywood, Yearbook, Music) on the newstand. One caveat: they have some of the most beautiful celebrity photographs out there, which depict the celeb as flatteringly and recognizably as possible. A nice break from the unrecognizable photos that accompany interviews in Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and the worst culprit, W, where the person is usually obscured by weird hair, makeup, clothes, lighting or all of the above.