Vanity Fair Print Magazine

I think V.F. has sometimes been unfairly dismissed as a lightweight Hollywood or "chick" magazine. Well OK, the cover story (and photo) is usually in the entertainment field, and the publisher's media kit states that the readership is 79 percent female. What's gender got to do with it? Most of the stories are serious and intelligent enough to be worthy of anyone's attention. Consider, for example, some of the topics of recent articles: the background behind the financial meltdown at Lehman Brothers; the $3 trillion cost of the Iraq war; Vladimir Putin's power grab in Russia; real estate woes in the Hamptons and at the Plaza Hotel; Rupert Murdoch's media empire; Bobby Kennedy's ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign...to name just a few. The depth and sophistication of these stories, and the quality of the writing, is certainly equal to anything you'd find in the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Magazine, The New Yorker, and similar "serious" publications. Even the movie star subjects, such as the recent cover story on Marilyn Monroe, generally have a weightier slant to them. Don't confuse this with the mindless junk you'd find in supermarket tabloids. As for those "shocking" photos of Miley Cyrus....well, the whole controversy seemed to be almost a satire of how a puritanical public can become outraged about nothing. At any rate, I would not have wanted to miss what the outcry was all about. I find that every month there is always something worth reading, and I learn a few things as well as being entertained. So why four stars instead of five? Well, while depth and details are good, I find that some of the articles tend to be a little too long, and about halfway through I'm tempted to start skimming. Also, Graydon's Carter's Bush-bashing editorials month after month can get a little tiresome. I'm not a big admirer of Bush myself, but it's long past time to "give it a rest".These small complaints aside, I recommend this as a very worthwhile publication. A word about price: the promotional rates at Amazon are typically better that those on the postcards inserted in the magazine, plus you avoid that ridiculous "postage and handling" fee. Twenty bucks total for two years (at Amazon), which is about the cost of a mere four copies purchased individually at the newsstand, seems too good a deal to pass up.

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.

Enjoyed the magazine for one year, but still haven’t been able to cancel it this year. It should be much easier to cancel.

If I had to subscribe to only one magazine, this would be it. I love the Editor section, the parties, the book reviews, the letters, articles on up-and-comers ... then there are THE stories. There are so many interesting stories I've read in VF and I have enjoyed the stories -- even if the content wasn't of interest to me upon first glance. But just after reading a paragraph or two? Every story I read, no matter the content, is fascinating!When I first started subscribing (ages ago), I discovered VF authors and began my long-time admiration for the magazine! The finance articles by Michael Lewis and others are amazing; the late Dominick Dunne made me feel as though "I" were in the middle of the most wonderful stories he told; and, of course, there was the late, great Christopher Hitchens. I enjoyed his articles and later respected his books and talks! Those were the authors I discovered through the magazine years ago and I will continue to subscribe so that I can discover new, wonderful & exciting authors and stories I have come to expect and love! In case you can't tell, I recommend this magazine!!!

I have grown to really respect Vanity Fair. For a long time I read it for its enjoyable collection of reporting about the rich and famous. Kind of like People Magazine, up many notches for class and honesty. I felt like I was being allowed behind the curtain of the "Beautiful People" But in recent years it has evolved into a role of writing strong and well-written articles about politics, and important people. Kind of like the NYT, but with charm and in-depth social analysis. Its astonishing use of covers alone is worth the subscription. It has switched from bosomy starlets to black women of accomplishment. It still has the starlets, but less often. And the starlets only get one page review, while the women of color and accomplishment emerge as three-dimensional figures. I highly recommend it.

Not as great as it was