The Complete New Yorker

One big reason for the scarcity of posts here recently is the Complete New Yorker, an 8 DVD (for use with a computer, not a DVD player) set containing every issue of the New Yorker from its inception in 1926 to February of this year. When I say "every issue," I mean every page of every issue, including ads, cartoons, even the back covers (the picture is the back cover of the December 4, 1926 issue). It retails for $100 but you can get it from Amazon for $61.00. I think the New Yorker is the best magazine in the world; every issue has something (usually several things) worth reading. I can't count the number of times I have picked up an old issue and found something I had missed when the issue was new. One side effect of this was an inability to throw old issues away. Once the DVD set came in, I was able to recycle the old issues tucked all over my house.

The set comes with a pretty nice software interface, reminiscent of itunes, that allows you to search every issue (even the ones not on the DVD currently in the computer drive). Here is a link to an excellent demo of the interface. Every article has a virtual index card with a bunch of keywords you can search. You can can also browse, by clicking on covers, or searching by author, date or title. The software is not perfect, but it is pretty good-- the amazon reviews do a good job of pointing out the shortcomings. (These "shortcomings" are nothing compared to the shortcomings of looking at microfilm, by the way.)

Dollar for dollar, I'd have to say that the Complete New Yorker is one of the best purchases I have ever made.