We used to subscribe to a lot of magazines. A couple on cooking, a smattering of science, history, weekly news, work-related, and on and on. Recently, I’ve been taking a hard look at what we subscribe to, and what we get out of them.

I love magazines, because they are usually topical and current. More of the here and now. Things which can be digested quickly and then passed on. The trouble was, I was getting into overload, and finding that many were just sitting unread. A lot of what used to be useful (like news) aren’t so much, with the advent of endless Internet news sources. (That’s a whole ‘nother story.)

Anyhow, old standbys like Smithsonian and National Geographic and Scientific American have been cast aside. Either the information wasn’t useful, or the magazine had gone down the toilet (SciAm, IMO). Other stuff, like The Sun, I grew tired of. Too much crying and never-ending sameness. After you’ve read you 30th near-death-suicide-drunk-prison-child-abuse story, you’ve read them all.

Though, I haven’t given up on magazines. I’ve just gotten more picky. I’ve got the cheap throw-away stuff, like Wired and The Week, which I still subscribe to. And, some stuff, like Mother Jones, got very close to becoming a castoff, but redeemed themselves with real investigative journalism (and I use the term journalism in the genuine way, not the fluff that CNN and company have become). Magazines like Reason came back on-line, as my libertarian spirit returned.

Recently, I ran into a new magazine that seemed interesting. It’s called Cabinet and caught my eye because a recent issue was on Magic (legerdemain, not ghosts and witches). Like Mother Jones, it is run as a non-profit. Unlike Mother Jones, the focus is Art and Culture.

Cabinet is one of those magazines you flip through and feel good about. It’s like opening a Folio edition of a book. It just feels good. Thick paper, interesting photos, well laid-out, little surprise inserts, and so on. The kind of magazine that ends up on the bookshelf, not the trash can. Is it possible to like a magazine on feel alone?

I’ve yet to go through the back issues I recently received, so I can’t tell for sure if the content matches the first impression. However, after flipping though a couple, I’m sure I’m in for a real treat.