Speaking Volumes | The New Yorker, an icon of American journalism, turns 95

First published on February 21, 1925, this month we celebrate the 95th anniversary of the iconic magazine, The New Yorker.

Founded by editor Harold Ross and his wife, Jane Grant, a New York Times reporter, The New Yorker began as a sophisticated humor magazine that focused on the local amusements and social life of New York City.

Although the magazine experienced initial success by the end of its first year it was almost bankrupt. Circulation dropped to less than a quarter of initial sales by 1926 and took a hit due to the financial challenges of the Depression. The magazine prevailed by broadening its scope to include literature, foreign reporting, and other current affairs. The New Yorker gained a steadfast following in most metropolitan areas in the United States. Today it is one of only a few magazines that earns most its profit from subscriptions rather than from advertisers.

The New Yorker has always been renowned for the caliber of authors that grace its pages. Many of the most respected authors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have written for the magazine, including Roald Dahl, Alive Munro, Dorothy Parker, J.D. Salinger, John Updike, and Stephen King. Equally well-known for its humorous cartoons, the magazine has featured Ethel Plummer, James Thurber, Dana Fradon, Peter Arno, Saul Steinberg, among countless others.

You may not know that The New Yorker has been the original literary source for many famous films. As early as the 1940s, the inspiration for films including Meet Me in St. Louis, based on Sally Benson’s novel and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, based on James Thurber’s short story, appeared in The New Yorker. 1967’s In Cold Blood began as a non-fiction serial written by Truman Capote for the magazine, as did 1968’s Burt Lancaster film, The Swimmer, which was based a short story written by John Cheever. The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values were both inspired by the work of New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams, and 1999’s Angela’s Ashes appeared in The New Yorker three years before the film adaptation. Oscar nominated films Boys Don’t Cry and Brokeback Mountain were also based on non-fiction pieces in the magazine.

Your local library has numerous anthologies of New Yorker short stories. “Nothing but You: Love Stories from the New Yorker” includes over 40 charming stories of love and romance previously published in the magazine. “Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink” features writings on food and culture from authors like Roald Dahl and Susan Orlean as well as chefs such as Anthony Bourdain. The library also has several collections of cartoons from The New Yorker, including “The New Yorker Book of Dog Cartoons,” “The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons,” and “The New Yorker Book of True Love Cartoons.”

Call your local branch for more information on available titles.

Central Library: 748-5555; Braden River: 727-6079; Island: 778-6341; Palmetto: 722-3333; Rocky Bluff: 723-4821; South Manatee: 755-3892. (All numbers are area code 941.)

You may also access the library via the Internet: www.mymanatee.org/library.

Speaking Volumes is written by members of the staff at the Manatee County Public Library System. Katie Fleck is a librarian at the Central Library.

This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM.