The New York Times Magazine
On the 6th of September 1896, the first issue of The New York Times Magazine appeared on newsstands. This date marked a turning point for the newspaper under new owner Adolph Ochs. Ochs had just banned fiction and gossip columns from the main paper to save it from financial ruin. He wanted a serious Sunday supplement that would stand apart from the rest of the broadsheet. That initial edition contained the very first photographs ever printed in the newspaper itself. A year later, the magazine published a sixteen-page spread documenting Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. This costly project became wildly popular and helped establish the publication as a success.
Editor Lester Markel ran the Sunday Times from the 1920s through the 1950s with an intense and autocratic style. He encouraged writers like Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Mann, and Gertrude Stein to contribute pieces during his tenure. William Safire began publishing his On Language column in 1979 to discuss English grammar and etymology. By 1990, this section generated more mail than anything else in the entire magazine. Randy Cohen debuted The Ethicist advice column in 1999, which quickly became highly contentious among readers. Later contributors included Chuck Klosterman who took over the ethics column in 2012 before leaving in early 2015. Kwame Anthony Appiah assumed sole authorship of the column in September 2015 after replacing Jack Shafer three months earlier.
Deborah Needleman edited T, a supplement devoted entirely to style that appears fourteen times each year starting in 2004. The magazine launched a Qatari Edition as a standalone publication in 2009 for international distribution. Two other supplements arrived in 2006 including PLAY, a sports magazine published every other month. KEY served as a real estate magazine appearing twice annually alongside the main content. These additions expanded the reach of the Sunday edition beyond traditional journalism into lifestyle and business sectors. The strategy reflected a broader effort to diversify content while maintaining high editorial standards across all sections.
Bill Keller hired Hugo Lindgren from Bloomberg Businessweek as editor in September 2010 to reinvigorate the magazine. Lindgren brought in Lauren Kern as deputy editor and Greg Veis to edit the front of the book section. Joel Lovell joined as deputy editor in December 2010 having previously worked at GQ magazine. Jake Silverstein replaced Lindgren as editor-in-chief in 2014 after serving as editor-in-chief at Texas Monthly. These leadership changes shaped the direction of the publication through shifting cultural landscapes and reader expectations. Each new editor brought different priorities regarding staff hires and content focus over their respective tenures.
Will Shortz edited the Sunday crossword puzzle which measures twenty-one by twenty-one squares compared to the standard fifteen by fifteen daily version. This larger grid is typically intended to be as difficult as a Thursday puzzle for experienced solvers. The Funny Pages launched on the 18th of September 2005, as a literary section meant to engage readers differently. It included three parts: The Strip featuring graphic novels like Building Stories by Chris Ware. True-Life Tales ended printing on the 8th of July 2007, while other serials continued until early 2009. A 2006 poll showed that ninety-two percent of voters found The Funny Pages unfunny or nonsensical despite its highbrow ambitions.
Beginning in 2024, the magazine publishes a condensed version of an in-depth weekly interview alongside its podcast counterpart. David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro host The Interview podcast with episodes lasting forty to fifty minutes each. Guests have included politicians actors influential experts media figures and high-profile writers throughout the series run. This integration allows traditional print content to coexist with audio storytelling formats for modern audiences. The dual approach maintains the magazine's reputation for long-form journalism while adapting to new consumption habits among readers.
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Common questions
When did The New York Times Magazine first appear on newsstands?
The first issue of The New York Times Magazine appeared on the 6th of September 1896. This launch occurred under new owner Adolph Ochs who banned fiction and gossip columns from the main paper to save it from financial ruin.
Who edited The Sunday Times during the 1920s through the 1950s?
Editor Lester Markel ran The Sunday Times from the 1920s through the 1950s with an intense and autocratic style. He encouraged writers like Leo Tolstoy, Thomas Mann, and Gertrude Stein to contribute pieces during his tenure.
What supplements did The New York Times Magazine launch in 2004 and 2006?
Deborah Needleman edited T, a supplement devoted entirely to style that appears fourteen times each year starting in 2004. Two other supplements arrived in 2006 including PLAY, a sports magazine published every other month, and KEY, a real estate magazine appearing twice annually alongside the main content.
How often does The New York Times Magazine publish its condensed interview version beginning in 2024?
Beginning in 2024, the magazine publishes a condensed version of an in-depth weekly interview alongside its podcast counterpart. David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro host The Interview podcast with episodes lasting forty to fifty minutes each.
When did The Funny Pages section end printing for True-Life Tales?
True-Life Tales ended printing on the 8th of July 2007 while other serials continued until early 2009. The Funny Pages launched on the 18th of September 2005 as a literary section meant to engage readers differently.