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Ask HN: What periodicals have great long-form articles?

66 points by baconomatic ↗ HN
I really enjoy reading articles like these:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/01/02/a-bigger-problem-than-isis

https://www.wired.com/2008/02/ff-seacowboys/

44 comments

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viksit
Longreads.org is a great aggregator for these.

The Atlantic

Vice

The Economist

Vox has a few really good ones

Nautilus (for science)

Vanity fair

Caravan magazine is another (with a focus on Indian culture and arts)

Edit: formatting and more titles as I remember them.

matthewmcg
I'd recommend subscribing to the New Yorker. You're supporting great writing and there's enough incredible pieces in the archives for a lifetime of reading.

For example, John Hersey's piece "Hiroshima"[1] is perhaps one of the most consequential pieces of 20th century long-form journalism and also an engrossing read. It was later published as a short book.

[1]: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1946/08/31/hiroshima?intc...

rsync
Although the London Review of Books is my favorite answer to this question, the New Yorker is a close second ...

I find it very readable on a kindle.

They are doing great journalism and I've been very impressed with their long form writing on topics such as the aftermath of the BP oil spill, the Ferguson shooting, etc.

I subscribe to the kindle version of the New Yorker (which includes the comics) and the print version of the LRB (which is a large format magazine).

olympus
I'll offer a counter opinion. I subscribed to the New Yorker for almost a year. The New Yorker leans hard left politically and it was really tiring. I consider myself a moderate progressive and got tired of the condescending tone that most writers used against any person or group that wasn't like them. I feel like it's okay to have an opinion that's different than mine but you don't need to ridicule other people and shove it down their throats constantly. The majority of the articles they published were political.

There were the occasional gems but not enough to justify me continuing my subscription and wading through each issue. The good stories show up on longform.org anyway.

tdubhro1
I cancelled my subscription after enduring about a year of issues dominated by articles on gun control and anti-Trump. There is the occasional gem but as a European, living in Europe, the editorial policy became monotonous and lacking self-awareness. Oh and they never miss an opportunity to use the word coordinate.
hprotagonist
- Harpers (which might be effectively print-only?)

- The New Yorker

- Any of the <City> review of books: NY, London, Paris, and LA are good places to start.

abhirag
I'd recommend London Review of Books (https://www.lrb.co.uk/)
rsync
It is my favorite periodical of any kind. Great medium and long form articles on current events and social commentary, etc.

Also, long-running inside jokes and banter in the letters section which I enjoy.

folli
For science-related articles, I'd recommend Science and Nature.
onychomys
Speaking here as a scientist, I wouldn't. That's for a couple of reasons:

1. They're really, really expensive. 2. They're extremely technical, and you're unlikely to know enough about all the various fields that publish in them to be able to read through them cover to cover. And if you're only reading a single article, why pay that really expensive cost? 3. They have the reputation of publishing what's sexy, not what's necessarily well done. They've published some crappy science over the years just because they'll get a lot of attention for it.

Instead, I'd recommend American Scientist[0], which is today what Scientific American was 30 years ago, while Scientific American has become what Discover was 30 years ago. It's well written for a general audience while still covering a wide range of subjects, and it's reasonably priced.

[0]https://www.americanscientist.org

tdubhro1
American Scientist looks promising, I was so disappointed when Scientific American lowered their standards and simultaneously became obsessed with climate change coverage at the expense of the previous diversity and depth they were so wonderful at. I love reading back issues from the 80s and earlier (my earliest copies from 1956 are a joy).
folli
I agree with #1, although if you're associated with a university, you will most likely have access to it.

I strongly disagree with #2, their news and opinions section is usually top-notch, well written and understandable (e.g. an article about physics is written to be comprehensible for a biologist, who usually has no more knowledge about the matter than any other layman).

#3 might be true, however this even more so for any other, less science-focused, news-outlet, where "sexiness" matters even more to attract a less science minded audience.

greatestdana
The Economist
tootie
The Economist is required reading to understand current events the world over, but their specialty is very short form.
erikig
I agree - I'm always in awe of their ability to boil down a complex issue into an comprehensible tidbit that makes it easy to consume and track.
mikeelgan
The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair are the top three.
mikeelgan
The top three (in my book) are The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair.
Zezima
The Economist’s Special Reports are amazing and worth the read!
kiliantics
Further left than the other recommendations but The Baffler has very high quality articles, though sometimes highly polemic. Also some of the content in Jacobin magazine, they have some great writers.
antinomy
The New Yorker and NYRB have already been mentioned; they'd be my top two.

In terms of less mainstream sources, for thought-provoking long-form pieces mostly arising out of an economic justice perspective, I'd suggest Current Affairs.

https://www.currentaffairs.org

And though it isn't a periodical, for long, smart pieces on sociology, history, economics, contemporary society, etc., I'd suggest Slate Star Codex.

i.e. http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch

Oh, and if you're interested in literature, which more broadly extends to culture throughout the decades, then the Paris Review has an incredible tradition of long-form interviews.

https://www.theparisreview.org