From its start in February 1922, every issue has been packed with useful information and inspiring stories. Over 10 decades, Reader’s Digest has become a global powerhouse, and today, with 23 editions in 41 countries, it remains one of the world’s most-read, best-loved publications.
Just before DeWitt Wallace launched this ‘little magazine’, he said, “The Digest will have but one mission: to interest and at the same time to widen one’s outlook, to increase one’s appreciation of things and people, to enlarge one’s capacity for enjoyable association with fellow men, to lubricate the process of adjustment to this world.”
We have highlighted some of the many milestones of Reader’s Digest in a historic timeline in this issue, and throughout the rest of this year, we will bring you the best examples of enduring articles from our archives. Here’s to another 100 years!
—From the Editors
1922 DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace publish 5,000 copies of the first issue of Reader’s Digest, ‘The little magazine’, in New York. It has 64 pages and 31 articles, all condensed from other publications.
1929 Subscribers number more than 2,00,000, and the magazine also becomes available at newsstands.
1930 Reader contributions are requested for regular departments, many focused on humor.
1933 The first original article, Insanity—the Modern Menace, by Henry Morton Robinson, is published. The next year, RD expands from 64 to 128 pages.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
