06/04/2026
At one time, The Saturday Evening was one of the most read weekly magazines in the country. There was something for everyone inside with its mix of human interest stories, news, humor, and fiction. But by the early 1960s, their circulation was dropping as America’s reading patterns and leisure habits shifted from classic to more modern. People were reading less and watching more TV, and writers were submitting their articles to newer magazines that paid more. The Post slowly shifted from general interest articles to become more newsy, and used more photographs than original illustrations.
But the year’s worth of Posts, from spring ‘62 to spring ‘63, that were donated to us predate the shift. No matter what you like, if you can’t find something good in every issue, then you’re just not looking hard enough. One thing I liked were the letters to the editor, not so much for what they were about but how they were written. They’re formal and polite, even when disagreeing with something, and in some ways feel more like business letters. They convey a certain gravity that we don’t often find today, even in our most formal writings. You can tell the authors feel their writing carries real weight.
I also like the ads. Raise your hand if you were ever a member of Columbia House! Half of my brother-in-law’s extensive collection came 13 records at a time as he enrolled himself, my sister, their kids, and his and my parents countless times using a variety of iterations of everybody’s names.
Writing a post about the pink Western Electric dial phone (donated by Elaine) about a year ago, I learned that Western Electric was one of the country’s largest manufacturers of phones and switching equipment. Their ad shows bundles of wires attached to rows of relays, all engineered to keep America talking, and all of which we can accomplish today with a chip smaller than a postage stamp.
Those two scrumptious food ads really make your math water, don’t they? I mean, what could taste better than ribs in a can, right? You could get a free ballpoint pen for buying the right bandaids. You could “win” a free bowling ball if you sold two magazine subscriptions. I wonder what shipping cost. My sister Sharon would have liked those spiffy ice cube trays. Her chore growing up was making ice, and she hated it.
We have maybe 45 or 50 magazines. They’re 4 for $1.
History of the Saturday Evening Post, 4:00 long:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qk9XAUBpMI&list=PL-89WTl58EDEXxkygpGJFmC_JutYOx54t
