National Geographic
My father should enjoy this post.
How many of our fathers have a subscription to National Geographic? It seems to be ubiquitous in white, middle-class households. I once read a very funny humor piece that posited that the cumulative weight of the collective holdings of old National Geographic magazines would cause the USA to sink 100 feet (and had an accompaniing map showing the new coastline). Well, my Dad is one of those collectors. He has a whole bookshelf of NG going back to the 30s or something. As a kid, and as an adult, I used to love going through the magazines, but I admit I only looked at the pictures, because, you have to admit, NG has some fantastic photographers working for it. It was a way to daydream that I was in another part of the world, especially on the days I was home sick with my asthma.
What I never did, though, was actually read the articles in National Geographic. Kind of like Playboy. But recently, I've started to do just that: actually read the articles. And you know what? Just like Playboy, the articles are really, really good (uh, I've only heard about Playboy, cough, cough). What have I been missing all these years? These stories are really great; they are easy to read and they are jam-packed with good information. For example, today I spent time reading the newest issue of NG, and it has some fabulous stuff. An article on the North Slope of Alaska and how our quest for oil is threatening it; an article on the newly translated Judas gospel, which makes the provacative claim that Jesus asked Judas to betray him, since he was the only disciple who truly understood the message (interestingly, the same claim was made back in the 50s by Kazantzakis in his brilliant Last Temptation of Christ); and a great article on Prince Charles' radical attempts to bring English culture back to its roots.
This is good stuff.
How many of our fathers have a subscription to National Geographic? It seems to be ubiquitous in white, middle-class households. I once read a very funny humor piece that posited that the cumulative weight of the collective holdings of old National Geographic magazines would cause the USA to sink 100 feet (and had an accompaniing map showing the new coastline). Well, my Dad is one of those collectors. He has a whole bookshelf of NG going back to the 30s or something. As a kid, and as an adult, I used to love going through the magazines, but I admit I only looked at the pictures, because, you have to admit, NG has some fantastic photographers working for it. It was a way to daydream that I was in another part of the world, especially on the days I was home sick with my asthma.
What I never did, though, was actually read the articles in National Geographic. Kind of like Playboy. But recently, I've started to do just that: actually read the articles. And you know what? Just like Playboy, the articles are really, really good (uh, I've only heard about Playboy, cough, cough). What have I been missing all these years? These stories are really great; they are easy to read and they are jam-packed with good information. For example, today I spent time reading the newest issue of NG, and it has some fabulous stuff. An article on the North Slope of Alaska and how our quest for oil is threatening it; an article on the newly translated Judas gospel, which makes the provacative claim that Jesus asked Judas to betray him, since he was the only disciple who truly understood the message (interestingly, the same claim was made back in the 50s by Kazantzakis in his brilliant Last Temptation of Christ); and a great article on Prince Charles' radical attempts to bring English culture back to its roots.
This is good stuff.
posted by cc at
2:06 AM
3 Comments:
Alas, alas - all those years I thought you were broadening your intelectual horizons when all you were doing was looking at the pictures! Glad you finally started to read the text-some is truly amazing. The collection only goes to the late 40's and I agree the magazine was an escape mechanism from the sometimes dull and mundane lifestyle of the period and even later. I have been fortunate to travel to many of these places and to have been able to see for myself what others like to photograph. Maybe that is where we got the photo bug in the family.
Da
Da, you were broadening my horizons. National Geographic would take me into a different place in my imagination those days I would be suffering from my asthma in my bedroom, propped on pillows that would destroy my posture. I would look at the photos and dream I was someplace else, and the lack of oxygen would help the illusion. It also started my fascination with geograpy; I saw a thing on CNN today where there was a report that something like 7 of ten people couldn't even spot Iraq on a map. Ever since I was a kid, I've read almanacs like a crazy man, and I'm pretty sure I could do well on any geography test today. I should say that I did read NG on occasion when I was sick: I remember particularly one time I was really sick when I was like, twelve, and stuck in my room for a week. I remember a stack of NG's on my bedside and reading the issues of the guy that walked across America. I remember reading that while listening over and over to my 45s of Simon and Garfunkel. And when the song, "America," would come on, it was to me reading this guy's journey. I still remember that. Vividly.
Doug H, here--I've been a subscriber for over 10 years now, but only started reading the pieces in the last couple years. Great stuff, but even knowing that I just don't get to all of it. Still, one of the best magazines (and institutions) out there today.
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