A Monthly Must

Here's an indicator of The Atlantic Monthly's historical status: its first offices are a stop on the Freedom Trail, the walking tour of Boston's historical sites. Founded in 1857 by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and others, the magazine has published works by the likes of Henry David Thoreau, Lester Thurow, and W. E. B. Du Bois.

Regular features include political and economic commentary, book reviews, poetry, short fiction, and travel. I rarely find an article or column unreadable, though sometimes it takes a little concentration to stay focused on the task at hand -- this is not light reading, this is serious work.

Make no mistake, The Atlantic Monthly has a great past, but the magazine is still producing great works.