Harrowsmith Magazine

Last updated
Harrowsmith Magazine
PublisherYolanda Thornton
FounderJames M. Lawrence
Founded1976 (1976)
CompanyMoongate Inc.
CountryCanada
Based inToronto
LanguageEnglish
Website www.harrowsmithmag.com
ISSN 1190-8416

Harrowsmith Magazine is a national Canadian consumer lifestyle magazine that focuses on healthy, grassroots and sustainable living, homesteading and cultural exploration. It is published four times a year and also produces The Harrowsmith Almanac, the only annual almanac written by Canadians, for Canadians.

Contents

History

Harrowsmith was founded in 1976 by James M. Lawrence, who produced the first issues in his home in Camden East Ontario and named it after the nearby town of Harrowsmith. [1] [2] It was a platform for environmental topics and a back-to-the-land ethos, a concept that was both unique and popular—within two years, the magazine had 100,000 subscribers. Lawrence’s Camden House Publishing also published books, and launched Equinox: The Magazine of Canadian Discovery.

In 1988, Lawrence sold both magazines to the Canadian media company Telemedia, which launched an American addition of Harrowsmith and added the words "Country Life" to its title. [3] [4] The American edition reached a paid circulation of 225,000 and, in 1995, Telemedia launched a complementary television show. [5] In 1996, Telemedia folded the American edition and sold Harrowsmith Country Life, and Equinox, to Montreal’s Malcolm Publishing. [6] [7] In 2000, Malcolm folded Equinox and sold its mailing list to Canadian Geographic.

In 2009, Harrowsmith Country Life had a circulation of 125,00 and revenues of $3.2 million. [8] In 2011, it published a single issue and, in August of that year, Malcolm announced that it would cease publication. [8]

In 2012, Yolanda Thornton, a former Malcolm employee, obtained the rights to the magazine and revived Harrowsmith Magazine, with its original title, beginning with Harrowsmith's Truly Canadian Almanac for 2013. [9] Thornton’s company, Moongate Inc. of Toronto, continues as the publisher of Harrowsmith.

Supplemental issues of Harrowsmith have also been published, i.e. Harrowsmith’s Gardening Digest (2013), Harrowsmith's My Kind of Town (2015), Harrowsmith's Homes (2015) and the now-annual Harrowsmith’s Almanac. As of 2025, the magazine’s print and digital per-issue readership was 350,000. [10]

References

  1. ↑ Little, James (January 9, 1986). "The Laird of Harrowsmith". Ryerson Review of Journalism (Winter 1986).
  2. ↑ Edwards, Frank B. "Harrowsmith magazine founder James M. Lawrence inspired city folk to dream of a country life". theglobeandmail.com. The Globe & Mail. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "Telemedia acquires Harrowsmith". Montreal Gazette . 16 August 1988. p. D1.
  4. ↑ "Harrowsmith makes successful invasion of U.S.". Ottawa Citizen . 8 February 1986. p. E8.
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Melanie (4 February 1995). "Harrowsmith TV show echoes its folksy magazine namesake". Ottawa Citizen. p. I12.
  6. ↑ Ross, Val (25 September 1996). "Outdoor magazine sold again: Montreal company buys Harrowsmith". The Globe and Mail . p. C1.
  7. ↑ "Malcolm Publishing buying Harrowsmith Country Life". Toronto Star . The Canadian Press. 25 September 1996. p. C8.
  8. 1 2 Adams, James (9 August 2011). "Harrowsmith Country Life cuts staff, ceases publication". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "Revitalized Harrowsmith Almanac reconnects with readers". Masthead. 17 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "Harrowsmith Almanac spawns new gardening title". Masthead. 3 April 2014.
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