List of best-selling individual magazine covers

Last updated

This is a list of some of the highest-selling magazine cover issues. It does not take into consideration centerfolds and posters. It includes any type of magazine and single special editions. Groupings are based on over 3 million newsstands copies and distribution.

Contents

Considered "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published" by David Plotz, Life magazine figures sold the most amount for decades, with a weekly circulation of 4 million copies and over 10 million readers in their prime, then-10 percent of U.S population. [1] In recent years, People became weekly's highest-seller, [1] and various single issues reached over 2 million copies. [2]

List of highest-selling singles magazine cover issues

Over 5 million
DatePublicationCover titleCover model(s),
Event		Namesake photoSales (in million)Notes
March 1973 Family Circle ———9.5 [3]
August 1964 Life "The Beatles: They're Here Again and What a Ruckus!" The Beatles The Beatles members at New York City in 1964.jpg 8.5
April 1965Life"Drama of Life Before Birth"——8 [4] First-four days copies according to American Society of Magazine Editors [5]
September 2001 Time "Sept.11, 2011 The Day That Shook America" September 11 attacks 7.5 [6]
November 1972 Playboy — Lena Söderberg 7.16 [7] Playboy's highest-selling issue. [7]
December 1994 Weekly Shōnen Jump —Manga characters6.53 (in printed) [8] New Year issue for 1995 [8]
Weekly Shōnen Jump's highest-selling issue [8] [9]
September 1984 Penthouse "Miss America Oh God, She's Nude!" Vanessa Williams Vanessa Williams homezfoo.jpg 5.3 [10] Penthouse's highest-selling issue [11]
September 1985Penthouse"Madonna in the Nude" Madonna Madonna Rebel Heart Tour 2015 - Stockholm (23051472299) (cropped 2).jpg 5 [12] [13]
September 1985Playboy"Madonna Nude: Unlike a Virgin... For the Very First Time" Madonna Madonna Rebel Heart Tour 2015 - Stockholm (23051472299) (cropped 2).jpg 5 [13] [12]
March 1989Playboy"Michael's Sister in a Thriller Pictorial" La Toya Jackson La Toya Jackson cropped.jpg 5 [14]
3—4.9 million
DatePublicationCover titleCover model(s),
Event		Namesake photoSales (in million)Notes
September 2001 People "Sept.11, 2011 The Day That Shook America" September 11 attacks 4.1 [2]
December 1995Playboy"Farrah Fawcett Holiday Pictorial" Farrah Fawcett Farrah Fawcett 1977.JPG 4 [15] Best-selling issue of the decade. [16]
July 1955 Confidential "Willie Mays' Luckiest Strikeout!"VariousVarious3.7 [17]
1997People"Diana Princess of Wales 1961—1997" Diana, Princess of Wales Mezhdunarodnaia Leonardo-premiia 18 (cropped).jpg 3.1 [18] Tribute to Diana, special edition.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Plotz, David (December 27, 2013). "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published". Slate . Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Winerip, Michael (May 22, 2009). "People Magazine Still Has a Bikini Body". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Geniesse, Jane (January 28, 1974). "The Cover Story: Best Sellers of 1973". New York . Vol. 7, no. 4. p. 34. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Life magazine through the years: See the most iconic covers". New York Daily News . November 22, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". American Society of Magazine Editors. 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  6. ↑ Society of Publication Designers (2002). September 11, 2011: A Day in Time. The Quarto Group. ISBN   9781564968852 . Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Yahr, Emily (September 30, 2017). "The bizarre story behind Playboy's highest-selling issue ever". The Denver Post . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 NAKANO, Haruyuki (February 2, 2021). "Golden age of manga magazines—1985-95 witnessed by editors No. 4: Masahiko Ibaraki, former head editor of Shukan Shonen Jump by Shueisha Inc. Part 2". Media Arts Current Contents.
  9. ↑ "50th Anniversary Weekly Shonen Jump Exhibition Vol.2 held! A valuable original drawing of "Hana no Keiji - Beyond the Clouds"!". Coamix Inc. March 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ Morris, Chris (January 15, 2016). "Penthouse to shutter print magazine, go all digital". CNBC . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  11. ↑ Anolik, Lili (September 15, 2020). "'A Felony Just to Own': The Sleazy Story Behind Penthouse's Most Controversial Issue". Esquire . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Mansfield, Stephanie (July 11, 1985). "Madonna's Photo Finish". Washington Post . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Advertising Age: 100 leading media companies". Advertising Age : 56. June 30, 1986. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  14. ↑ Span, Paula (September 3, 1991). "Operation La Toya". Washington Post . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  15. ↑ People staff (June 25, 2022). "Farrah Fawcett: Remembering Her Glamorous Years in Photos". People . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009". Toronto Star . June 26, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ Scott, Henry E. (2010). Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 114. ISBN   9780307378972 . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ Mbude, Phelokazi (February 16, 2020). "Meghan Markle's British Vogue issue the fastest selling in 103-year history of the magazine, plus other notable covers". News24 . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
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