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 110-story Twin Towers burning.jpg 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 110-story Twin Towers burning.jpg 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

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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.