We have a theory, and really we mean no offense by it, BUT: At this point in the game, PhillyMag could grab more new readers and oddly feel more relevant if it just started pressing up reissues of whole issues that it produced during its halcyon days in the 1970s and 1980s. We’ve made remarks in this direction before, and mostly concerning the amazing archives of one Maury Z. Levy, who helped shepherd the magazine through a pretty amazing era. Maury has struck gold again by re-posting the first-ever “Best & Worst” issue of Philadelphia Magazine, originally published in May 1974. To view the O.G. “Best & Worst” now and “Best Of Philly” is to witness exactly what happens when the sales team gets its hands around the neck of a great idea from editorial. Not only is there no “worst” anymore, there’s hardly any actual “best,” either. Oh, but in the days when magazines were lifelines, we had both. And lo, it was good.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 5:19 pm.