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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Entrees | Home » » » » Country | | | | | | | Description: | | Celebrate the people, places and stories that make country life so special. Discover America through full-color photos of landscapes, reviews of country inns and country-fresh recipes. | | | Product Details: | | | Format:
| Magazine | | Publisher:
| Reiman Publications | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 5 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
CountryFeb 04, 2010
Country magazine is truly what it says it is - all about the country, and nothing else. The number of subscribers is now over 1,200,000, and the magazine's targeted readership is boldly proclaimed on the cover: "For those who live in or long for the country." Country is produced by Reiman Publications on a bimonthly basis - not frequently enough for many people, which is why Reiman also offers Country EXTRA, a similar magazine put out during Country's "off" month. Among each issue's regular features are "A Week in the Country", a diary of a typical week's events kept by a reader who lives on a farm, ranch, or other piece of rural property, and "God's Country", a 9-page article with photos from one of America's most scenic rural areas. There's also "A Taste of the Country", featuring subscriber's recipes which were voted the best of their region by the Country staff. And of course, there's the ever-popular Needle Contest - a picture of a needle hidden in each issue, which readers can find to claim a prize.
Country owes it's popularity, at least in part, to the fact that there is no other publication quite like it. For almost any popular news, fashion, or food magazine you can think of, there is another comparable magazine out there that may be very similar, but Country is in a class by itself. Few magazines espouse the values of "the simple life" as poignantly as Country does. Few, if any, other magazines boast similar full-page photos of snow-capped mountain peaks, auturmn foliage, and spring gardens which evoke a sense of peacefulness and beauty so keenly in the reader's mind. For this reason, it's particularly eye-catching in a newsstand displayed next to other magazines whose covers feature graphic pictures of war zones, flat-belly diets, and other horrors. It emphasizes the positive far more than the negative, and, in my opinion, that fact alone makes it remarkable.
With 70-72 pages per issue, Country is not a large magazine in terms of size. It looks much the same now as it did when it was first published in the 80's, with a few changes. One very significant change came in the spring of 2002, when Reiman Publications was bought out by the RDA (Reader's Digest Association). Up until the last few years, the magazine boasted "no advertising" - it was 100% readers' content from cover to cover. However, Country now features an approximate 20/80 ratio of ads to editorials. Granted, that's a relatively small amount of advertising compared to most magazines, and the ads contain nothing that could be construed as offensive or objectionable. Still, it's disappointing to see any advertising at all in a magazine which once featured content uninterrupted by ads. Even the quality of the paper itself has changed over time - it's flimsier, and less shiny than it was in the early days, contributing to a "cheaper" look overall. This is understandable, of course, in the fight to keep printing and distribution costs minimal - and subscribers who are new to the magazine since the changes were made probably wouldn't think anything of it.
Apart from the advertising, though, Country's content remains largely unaltered. The vivid photos - like the striking 2-page picture of Idaho's flower-covered hillside in the April/May 2009 issue - haven't changed at all. Neither have readers' stories of old-fashioned family traditions, like cider pressing in the apple orchards during the fall and putting oranges in the kids' stockings at Christmas time. The depictions of country land and of generations of families working together is strongly reminiscent of life the way it once was, "back in the day."
Whether they conciously acknowledge it or not, the magazine's contributors show by their writing that they long to possess a simpler, quieter way of life than that which characterizes most of modern America. It's more than simply enjoyment of nature, although that's a huge part of it. They value small town living where people are courteous and friendly; where everyone knows (and trusts!) their neighbors. They hold honesty and a good work ethic in high regard. They recognize the value of healthy self-reliance, of knowing how to fix something broken instead of just throwing it away and buying a new one, or of growing and cooking one's own food from scratch rather than relying wholly on premade processed food. While it is encouraging to see that these values are still cherished by some, one cannot help but realize that those values are quickly fading from today's society and culture.
Despite whatever shortcomings it may have, Country is a great magazine. It is wholesome and highlights the good things in the world around us - morality, the beauty of creation, family and friends; rewarding and satisfying work. If nothing else, it's a reminder to cherish the gifts we've been given, and make the best use of them that we can.
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Mom loves itDec 30, 2009
I renew a subscription to Country every year for my mother. She loves the magazine. I've browsed a few issues and it's enjoyable. Not something I would buy for myself, simply because it's not a main area of interest for me, but nice.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
CountryApr 15, 2009
There is something in this magazine for everyone who lives, or wishes they did, in rural America. The best part about this magazine is that most of it is written by and about regular "just folks". While the slick photographs won't take a backseat to any magazine, bar none, it's the down to home articles that keep me renewing my subscription. As the old saying goes "try it, you'll like it".
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Beautiful photos not found elsewhere. Stories of life on the farm.Dec 03, 2006
Beautiful photos of country-side, farms, homes, horses, and country people from all over the U.S. and Canada. You do not find these photos elsewhere, and of this great quality.
Stories, and week-long diaries written by the readers of their life on the farm. No advertisements; except a 1-page section of the magazine store. "Country", "Country-extra", and "Farm and Ranch" magazines from Reiman publications. Might not interest city slickers; unless they love country folk.
20 of 20 found the following review helpful:
If you love to travel in the USNov 18, 2002
This magazine has beautiful pictures, heartwarming stories and as a bonus, a laugh or two. It covers the countryside of all of the United States and reminds you of a slower, more genteel time. It makes you want to plan a trip to view the scenery for yourself. If you long for life outside of the city, you'll enjoy this obvious labor of love.
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