Editor Chris Lehmann First issue 1988 (1988-month) Country United States | Frequency Quarterly Company The Baffler Foundation | |
Founder Thomas Frank and Keith White | ||
The Baffler is a magazine of cultural, political, and business analysis. Established in 1988 by editors Thomas Frank and Keith White, it was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois until 2010, when it moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 2016, it moved its headquarters to New York City. The first incarnation of The Baffler had up to 12,000 subscribers.
Contents
As of 2016, the magazine and its collections of essays are distributed through bookstores in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
History
The magazine was first published by Greg Lane. Its motto was "the journal that blunts the cutting edge." It became known for critiquing "business culture and the culture business" and for having exposed the grunge speak hoax perpetrated on the New York Times. One famous and much-republished article, "The Problem with Music" by Steve Albini, exposed the inner workings of the music business during the indie rock heyday.
The magazine is credited with having helped launch the careers of several writers, including founding editor Thomas Frank, Ana Marie Cox, and Rick Perlstein.
Issues
The magazine published sporadically, first once a year then slightly more often, but that slowed down after the Chicago office of The Baffler was destroyed in a fire on April 25, 2001. Publishing became more regular and frequent after its relaunch and move to Cambridge in 2011. Timeline of publication:
The Baffler is sold through many different distribution channels, both as a book and as a magazine; in addition to the publication's ISSN, all but the earliest issues have an individual ISBN.
Relaunch and move
In 2009, founding editor Frank decided to revive the magazine. It was relaunched with Volume 2, Issue 1 (#18) in 2010, with a new publisher, editors, and design.
In 2011, The Baffler moved its headquarters to Cambridge, and John Summers took over as editor. The magazine signed a publishing contract with the MIT Press, and after another redesign, began publishing three times a year. In 2014, it ended that contract and brought publishing operations in house. In 2016, the magazine moved to a quarterly schedule and moved its headquarters to New York City. Summers left in 2016 to spend time with his family, supposedly, and Chris Lehmann took over the editorship of the journal. Further comment from The Baffler on the change of editors has not been forthcoming.
The Baffler has also organized literary events and debates with its contributing editors.
Collections and books
In addition to the magazine, The Baffler has published a few collections of its essays and other writings.