Until now, every magazine was a bunch of pages stapled together. It arrived in your mailbox folded, mutilated spindled — usually with more ads than editorial. Last year, a group of us enjoying the sun, skiing and unique cultural climate of Aspen Colorado, asked ourselves, "Why?"

Why, for example, couldn't a magazine come in a box? Why shouldn't an article exploring jazz be accompanied by an LP record illustrating in sound our words in print? Why couldn't each article be a separate booklet, in the shape, color and paper most appropriate to the subject?

We kept asking why for months. Aspen magazine is the answer.

Our first issue is now out and our second is on the way. Our editors, no longer limited by the restrictions of a bound magazine, could let their imaginations soar. And they did. They began thinking in three dimensions. And there was no end to the exciting ideas.

Each issue of our magazine in a box will contain any number of delightful surprises: Wildflower seeds tea samples, swatches, or puzzles; booklets in the manner of Japanese scrolls or illuminated manuscripts blueprints,a bit of rock or an LP record.

There's no end to the editorial possibilities. And our advertisers will share in the excitement. In future issues, you'll find a sample of a new ski lipstick. A tiny salt spoon. A new perfume. Ads are in a separate section we call our Ad Gallery, and it will be shared by companies who share our standards of quality and taste.

In short, Aspen is the first three dimensional magazine. Each issue will be designed by a famous graphic artist. George Lois, Tom Courtos and Ralph Tuzzo designed the first issue. And it shows. Future issues will be by Frank Kirk, Andy Warhol, Henry Wolfe and Onofrio Paccione, and we can't wait to see them.

The format will change radically each time. But Aspen is more than a delight to the eye, it will also be a feast for the intellect. We promise that its content will be as original and rewarding as the format.

We'll cover everything that enhances life and anything that can be described as a civilized pleasure of modern living — from skiing and wildflower watching to houses and humanities. There'll be articles on art, architecture, music (always with a record), dance, gourmet dining, nature and conservation, underground movies, avant garde theatre and iconoclastic people — even how to make your own wine and mead.

Why do we call it Aspen? Because we're using that cultural spa of the Rockies as a point of view, a state of mind, a symbol of the free-wheeling eclectic life (much as The New Yorker uses New York).

Does it sound exciting? It is. Does it sound expensive to produce? It isn't cheap. Aspen is published bimonthly. Each issue is $4. A charter subscription (6 issues) is $16. That's $8 below the single-copy price of $24. If you subscribe now, you'll start at the beginning with the first issue.

Also, we'll guarantee you that our magazine is in fact as great as it sounds in concept. If you hate it, you can cancel at any time and get a pro-rata refund promptly. You have nothing to lose — and at the very least a conversation piece and collector's item to gain.

Let's go.

from Evergreen Review no. 42, August 1966

Adapted for the web by Andrew Stafford.
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