A few months ago an emailer asked what reading recommendations I might offer for her college-aged grandchild. I took “reading recommendations” to be a fairly open-ended category, so in my response I included the titles of some books, the names of some of my favorite columnists and a quick list of suggested periodicals.
I ended my email by heartily advocating she subscribe her dear undergraduate to one or two of the periodicals. To this day, I prefer reading content in hard-copy form. Yes, online access is convenient, but there is just something special (to me, anyway) about holding a physical copy.
If there is a young conservative in your life, consider these titles for their subscription starter set.
» The National Review: For the cost of an annual subscription, there might not be a magazine that delivers more bang for the buck. The National Review, founded by conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr., has been the writing home for some of conservative thought’s biggest names over the past seven decades. Today, its author roster is composed of some of my favorite thinkers, including Jonah Goldberg (often seen on this page), Charles C. Cooke, and Kevin D. Williamson.
David Martin» The Weekly Standard: I’m pretty sure The Weekly Standard was one of the first magazine subscriptions I ordered outside of the GQ and Esquire mold, and I consider myself fortunate to have landed a handful of articles in its print and online editions. Fred Barnes and Bill Kristol started the magazine during Bill Clinton’s first presidential term, and in those pages they’ve been battling the political left ever since. Kristol’s continued Never Trump stance draws mountains of attention but shouldn’t distract from the works of some heavyweight writers like Stephen F. Hayes (current editor in chief) and Jay Cost.