Rolling Stone Magazine

Page added: 1998
Last updated: July 2005

by Christine O.

How many magazines does it take before a collection turns into an obsession? I wish the answer was blowin' in the wind :-) I am no longer actively collecting old Rolling Stones. They are nice to have, but ultimately take up space and rip so easily. Both old and new Rolling Stone magazines are made of acidic paper, meaning that they aren't meant to last. I believe someone once said they were either meant to be read, or collected, but not both.

You can see these and many more covers at Rolling Stone. RS has again changed their format for the gallery, so I'm not going to keep track of them anymore. But, you can buy Rolling Stone: The Complete Covers 1967-1997, a massive book with almost every cover (the year end ones were left out because they repeated the previous covers). It's a wonderful book to have around. You can also read a smattering of stories about and by HST on the site.

Although HST remained on the Rolling Stone masthead, the magazine today is a far cry from the rock paper of yore. One of the more disappointing changes at RS was the departure of Bob Love, who brought stellar journalism - the kind of story that made me buy a copy every now and then. Sadly, while trying to chase the sweet spot demographic of 18-24, RS has left its older readers in a lurch. The HST memorial issue was one of their best-selling issues, oddly enough.

For more information on the Rolling Stone saga, check out Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History by Robert Draper and Gone Crazy and Back Again by Robert Sam Anson.

Covers and Pictures

Articles and Essays

Bibliographies

Hunter by E. Jean Carroll also contains a nice Rolling Stone bibliography.