Digest size
Encyclopedia
Digest size is a magazine
size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback
book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end. Some printing presses refer to digest-size as a "catalog size," such as that used by Avon Products
when selling house to house. The digest format was considered to be a convenient size for readers to tote around or to leave on the coffee table within easy reach.
The most famous digest-sized magazine is Reader's Digest
, from which the size appears to have been named. TV Guide
also used the format from its inception in 1953 until 2005. CoffeeHouse Digest is a national magazine distributed free-of-charge at coffeehouses throughout the United States.
Digest size is less popular now than it once was. Besides TV Guide dropping it in favor of a larger format, the Analog and Asimov's science fiction magazines had switched to a format slightly larger than digest size several years earlier. The main publications remaining in digest size now are Reader's Digest and some Archie
comics digests. Children's Digest
was originally in digest size but switched long ago to a larger format as well (though keeping the word "Digest" in its name). Writer's Digest
is another publication with the word in its name that is not actually produced at that size.
s including:
publishers put out "comics digests," usually about 6¾ x 4 inches. Gold Key Comics
produced three digest titles that lasted until the mid-1970s: Golden Comics Digest
, Mystery Comics Digest
, and Walt Disney Comics Digest
. DC Comics
produced several in the early 1980s (including DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest and The Best of DC), and Harvey Comics
also published a few during the same time (including Richie Rich Digest Magazine). Archie Comics
has published numerous comics digests since the 1970s, and in the 2000s Marvel Comics
has produced a number of digests, primarily for reprint editions.
The manga graphic novel
format is similar to digest size, although slightly narrower and generally thicker.
The A5 paper size
used by many UK fanzine
s is slightly wider and taller than digest size.
In Italy
, Topolino
's Disney Comics
title has been published in the format since 1949, inspired by Reader's Digest (which was also published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore
).
The format is widely used in comics published in France
and Brazil
.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end. Some printing presses refer to digest-size as a "catalog size," such as that used by Avon Products
Avon Products
Avon Products, Inc. is a US cosmetics, perfume and toy seller with markets in over 140 countries across the world and sales of $9.9 billion worldwide as of 2007.-Business Model:...
when selling house to house. The digest format was considered to be a convenient size for readers to tote around or to leave on the coffee table within easy reach.
The most famous digest-sized magazine is Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
, from which the size appears to have been named. TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
also used the format from its inception in 1953 until 2005. CoffeeHouse Digest is a national magazine distributed free-of-charge at coffeehouses throughout the United States.
Digest size is less popular now than it once was. Besides TV Guide dropping it in favor of a larger format, the Analog and Asimov's science fiction magazines had switched to a format slightly larger than digest size several years earlier. The main publications remaining in digest size now are Reader's Digest and some Archie
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
comics digests. Children's Digest
Children's Digest
Children's Digest was a children's magazine published from Oct. 1950 to May/June 2009, after which it was merged with Jack and Jill from the same publisher. For over 20 years it was published in the digest size implied by its name, but it subsequently switched to a larger format more similar to...
was originally in digest size but switched long ago to a larger format as well (though keeping the word "Digest" in its name). Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest
Writer's Digest is an American magazine devoted to both beginning and established writers, offering interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles....
is another publication with the word in its name that is not actually produced at that size.
Science fiction digests
Since the 1950s it has also been used by several science fiction magazineScience fiction magazine
A science fiction magazine is a publication that offers primarily science fiction, either in a hard copy periodical format or on the Internet....
s including:
- AnalogAnalog Science Fiction and FactAnalog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
(originally Astounding, full magazine size from March 1963 to March 1965) - Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction MagazineAsimov's Science FictionAsimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov...
. - Galaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science FictionGalaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...
- The Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
- New WorldsNew Worlds (magazine)New Worlds was a British science fiction magazine which was first published professionally in 1946. For 25 years it was widely considered the leading science fiction magazine in Britain, publishing 201 issues up to 1971...
- Other WorldsOther Worlds (magazine)Other Worlds Science Stories was an American science fiction magazine, edited by Raymond A. Palmer with Bea Mahaffey. It was published by Palmer's Clark Publishing in Evanston, Illinois beginning in the late 1940s...
- Science FantasyScience Fantasy (magazine)Science Fantasy, which also appeared under the titles Impulse and SF Impulse, was a British fantasy and science fiction magazine, launched in 1950 by Nova Publications as a companion to Nova's New Worlds. Walter Gillings was editor for the first two issues, and was then replaced by John Carnell,...
- Worlds of If
Comics digests
From the late 1960s on, several comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
publishers put out "comics digests," usually about 6¾ x 4 inches. Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
produced three digest titles that lasted until the mid-1970s: Golden Comics Digest
Golden Comics Digest
Golden Comics Digest was one of three digest size comics published by Gold Key Comics in the early 1970s. The other two were the Mystery Comics Digest and Walt Disney Comics Digest....
, Mystery Comics Digest
Mystery Comics Digest
Mystery Comics Digest was one of three digest size comics published by Gold Key Comics in the early 1970s. The other two were Golden Comics Digest and Walt Disney Comics Digest....
, and Walt Disney Comics Digest
Walt Disney Comics Digest
Walt Disney Comics Digest was one of three digest size comics published by Gold Key Comics in the early 1970s. The other two were the Mystery Comics Digest and Golden Comics Digest....
. DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
produced several in the early 1980s (including DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest and The Best of DC), and Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
also published a few during the same time (including Richie Rich Digest Magazine). Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
has published numerous comics digests since the 1970s, and in the 2000s Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
has produced a number of digests, primarily for reprint editions.
The manga graphic novel
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
format is similar to digest size, although slightly narrower and generally thicker.
The A5 paper size
Paper size
Many paper size standards conventions have existed at different times and in different countries. Today there is one widespread international ISO standard and a localised standard used in North America . The paper sizes affect writing paper, stationery, cards, and some printed documents...
used by many UK fanzine
British small press comics
British small press comics, once known as stripzines, are comic books self-published by amateur cartoonists and comic book creators, usually in short print runs, in the UK. A "small press comic" is essentially a zine composed predominantly of comic strips. The term emerged in the early 1980s to...
s is slightly wider and taller than digest size.
In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Topolino
Topolino
Topolino, is an Italian digest-sized comic series featuring Disney comics. The series has had a long running history, first appearing in 1932...
's Disney Comics
Disney Comics
Disney Comics was a comic book publishing company operated by The Walt Disney Company which ran from 1990 to 1993. In the USA, Disney only licensed their comic books to other publishers prior to 1990...
title has been published in the format since 1949, inspired by Reader's Digest (which was also published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore is the biggest publishing company in Italy.-History:Founded by the 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori in 1907 to publish the magazine titled Luce!, it soon became an important publisher. Its headquarters are in Milan....
).
The format is widely used in comics published in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.