Mother Earth News is a bi-monthly American magazine that has a circulation of 500,520 as of 2011. It is published in Topeka, Kansas.[2]

Since its founding, Mother Earth News has promoted renewable energy, recycling, family farms, good agricultural practices, better eating habits, medical self-care, more meaningful education and affordable housing. The magazine approaches environmental problems from a down-to-earth, practical, simple living, how-to standpoint.

History

Founders John and Jane Shuttleworth started the magazine on a "shoestring" budget of $1500, published from home in 1970.[3] The first issue was published in January of that year.[4]

(John Shuttleworth died on March 29, 2009, at his home in Evergreen, Colorado, at the age of 71.[5])

The magazine was originally published in Madison, Ohio, and moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina, later. The headquarters is in Topeka, Kansas.[6] It had a scrappy, no-frills style and appearance throughout the 1970s. Mother Earth News embraced the revived interest in the back-to-the-land movement at the beginning of the 1970s, and combined this with an interest in the ecology movement and self-sufficiency. Unlike many other magazines with ecological coverage, Mother Earth News concentrated on do-it-yourself and how-to articles, aimed at the growing number of people moving to the country. As a result, the magazine thrived throughout the 1970s. There were articles on home building, farming, gardening, and entrepreneurism, all with a DIY approach. The subject matter of the articles ranged widely into such subjects as geodesic domes, hunting, food storage, and even a regular column on amateur radio. Alternative energy was a frequent topic covered in the magazine, with articles on how to switch to solar power and wind power, and how to make a still and run your car on ethanol.

A series of "Plowboy Interviews" (a jokey nod to "Playboy Interviews") was also a regular feature, which included interviews of environmental leaders and others. With its left-of-center perspective, The Mother Earth News attracted a wide readership, not only of back to the landers but also others ranging from hippies, to survivalists, to suburban dwellers who dreamed of someday moving to the country, to long-time rural dwellers who found the DIY articles useful.

In the March–April 1975 issue of the magazine, Issue No. 32, John Shuttleworth said in the second installment of the Plowboy Interview:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "eCirc for Consumer Magazines". Audit Bureau of Circulations. December 31, 2011. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Home, Garden, and Crafts Magazine Editors". Book Market. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ "John Shuttleworth, Founder of Mother Earth News, Interview Part I: A Plowboy Interview with Shuttleworth who discusses his experiences living the self-reliant life that Mother Earth News is famous for, and how the idea for the magazine came about". Motherearthnews.com. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ David Armstrong (1981). A trumpet to arms: alternative media in America. South End Press. pp. 194–198. ISBN 9780896081932.
  5. ↑ Backhome Magazine, issue 101, p. 4
  6. ↑ "Homa and garden magazines". Book Market. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Plowboy Interview: John Shuttleworth". February 19, 2006. Archived from the original on February 19, 2006. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Oztan, Mehmet (April 2019). "Keeping seeds, sharing seed stories Mehmet Öztan, Service Assistant Professor". West Virginia University. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  10. ↑ "40 Years Old and Better Than Ever". Mother Earth News. March 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Diversity Commitment". Ogden Publications. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Earth_News