Biographical Sketch

Samir "Mr. Magazine™" Husni, Ph.D., is a leading expert on print journalism and magazine industry consultant. Husni received his undergraduate degree from Lebanese University in Beirut and a scholarship to work on advanced degrees in the United States. He went on to earn a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas in 1980 and a Ph.D. in magazine journalism from the University of Missouri in 1983. He is the founder and director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the School of Journalism and New Media at The University of Mississippi, where he served as a professor of journalism from 1984 to 2021.

Husni authored numerous books, including the annually published Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines (1985-2011). Some other Husni publications include The Future of Magazines: A Five Year Forecast (2003), Inside the Great Minds of Magazine Makers (2015), and The Definitive Guide on How to Launch Your Own Magazine (2019). In 2007, Husni started his Mr. Magazine™ Blog, on which he interviews prominent figures in publishing, gives his expert insight on the magazine industry, and tracks new magazine launches.

Source: https://samirhusni.wordpress.com/

Scope and Contents

The Samir Husni Magazine Collection represents a lifetime of research in media history and magazine publishing. Husni’s yearly publication, Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines, was in print from 1985 to 2011, and is published electronically to date as the Mr. Magazine™ Launch Monitor. The Guide and Launch Monitor document more than 24,000 first issue magazines published in the United States in the twentieth century, about 80% of which are contained in the collection. A significant percentage of first edition magazines in the U.S. never published a second issue.

The collection also includes longer or near-complete runs of other periodical titles from the early twentieth century, merchandise and marketing kits created by magazine publishers, and Husni's professional papers. Taken as a whole, the Husni Collection provides a detailed view of the landscape of American periodical publishing for a large span of the 20th century.

Series 1: First Edition Magazines listed in Samir Husni's Guide to New Magazines, 1985-.

Series 1 Finding Aid (pdf)

The series contains a wide range of first and special-issue magazines published in the United States from 1985 to 2022. This includes popular titles and uncommon magazines, some of which only survived a few months. Based on 2011 data, Husni estimated a 40% survival rate for new magazines. All magazines are listed in the publication Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines or the Mr. Magazine™ Launch Monitor. Consult the guides for indexes; see Related Resources, below.

Items are arranged by year according to the order provided in Husni’s annual directory of new magazines. For first edition title lists, see the printed guides and Husni’s online publication, Mr. Magazine™ Launch Monitor.

Magazine Count: 19,680 (about 80% of the magazines listed in Husni’s guides)

• Husni, Samir. Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines. Dept. of Journalism, University of Mississippi, 1986-1991.
• Husni, Samir. Samir Husni’s Guide to the New Consumer Magazines Published in . Cowles Business Media, Inc., 1992-2002.
• Husni, Samir. Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines. Nautilus Pub., 2003-2005.
• Husni, Samir. The Magazine Guide. Nautilus Pub., 2006.
• Husni, Samir. Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines. Nautilus Pub., 2007-2012.
• Husni, Samir. Mr. Magazine™ Launch Monitor, 2013-present.

Series 2: First Edition Magazines (not in guide), 1985-. 

This series contains first-issue magazines published from 1985 to 2022. These magazines were not included in the annually published Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines. Many magazines in this series were published outside of the United States.

The series is arranged by year. Users can inquire for a complete list of titles.

Magazine Count: 2,149

Series 3: Pre-1985 Magazines, 1805-1984.

Subseries A: First Edition Magazines

This series includes first-edition magazines published before 1985 and dating back to 1820.

Arranged by year.

Subseries B: General

The series contains pre-1985 magazines that are not first issues. This includes complete runs of both popular and uncommon magazines.

Arranged alphabetically.

Subseries C: Collected Years

Samir Husni emphasized certain years while collecting for historical and personal reasons. This series includes magazines from 1919, 1942, and 1953.

• 1919: This series includes magazines from 1919.
• 1942: This series includes magazines from July 1942. During WW2, many magazine publishers incorporated American flags on their July 1942 covers as a show of patriotism. This was known as the “United We Stand” campaign.
• 1953: Magazines from 1953, the year Samir Husni was born. Dr. Husni’s goal was to recreate the contents of an American newsstand during his birth year.

Magazine count: 8,879

Series 4: Merchandise and Marketing

Subseries A: Media Kits & Prototypes

This series contains magazine media kits and prototypes, typically sent to media buyers and focus groups before premiere issues. These materials display a magazine's overall vision and encourage advertisers' support. Media kits contain detailed information such as circulation projections, editorial calendars, target audience demographics, and cost per advertisement.

• 40 linear feet
• Count: 1,303

Subseries B: Merchandise

Magazine merchandise is sometimes sent alongside premiere or special issue magazines. This series includes a wide range of objects, which typically relate to the subject matter of a magazine and display the magazine’s logo.

Series 5: Personal & Professional Papers

Not available for use

Scope and Content Note 

This series contains the research, publications, correspondence, and life’s work of Samir Husni.

Series Details

291.67 linear feet

175 boxes

Additional materials

Monographs, comics, and sets or runs of post-1985 magazines. These items are listed in the catalog under the collection heading Samir Husni Magazine Collection (University of Missouri--Columbia. Libraries).

Fancy Magazines for Pet Fanciers: Birds, Cats, Dogs, and Ferrets (digital exhibition)

Life in America: Sixteen Black Magazines from 1953 to 1998 (digital exhibition)

Series 1 catalog record: Samir Husni magazine collection : first edition magazines, 1985-.

Series 2 catalog record: Samir Husni magazine collection. Series 2, First edition magazines (not in guide), 1985-.

Series 3 catalog record: Samir Husni magazine collection. Series 3, Pre-1985 magazines, 1805-1984.

Series 4 catalog record: Samir Husni magazine collection. Series 4, Merchandise and marketing.

The University of Missouri Libraries do not hold copyright on most collection materials, and therefore we do not charge usage fees or require permission to publish scanned images. The libraries encourage use of reproductions of Special Collections materials in publications, broadcasts, public displays and on web pages. However, please be aware that the user is responsible for determining copyright status and applying for permission to copyright holders. More on publication permissions.

Materials do not circulate, but are available to users in the Special Collections Reading Room by appointment. 

Series 1-4 are available to researchers. Series 5 is currently unprocessed and is not yet available to researchers. However, librarians are happy to assist with questions. Please contact Special Collections.

Additional access restrictions apply to a small part of the collection; contact Special Collections for details.