Reviews For American Heritage Magazine

I fondly remember my first time - reading American Heritage.

I fondly recall the first time that I read American Heritage magazine. I was in 5th grade and Mrs. Nettles had a massive collection of the old hard-bound Heritages.

They were vivid descriptions of a time gone by. They seemed to be more in-depth than the textbooks which tried to cover the Mayflower through Watergate in less than 500 pages. They seemed to be vivid enough to create a museum exhibit for every article.

I enjoyed the tour that I took of Mount Vernon and reading of Eleanor Roosevelt's travels. Special items that get lost in the static of history lessons come to focus, like quilts, recipes and journals. The American Heritage may no longer be in hardcover but it still makes me want to read it from cover to cover.

I like to read about what happened in history during a particular month. I highly recommend it because instead of seeing history as being a crude bunch of dates, people will realize that this calendar is one we share with our ancestors. And it's not just December 7 or November 22 that have meaning. History is a living science that never takes a day off.

A favorite recent issue of mine was the most overrated and underrated issue. It gives history buffs a chance to compare notes about what they think has been given too much ink in our books. What will be considered overrated fifty years from now? Whitewater? Iran-Contra? Elian Gonzalez?

Something that I like the most about this magazine. Unlike the trend in biographies and historytelling, Heritage seeks out a broader history that we might not have know about before without constantly looking for feet of clay.


Recommended:
Yes

I've been an American Heritage reader for 8 or 10 years now, and there's a huge stack of back issues in the closet. I can't seem to throw them away when I'm done (and I read every issue straight through, starting on page one), but I'm always eager to turn over an issue I've just read to a friend or colleague that might find something interesting inside. And they always do. Just last week, I brought along a past issue to a friend's house, because it had a story about the history of the baseball glove and he's an avid baseball dude. He was thrilled with the article, and I may even have inspired him to order the magazine for himself!

The best thing about American Heritage is that every article is not only interesting and well written, but truly educational and engaging. I'm finally learning all that stuff that I never paid attention to in school! It's not dry or crumbly or boring - the names and places and events come alive in full color, Dolby surround sound, and you'll carry the names and places with you to future issues, where another story will add to your understanding of the first, eventually rounding out your inner "map" of US history. At least that's how it works for me - as always, YMMV.

As others have mentioned, the Brush With History section is terrific - average everyday Joes tell how they became a part of a significant moment in American history, usually completely by mistake or sheer coincidence. Another feature I enjoy is the final page of every issue - interesting, thought-provoking photographs are often posted there, leaving the reader with all sorts of questions and a hope to find out more in the next issue.

I subscribe to a fair number of magazines (12 at last count), and American Heritage is easily in the top three, maybe even Number One.

Tyler-Bob says "Check it out!"


Recommended:
Yes

This magazine is really very interesting. It goes through history and teaches you all those things that your high school history teacher didn't have time for or didn't even know about.

I really am interested in the Civil War era, so I particularly enjoy the articles involving that sort of thing. The latest issue dealt mostly with World War II. I learned a lot about that war that I hadn't previously known.

I think it is great to learn about our heritage, and the articles are very interesting so it really isn't anything like being in school! Also, for those who like to travel, there are all sorts of ads for travel guides to areas around the country.

I would recommend American Heritage to anyone who is interested to know about the past of our country. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes to learn not so well known facts and trivia. This is a great magazine.


Recommended:
Yes

It is said that a culture which does not learn from its mistakes is doomed to repeat them. If everyone read American Heritage, we'd all be spared a lot of mistakes.
There is something reassuring about history. If nothing else, it lets us know that time is truly a continuum, and with the exception of certain technologies, there really is nothing new under the sun.
American Heritage lays out the past in beautifully designed and illustrated articles. With wit and humor, history is treated as something vital and dynamic, not stale and dusty. My Brush With History, a regular feature, is a forum for everyday folks who've had extraordinary experiences. Time and again, the magazine takes on big events (such as the Cold War) in new and refreshing ways; a recent article about the Cold War was written by Nikita Kruschev's son, who ironically is now a U.S. citizen.
American Heritage is an excellent addition to any thinking person's library. Each issue is a keeper--they're printed on beautiful stock and packed with photos and illustrations. And the information they contain is never "dated". Being informed about the past makes one far more prepared for the future.


Recommended:
Yes

I am "historically impaired". I enjoy hearing "stories" from our past but I can never remember who did what, when. Therefore I don't usually make time for history. Enter "American Heritage" magazine. It is not a tired old rag about the Revolutionary War or who was the best Civil War general. No, it is a magazine full of lively articles on UNUSUAL facts from our history. Get this magazine and get the scoop on the flu that killed a million, the fascinating story of a secret mountain masacre or the plan to play God by cleansing the "feeble minded". Who knew!! Subscribe and be riveted!

When I was little, my dad always said good things about this magazine. My attitude was always "I'm not gonna buy a magazine to bore myself some more" - I mean, c'mon, it's a history magazine. I was absolutely wrong. I picked up this magazine one day and I was hooked. I would say that American Heritage has found its way to make history interesting. One way that it does this is to somehow weave issues of current interest (as subtle as they may be) into its articles. On the second thought, I should have listened to my dad from the beginning - he's an anesthesiologist - he knows what put people to sleep and what does not. This magazine keeps me awake - sometimes I would put my paper/project aside just so that I could finish my copy in one sitting. It's unfortunate that this magazine only comes out every two months. American Heritage makes history grrreattt! ... even for a non-history buff in his early 20's like myself.

I subscribe to this magazine, my father subscribes to this magazine and my husband reads it cover to cover. This magazine covers history but in an interesting way.

Many times the articles manage to tie in current events with past events. It is not a compendium of facts and figures and graphs and data to back up some thesis on a specific event in history. Rather is the story of history. The story of a person at an event, the whys that lead up to an event, the interesting tidbits that make history interesting.

When there are pictures or drawings they add to the subject rather than detract from the topic of the article.

I really enjoy reading from this magazine.
Enjoy.

I bought this subscription as a present for my father. He's not much of a reader, but he has always been interested in American history. My mother tells me he can't stop talking about how much he likes it. History in easily digestible articles.

This magazine provides interesting stories and information about American history and cultural life.
Most often it is very pleasant reading.

I love reading about our history, and American Heritage supplies many interesting articles regarding that subject.