America magazine:

• The weekly news and opinion magazine published by the Jesuits, as they put it: "for thinking Catholics and for those who want to know what Catholics are thinking."

American Demographics Magazine:

• One may not consider this a "big" magazine, but it provides a romp through the statistics that make up America.
• Here one can discover the six household items that Americans say they can't live without and the 10 most frequently used terms of endearment among married Americans. There's other more serious stuff that's valuable, too, like a monthly update on the U.S. population.
• Published monthly by the Cowles Business Media group.

Atlantic Monthly:

• After the first of each month, the entire print version can be found here. This site also includes a career and internship page that provides information about jobs at the magazine and its online version.
• The magazine was recently sold to the owner of the National Journal (see below).
• It online version is called "Atlantic Unbound."

Bible Review:

Probably this doesn't rank as a "top" magazine, but anyone with an interest in the Bible who is looking for critical as well as sympathetic material that seeks to be as objective as seems reasonably possible will find BR a worthwhile read.

It is related to the larger and slightly more scholarly publication, the Biblical Archaelogical Review.

CondeNet:

• A compendium of the online offerings from Conde Nast. Not much here for hard news junkies and working journalists, other than how they may spend their leisure time.

Consumer Reports:

• To get access to the detailed reports and ratings on consumer products, one has to subscribe, but there's still much valuable material at this site.

The Futurist:

• Not necessarily the hangout of sci-fi devotees; this is the magazine of the World Futurist Society, and it provides some provocative reading about trends and events that have an impact on the future.
• According to its promotional page, Newt Gingrich, Al Gore and Vaclav Havel are among the magazine's contributors.

Harper's magazine:

• The other literary leader in the magazine world.
• One of my favorite features, the "Index" is posted here.

HomeArts:

• Most, if not all, of the Hearst Corporation's money-makers in the print world are teased at this site. Largely aimed at those who stay at home or spend a good portion of their days and nights entertaining themselves or others at home.

New Yorker:

• Twenty years ago, many thought this magazine too staid. Now many say it's too hip. Either way, it remains the beacon of American literary journalism, and its cartoons continue to be unmatched for sophisticated humor.
• Now part of Conde Nast, many wonder how long it can last without turning a profit or changing radically.
• Its online presence is nothing to rave about.

National Journal:

• Not to be confused with the conservative news weekly National Review (see below), this is the showcase weekly of a series of publications that monitors the U.S. government in Washington.
• Recently, National Journal company purchased The Atlantic Monthly.
• NJ's daily briefing of technology news provides a fine synopsis of what's reported in the specialized news media, a growing force as Internet news expands. Unfortunately, it will cost one about $35 to get this daily briefing.

Rolling Stone:

• Perhaps the best known of the alternative magazines, this journal of the rock generation is taking advantage of the Web's sound capabilities.

Science (AAAS):

• One doesn't exactly get the entire magazine at this site, but there are some intriguing features.
• Science is the premier magazine of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Time magazine:

• Back issues are available as well as the current issue. The same root URL will get a searcher to Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, People, Money and bunches of other magazines.
• An interesting link at this site is the archives of Life magazine.
• Time Inc. is planning in late 1998 to scrap its pathfinder.com site and promote its magazines individually on the Web.

U.S. News and World Report:

• The least known of the big-three news magazines, and probably the most conservative of the three.
• Probably best known among academics for its annual ratings of colleges, graduate schools and professional schools in the nation.

Newsweek:

• Newsweek is now operating full tilt as part of the parent washingtonpost.com group.
• Considered the most liberal of the big three news magazines.

The Economist:

• The influential British magazine that many think covers America and its politics better than many of the U.S. news magazines. The access is limited at this site, but there's still enough to muck about in.

Consumer Reports:

• The online version of the popular consumer goods testing and reporting magazine.

Scientific American:

• The premier popular magazine of science and technology that is not so popular it loses its science. No dumbing down in these pages.

Nature:

• British-based weekly magazine of science news.
• Top notch research reported here. Also prints in Japanese and German.

The Nation:

• One of the handful of outstanding journals of opinion published in the U.S.

The New Republic:

• The political journal of the left-of-center.

National Review:

• The major U.S. magazine of conservative political opinion. This used to be William F. Buckley's forum for his "Up From Liberalism" advocacy, but now it's more of an ideological forum for GOP thinking.

First Things: A Journal of Religion and Public Life:

• Edited by Richard John Neuhaus and largely a forum for his perspectives on culture, politics, religion and the news, this has become one of the strong voices of moderate conservatism in the U.S. in the past decade.

Commonweal:

• I think this is the best of the specialized opinion journals.
• Written and edited by intelligent Roman Catholic lay persons, it frequently features former New Yorker writer William Pfaff (now a New Yorker naysayer) and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne.
• Former Editor Peter Steinfels of the New York Times also appears here regularly (his wife is now the editor).

Christian Century:

• The Century's former editor, James Wall, still provides insightful and provocative reflections on American popular culture with theological implications.
• One of the best ways to keep track of the current religious scene from an intellectual perspective.
• Also has one of the most cleverly titled commentaries from the Rev. Martin E. Marty, called "M.E.M.O."

National Geographic:

• This site is as rich as the printed magazine. For travelers, this site also houses NGS's Traveler magazine website. Subscribers can also get a version via Compuserve.
• There's a special online presence for children: National Geographic for Kids.

Advertising Age:

• The best source for journalists interested in what's going on in the advertising world.

Der Spiegel (in German):

• If one reads German, one can make a worthwhile visit to the 50-year-old magazine that once, according to the International Herald Tribune, called itself "the battering ram of democracy."
• In a small revolutionary move, Der Spiegel, perhaps sensing the spirit of the times, has in 2001 become a publication completely independent of its print version.  Perhaps it will now call itself "the battering ram of dot-com news."

Reader's Digest:

• A slow-loading site that aims at some interactivity.
• I always claimed that when the Digest got on the Web I would know that the financial future of the Internet is secure.
• Reader's Digest also has a heavy stake in the LookSmart search engine.

Library Journal Digital:

Not exactly the print version online, but a good representation of doing research in libraries and with books.

Anyone who works with words should browse this site occasionally.

Publishers' Weekly:

Another professional journal with which wordsmiths should become familiar.

Aimed at publishers and book sellers and consumers.

Smithsonian:

• The magazine is here, but so is a great deal more relating to American popular culture, as this site attempts to draw visitors into the Institution's offerings in Washington, D.C.
• If one is so drawn, one should willingly submit. Convenient and largely free, the Smithsonian Institution should be on the "must see" list of everyone who visits Washington.
• If one can't get there, read the magazine.

Washington Monthly:

• A fine journal of relatively liberal opinion and news. Does an exceptional job of watching the government (and the press) and chastizing both. Given enough time each month, the entire magazine is posted on this web site.

World Press Review Magazine:

• News and views from around the world.

Electronic Newstand:

• This site touts itself as the "ultimate magazine source." Its real task is to sell magazines, but the site's "Hot Copy" provides good summaries of what's happening in the journalistic world of magazines.