Sunset (magazine)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sunset is a lifestyle magazine in the United States. Sunset focuses on interests regarding homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus almost exclusively on the Western United States. The magazine is published 12 times per year by the Sunset Publishing Company, part of Southern Progress Corporation, itself a subsidiary of Time Warner.
[edit] History
Sunset began in 1898 as a promotional magazine for the Southern Pacific railroad, designed to combat the negative "Wild West" stereotypes about California. Tourism and migration to California increased in part as a result. In 1914 the railroad sold the magazine to its employees, and Sunset began to publish original articles, stories and poetry focusing on the West. The format resembled other national general interest magazines of the day such as Collier's and the Saturday Evening Post.
The Lane Publishing era
In 1929, Lawrence W. Lane, a former advertising executive with Better Homes and Gardens, purchased Sunset, and changed the format to what would become its current Western lifestyle emphasis.
When Lane took over the magazine, the population of the West was booming. A few years later, the end of World War II brought an explosion of newcomers. Drawing on his experience from the East Coast-serving Better Homes and Gardens, he guessed correctly that these new Westerners would be hungry for information about how to travel, cook, cultivate, and build in their new environment.
Under Lane's leadership, the company also produced a successful series of how-to home improvement and gardening books, which are still produced today.
Lane Publishing sold Sunset Magazine and books to Time Warner in 1990, and the company was renamed Sunset Publishing Corporation. In 2001, Time Warner reorganized Sunset to be part of recently acquired Southern Progress Corporation, best known for its similar home and lifestyle magazine Southern Living.
[edit] External links
- Sunset Magazine website [1]
