Item #7151 George. John F. Kennedy Jr., Frank Lalli, George W. Bush, Betty Friedan, Peter Keating, Al Gore, founding, contributors.

George. May 2000. Gore vs. Bush

New York: Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, 2000. Quarto, publisher's photo-illustrated wraps.

"A magazine about politics for people who think they don’t like politics." May 2000 issue of JFK, Jr.’s "politics-as-lifestyle" magazine, with Hollywood heavyweight Sean Penn on the cover. Established in 1995 with businessman Michael Berman after Kennedy left his career as a lawyer behind, George was the first mass market magazine to pair politics with glamor and celebrity. (The inaugural issue, featuring a now-iconic cover image of Cindy Crawford as George Washington shot by Herb Ritts, was a blockbuster debut.) While the "post-partisan" publication was an immediate hit, by late 1998 George began to flounder due to editorial infighting, a drop in readership, and general financial trouble – the New York Post began a "virtual George death watch." When publisher Hachette Filipacchi informed Kennedy they would be pulling the plug on the magazine, he scrambled to find new investors; it was during this interim period that he died in a plane crash, on July 16, 1999. The magazine remained in print for one year after the tragedy. This issue features a special report on the 2000 presidential election, with pieces by Peter Keating and Helen Thorpe, a personal history by Betty Friedan, early coverage of Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show," a feature on the Elián Gonzalez story, and more. Profusely illustrated in color and black-and-white. Volume V, number 4. Mailing address label to upper wrap. Light edgewear. Near fine. Item #7151

$50.00