George. September 2000. Pillow Talk & Politics
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." December 1998 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 – on "Pillow Talk & Politics" – features a cover shot of Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber, a piece on how George W. Bush found God, Jesse Ventura on the 2000 presidential candidates, what Shannen Doherty would do if she were president, and more. Profusely illustrated in color and black-and-white. Volume V, number 8. Mailing address label to upper wrap. Light creasing and edgewear. Near fine. Item #7153
$50.00