Hooray for bringing back Victoria Magazine.

I am so excited about the magazine coming back. I am in the process of building a Victorian Style House and loved all the ideas the magazine had to offer.

I am hoping someone with back issues remembers a feature about little white "wall plaques" that were made to look as if the skirt of the figure was made of a shell. The heads had conical headpieces They were matte finished like bisque. These were manufactured in the early 80's. Most of the figures played musical instruments. Does this ring a bell for anyone? Thanks.

Magazines do not run on poetry. We need to encourage the companies we work for to advertise in Victoria to keep this calm and peaceful vision of a lovely world coming into our lives. So drop by your marketing department today and tell to consider Victoria.

I believe margaretfurlong.com has what you're looking for, Carroll!

HOORAY!!! I am 25 years old (just turned, this March) and I use to read Victoria Magazine in high shcool in my interior design class. I was with the popular crowd, but somehow, I actually got all my friends hooked on the magazine -much to my mom's amazement! After highschool, I began purchasing them on my own because I loved the elegant furnishings and delightful articals on decorating ideas, antiqued houses and days-gone-by living. Then one day *POOF* it vanished never to be heard of util now! I am goin' right now to buy one! Can't wait! I do hope it is remenisent of the previous publications! Thanks for making so many lives elegant once again!

I can't believe my luck. About 20 years ago my family was in Aspen skiing and since I don't ski I went out shopping and discovered the most beautiful magazine I had ever seen. I loved every page of the magazine for many years and then something happened - the magazine suddenly changed - all new and modern - just like all the other magazines. I cancelled my subscription and I hadn't thought too much about Victoria for seveal years. Then on a shopping trip yesterday - there it was - my Victoria was back just as I had remembered it from the "old" days. I am absolutely thrilled. Please, please don't change again.

Like many of my friends, living in a modern world
as a true Victorian is difficult. The only thing
I looked forward to in the past in this regard was Victoria Magazine. Just last night I decided to go through my enormous pile of literally
every back issue..which I have saved these many
years, and just keep special ones, but they were
all so special, I couldn't get rid of one of them.
That you are starting this magazine again is so
wonderful! All my home ideas came out of the old
copies...especially the Queen Victoria bedroom in
one of the November issues. That was the most
beautiful room I'd ever seen and now, it's mine.
Thank you so very much from all of us here. Hope
you'll do part of an issue on faeries, we'de love
that so much.

In a mad moment of spring cleaning a few years back, i sold my Victorias at a garage sale. A year or so later, i found myself longing for "a fix" and bought someone else's used ones. A tranquil and refined magazine that models the kind of woman i want to be.

I too have every issue of Victoria from day one - all except for one issue in early '93 which I loaned out never to be returned...I'll try ebay as some postings here have mentioned back issues being available on ebay. The '93 issue featured a townhouse-type residence on Bainbridge Island, Washington, which I recall was formerly officers quarters on an early 20th century naval base. I agree with some postings that years 2002-2003 or so featured a very different Victoria and relentlessly pushed ultra-expensive merchandise far beyond most people's affordability--and so it failed. But WELCOME BACK VICTORIA!!!!

I have been following the renewed interest in Victoria Magazine and would like to add my comments as the author of one of the newest Victoria books: FLOWER STYLE, Arrangements for Every Occasion. I had the privilege of searching the archives of the original Victoria photographs (many by Toshi Otsuki) to select my favorite floral arrangements. As a Victoria reader and occasional contributor, I was always impressed by the quality of the photos.
Working with these photos gave me the opportunity to present the designs in a new way. Now, Victoria readers can create these floral designs for their own homes. Each arrangement is presented with a list of flowers, supplies and easy to follow instructions.
I am thrilled that so many readers are as pleased as I am to see Victoria back on the newsstand.

Okay, so I am a year late on the news. I started with Victoria in 1987 and still have the first three years. Which brings up how I got here. Last night while listening to some Earl Klugh I got nostalgic for my teen years and dug out my copies and that old wonderful feeling came back. Just for the heck of it, I got online to search "Victoria magazine" et, voila. My fascination and love of the late 19th and early 20th century was started with Victoria magazine. I stopped reading Victoria years ago because (even though it was always clearly directed towards women) it never threw it at you. And then they came out with that secondary title and as a hetero male, I just got too, well, annoyed really to bother anymore. So, we all make mistakes. I will go looking for it this weekend and if it not at B&N I will take a flyer and just fork out the year subscription. Keeping fingers crossed.

I have just e-mailed Hoffman Media what may be the dumbest request ever made: I asked if it was possible for Hoffman and Hearst to jointly reprint back copies of the original Victoria (under Lindemeyer editorship. I suggested that the reprinted copies could be compiled as individual hardback books, according to year.

For anyone out there who understanding magazine publishing, is that even possible?

I just bought a 1992 copy in poor to fair condition for .25. However, I found one internet site selling them for $18-25 per copy. Though I would love to have them, that is rather expensive for me.

Charlene Handford Barlow
Shreveport, Louisiana

P.S. I posted before I proofed what I had written. Sorry.

Charlene

I am wondering if anyone who joyfully expressed their excitement a few months ago about Victoria being revived is still as excited about the new publication now that several issues are out. I think it's pretty far off the mark but I will keep subscribing for now in hopes of improvement. Most magazines out today are so dismal. Like many of you, I haven't tired of my original Victorias and feel so lucky that I saved all of them.

Rita wrote:

I am wondering if anyone who joyfully expressed their excitement a few months ago about Victoria being revived is still as excited about the new publication now that several issues are out. I think it's pretty far off the mark but I will keep subscribing for now in hopes of improvement. Most magazines out today are so dismal. Like many of you, I haven't tired of my original Victorias and feel so lucky that I saved all of them.

Rita: I agree with you that these issues are not of the same quality as the original. I think that one of the major problems is that have "modernized" Victoria. Do you remember the old issues which featured models in sytlized and romantic attire? We don't attempt to dress as they did but part of the original magazine's appeal was that it allowed us to escape to another time and place. Also, everything about the original smaked of elegance. The only thing we ol timers can do is contact the editorial staff and explain what we are looking for. Like you, however, I am going to maintain my subscription.

Charlene Handford Barlow

looking for a "bannana bread" reciepe from a victoria magazine small cookbook.please email me lenorachampion3@yahoo.com thanks!

Rita wrote:

I am wondering if anyone who joyfully expressed their excitement a few months ago about Victoria being revived is still as excited about the new publication now that several issues are out. I think it's pretty far off the mark but I will keep subscribing for now in hopes of improvement. Most magazines out today are so dismal. Like many of you, I haven't tired of my original Victorias and feel so lucky that I saved all of them.

I too am disappointed. It seems to me that Victoria's visuals were of beautiful places -- rooms, gardens, shops--all filled with fascinating and lovely details (linens, lace, silver, antique furniture, leatherbound books, etc.). I don't see that richness and particularity in the photos in the new issues. Can Victoria's original style be that hard to replicate?

Yea!!! Can't wait for my Victoria Magazine to get here. I have just about all the back issues. My husband can't understand why I keep them. He has loved the meals I have made from recipes I have obtained from the magazine!!! Little did he know about that!!! Please, please keep the magazine exactly as it started. I am a wanna be artist and found the article placements (compositiions) so beautifully displayed.

I agree with above posters. If a magazine like Victoria can bring back some beauty and elegance in the world, please...please do it! The world needs this more than you know. I can't wait to receive my first issue.

Funny how things come up...my husband was cleaning out the garage and wanted to throw out my large and ungainly magazine collection, many dating back to the 90s. I had a large collection of Martha Stewart, wedding mags, and miscellaneour others. I had no problem parting with the other magazines - and I am not the sentimental type. I couldn't let go of the Victorias though, especially since they were out of print.(My husband he grudgingly agreed to keep them; he doesn't quite get it.)
Then, I googled Victoria mag on a whim, and, lo and behold, it's back!!! I am so excited!(Yes, i know I'm a bit late to the game...but it's new to me!) Also, I found this thread on this site. I had no idea there were so many other devoted fans. Like many of you, I used to look forward to every issue like a starved person looks at a buffet. I also had a special ritual when first cracking the mag - I would save it for when I was alone, and could savour it and drink in every gorgeous picture and word. I would have some nice music on, a nice little snack treat, and a drink of some sort. The only reason I did not subscribe is that it would have been more expensive tham buying it at the newsstand, since I live in Canada.
I was totally disappointed when they changed "my" Victoria and tried to modernize it. Didn't they get it? This was an antidote to all the other modern magazines out there. I remember looking at the new font of the title, and realizing it was exactly like Marhta Stewart magazine. Now, I have nothing against Martha, but if that's what I want, that's what I'll buy. I didn't buy Victoria for that. I was very saddened, but not surprised, when they finally quit publishing it. I mostly stopped buying it when they changed formats. I actually remeber buying it a few times after the new format, and being totally dissatisfied. To use another food metaphor, it was like eating junk food - it makes you feel full for a bit, but ultimately leaves you unsatisfied and hungry for real food.
I am hoping the new editorial team takes these loyal readers comments seriously, and strives to reproduce the old magazine. I also think that Nancy Lindemayer was the best editor, from the issues I remeber. I am amazed and honored that she reads these posts. Let's continue to support our lovely magazine and help make it better!