National Geographic :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Rising price, declining content

2008-07-13
It can't be argued that National Geographic still features excellent photography of a wide variety of subjects, but the written content of this famous publication has declined to the point of self-parody. NG still commissions a few notable journalists (Alma Guillermoprieto's contributions are invariably excellent), but contributions by the likes of Frank Viviano, William Allard, etc. are characterized by a thoroughly unprofessional (and distinctly American) tendency to express their personal opinions and experiences in their articles, which are typically distinguished by the most nauseatingly saccharine, humanist perspectives. If you're looking for journalistic objectivity, you'll only find it sporadically here, and mostly in articles pertaining to the fundamental sciences or their relation to technology.

Some of the topics that NG explored in 2006 were incredibly mundane. These included extensive cover stories concerning a scientific examination of the nature of love and (I swear to god this is true) the worldwide appeal of soccer. In the latter issue, one of the maps that we readers usually expect was substituted by a fold-out poster featuring photos and drawings of soccer players and fields, and percentage rates indicating the game's popularity in different continents. If you think that I'm lying, check out the June 2006 issue and witness this inanity for yourself. Again: these were cover stories, not articles buried somewhere in their respective issues. The relative lack of variety in the magazine's subject matter is also discouraging. I don't mind NG's preoccupation with environmental topics; while it's colored with a variety of pessimistic fatalism that's obviously tailored to appeal to moderate leftists with an interest in these subjects, these issues are quite important and worthy of discussion in this magazine. But in the course of one year, I was treated to no fewer than three articles on the topic of evolution, none of which conveyed anything that I (a layman on the topic) didn't know or any conclusions whatsoever: puff pieces, essentially. And of course, the season kicked off with an article on the Grand Canyon. Beautifully shot and hastily written, and I know what the Grand Canyon looks like. I know all about it. In my relatively short (shy of three decades) life, I've read no fewer than six National Geographic articles on the Grand Canyon. Thanks so much for yet another, but I already know about the Grand Canyon; this article didn't tell or show me anything that I didn't know about it, for god's sake. The ZipUSA feature is aimless and uninteresting, mostly an exhibit for how commonplace most of the USA is. I don't know if anybody else has noticed this, but it seems as though the correspondence featured in the magazine's letters section is often cherry-picked for the most vapid and (appropriately) leftist commentary of its reader base.

The thing is, I still can't dismiss NG. For every lousy article in an issue, there's one that fascinates: a photographed review of present-day Chernobyl, Prince Charles' conservationist efforts in Cornwall, unearthed Peruvian mummies, and so on. But nothing here is worth the absurd cost of an annual subscription, especially considering that there's a lot of advertising in every issue. If NG wants advice, here it is: trim the fat. Dump some of your ads and all of your trite articles (about half of the content in any given issue). Either halve the length of your issues or move to a bimonthly format, restore the detailed maps that we want, and for god's sake, dump the price. My grandmother had a traditional devotion to this now-bloated magazine, but its higher standard of quality justified her custom back then. There's no reason why I can't just drive or walk to my local library and check out the latest issue at no cost.

Why pay more?

2008-06-01
This is a great magazine; however, unless I am missing something, the cost of a year's subscription is only $15 on the National Geographic site.

National Geographic

2008-04-28
National Geo. was a family favorite growing up. My parents got us the subscription so we could have great references for projects with great pictures. Now, all grown up I purchased this for my brother for his birthday as a staple magazine for his new family.

very disapointer

2008-01-16
This was a Christmas gift for my brother on law and to this date he has not received his 1st magazine. I am very dispointed

Junk Mail galore

2008-01-11
I will no longer subscribe to National Geographic. This year we started getting unsolicited junk from either National Geographic or their "partner" companies masquerading as National Geographic and then billing us for the DVDs, maps, etc. I expressed my concerns in a letter to National Geographic about the problem and they did not bother to contact me. Of course now they are sending these bogus bills to their "collection department." No more National Geographic magazine EVER!

Broad overview

2007-12-26
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, the flagship magazine of the National Geographic Society, chronicles exploration and adventure, as well as changes that impact life on Earth. Editorial coverage encompasses people and places of the world, with an emphasis on human involvement in a changing universe. Major topics include culture, nature, geography, ecology, science and technology.

Save your money

2007-11-26
Order this directly from National Geographic - they charge $15 a year, less than half of what Amazon is asking, and much better service apparently

Cheaper Price!!!!

2007-09-21
If you go to National Geographic's website you can get a 12 month subscription for $15, just like I just did.

Do not buy through Amazon but directly

2007-07-24
I bought National Geographics for my elderly father over 3 months ago. To this day no magazines have arrived. Tired of waiting and after a phone call from him, I barred the wait to talked to someone in NG. They told me that going through Amazon takes at least 3 months!!! and that they have shiped my order two day ago and it will take 2 weeks in transport. If I go directly through them it takes 1 months.

simply the best...

2007-06-19
I usually have enough time to read about 1 magazine a month between raising kids and working. So what other magazine could leave you in awe with it's photography, astound you with it's stories and educate you like no other magazine. National Geographic of course that same magazine that you used to page through when you were a kid sitting in the dentist waiting room. Now my kids page through it at home, I have a friend at work who collects the maps, my wife peruses it and when we are all done I donate all back issues to a local nursing home. psstt..go to their website for the best price..