Those waiting with bated breath for 02138—the magazine by and about Harvard alumni—to hit newsstands should brace themselves for disappointment: due to the limited market for glossy, Crimson-hued self-congratulation, 02138 won’t be sold in stores. Fortunately, there are other ways to get your hands on it.
Copies of the premiere issue were distributed free of charge to 50,000 lucky alums, presumably those who enjoy everything from “public service to private jets,” as 02138’s website says. Beyond that, press agent Diane G. Stefani wrote in an e-mail, “[The magazine] is too early in its launch phase for us to discuss subscription details.” Hypothetical subscribers will shell out $36 for six issues, one full year of 02138. To compare, magazines like Vanity Fair charge half as much for twice as many issues.
For the hoi polloi without a Harvard degree, content is available in an online issue. But a Harvard degree might be necessary to stand the self-awareness: the teaser for one story reads, “Think the vigilantes patrolling the Mexican border are a bunch of uneducated xenophobes? Not the one with the Ph.D. from Harvard.” Ahem.
So for anyone who wants to be an occasional reader of 02138 in hard copy, FM has two suggestions: get online or start raiding a subscriber’s mail.
—Alwa A. Cooper
