Harper's reminds me of a book reading I once went to. The author read a selection from Proust. It took forever and when she finally got to the 'point' the crowd all murmured and nodded in approval at its profundity. I thought I was going to go out of my mind.......what's so profound about taking 1000 words to make a point that could have been made in ten words or less? And therein lies my problem with Harper's.People here compare it with other "thoughtful" magazines like the Atlantic and the New Yorker. No....it's not like those magazines at all; every paragraph in those magazines is packed with information that is critical to understanding the entire story. They don't take the rambling "blue highways" approach like Harper's does. If you really want a magazine that is balanced and in depth without the wandering prose of Harper's try my two favorites: the New Yorker and the Economist. I also recommend the Atlantic.