Today, "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine is one of the most popular home magazines sold. For years it has been showing people everything from how to get clutter out of a house to which plants can be grown in doors. It also has shown countless recipes and quick-fix meals. Various crafts have also been show cased.
History
This magazine actually started off under the title of "Fruit, Garden and Home" in 1922, and was published by the Meredith Corporation. This was a family and home service magazine. Then in 1924 the name was changed to "Better Homes and Gardens". When it first hit the newsstands one could buy it for $.10 a copy. The price for a subscription for a year was only $.35
Several years later in 1930 to be exact, a cookbook under the same name of the magazine was published. Building Ideas was published as a special interest publication under "Better Homes and Gardens" in 1937.
Then in 1978 a real estate service was launched under the Better Homes and Gardens name. Also the Australian version of the magazine was published. A quilting magazine under the Better Homes and Gardens name came out in 1993 offering even more information for people on home activities.
Circulation
The latest circulation figure for this magazine is a whopping 7,688,000 people. Now that is quite a following!
Content
Since early in the publication of the magazine the content has been based on the home and its garden areas. Included in the topics for the home have even been craft ideas people can make on their own. Also various ideas on home décor have been included to help one decorate their house. Tips on planting seeds and taking care of plants are even included in one current issue of this magazine.
From a 1940's information on how easy ironing was then to January 2010 article on how to cut down the clutter in the house among other things, this magazine strives to be of help to people. This magazine has had recipes on various items from cookies to bread puddings.
The recipes are all kitchen tested to make sure they work. This magazine has offered even a food guide in the past. It is quite a job to plan meals for a family and magazines like this one make the job much easier.
In the July 1963 issue had an article "How to Stay Young and Look Great". It seems like the public does not change in what they need to read since many articles are written today on that same subject. In 1965 an issue came out showcasing which campers were the latest on the market.