List of best-selling individual magazine covers

This is a list of some of the highest-selling magazine cover issues. It does not take into consideration centerfolds and posters. It includes any type of magazine and single special editions. Groupings are based on over 3 million newsstands copies and distribution.

Considered "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published" by David Plotz, Life magazine figures sold the most amount for decades, with a weekly circulation of 4 million copies and over 10 million readers in their prime, then-10 percent of U.S population.^[1] In recent years, People became weekly's highest-seller,^[1] and various single issues reached over 2 million copies.^[2]

List of highest-selling singles magazine cover issues

Over 5 million
Date	Publication	Cover title	Cover model(s), Event	Namesake photo	Sales (in million)	Notes
March 1973	Family Circle	—	—	—	9.5^[3]
August 1964	Life	"The Beatles: They're Here Again and What a Ruckus!"	The Beatles		8.5
April 1965	Life	"Drama of Life Before Birth"	—	—	8^[4]	First-four days copies according to American Society of Magazine Editors^[5]
September 2001	Time	"Sept.11, 2011 The Day That Shook America"	September 11 attacks		7.5^[6]
November 1972	Playboy	—	Lena Söderberg		7.16^[7]	Playboy's highest-selling issue.^[7]
December 1994	Weekly Shōnen Jump	—	Manga characters		6.53 (in printed)^[8]	New Year issue for 1995^[8] Weekly Shōnen Jump's highest-selling issue^[8]^[9]
September 1984	Penthouse	"Miss America Oh God, She's Nude!"	Vanessa Williams		5.3^[10]	Penthouse's highest-selling issue^[11]
September 1985	Penthouse	"Madonna in the Nude"	Madonna		5^[12]^[13]
September 1985	Playboy	"Madonna Nude: Unlike a Virgin... For the Very First Time"	Madonna		5^[13]^[12]
March 1989	Playboy	"Michael's Sister in a Thriller Pictorial"	La Toya Jackson		5^[14]

3—4.9 million
Date	Publication	Cover title	Cover model(s), Event	Namesake photo	Sales (in million)	Notes
September 2001	People	"Sept.11, 2011 The Day That Shook America"	September 11 attacks		4.1^[2]
December 1995	Playboy	"Farrah Fawcett Holiday Pictorial"	Farrah Fawcett		4^[15]	Best-selling issue of the decade.^[16]
July 1955	Confidential	"Willie Mays' Luckiest Strikeout!"	Various	Various	3.7^[17]
1997	People	"Diana Princess of Wales 1961—1997"	Diana, Princess of Wales		3.1^[18]	Tribute to Diana, special edition.

References

^ ^a ^b Plotz, David (December 27, 2013). "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published". Slate. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Winerip, Michael (May 22, 2009). "People Magazine Still Has a Bikini Body". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
^ Geniesse, Jane (January 28, 1974). "The Cover Story: Best Sellers of 1973". New York. Vol. 7, no. 4. p. 34. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ "Life magazine through the years: See the most iconic covers". New York Daily News. November 22, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ "Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". American Society of Magazine Editors. 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ Society of Publication Designers (2002). September 11, 2011: A Day in Time. The Quarto Group. ISBN 9781564968852. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Yahr, Emily (September 30, 2017). "The bizarre story behind Playboy's highest-selling issue ever". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c NAKANO, Haruyuki (February 2, 2021). "Golden age of manga magazines—1985-95 witnessed by editors No. 4: Masahiko Ibaraki, former head editor of Shukan Shonen Jump by Shueisha Inc. Part 2". Media Arts Current Contents.
^ "50th Anniversary Weekly Shonen Jump Exhibition Vol.2 held! A valuable original drawing of "Hana no Keiji - Beyond the Clouds"!". Coamix Inc. March 23, 2018.
^ Morris, Chris (January 15, 2016). "Penthouse to shutter print magazine, go all digital". CNBC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ Anolik, Lili (September 15, 2020). "'A Felony Just to Own': The Sleazy Story Behind Penthouse's Most Controversial Issue". Esquire. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Mansfield, Stephanie (July 11, 1985). "Madonna's Photo Finish". Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Advertising Age: 100 leading media companies". Advertising Age: 56. June 30, 1986. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
^ Span, Paula (September 3, 1991). "Operation La Toya". Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ People staff (June 25, 2022). "Farrah Fawcett: Remembering Her Glamorous Years in Photos". People. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ "Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009". Toronto Star. June 26, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ Scott, Henry E. (2010). Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 114. ISBN 9780307378972. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
^ Mbude, Phelokazi (February 16, 2020). "Meghan Markle's British Vogue issue the fastest selling in 103-year history of the magazine, plus other notable covers". News24. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Slate-1] Plotz, David (December 27, 2013). "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published". Slate. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[Peoplevarious-2] Winerip, Michael (May 22, 2009). "People Magazine Still Has a Bikini Body". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.

[Family-3] Geniesse, Jane (January 28, 1974). "The Cover Story: Best Sellers of 1973". New York. Vol. 7, no. 4. p. 34. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Life64-4] "Life magazine through the years: See the most iconic covers". New York Daily News. November 22, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[ASME-5] "Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". American Society of Magazine Editors. 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[Time-6] Society of Publication Designers (2002). September 11, 2011: A Day in Time. The Quarto Group. ISBN 9781564968852. Retrieved January 25, 2023.

[Playboy1-7] Yahr, Emily (September 30, 2017). "The bizarre story behind Playboy's highest-selling issue ever". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Jump-8] NAKANO, Haruyuki (February 2, 2021). "Golden age of manga magazines—1985-95 witnessed by editors No. 4: Masahiko Ibaraki, former head editor of Shukan Shonen Jump by Shueisha Inc. Part 2". Media Arts Current Contents.

[9] "50th Anniversary Weekly Shonen Jump Exhibition Vol.2 held! A valuable original drawing of "Hana no Keiji - Beyond the Clouds"!". Coamix Inc. March 23, 2018.

[Williams-10] Morris, Chris (January 15, 2016). "Penthouse to shutter print magazine, go all digital". CNBC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Williams2-11] Anolik, Lili (September 15, 2020). "'A Felony Just to Own': The Sleazy Story Behind Penthouse's Most Controversial Issue". Esquire. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Madonna2-12] Mansfield, Stephanie (July 11, 1985). "Madonna's Photo Finish". Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[AdAge-13] "Advertising Age: 100 leading media companies". Advertising Age: 56. June 30, 1986. Retrieved February 27, 2022.

[Toya-14] Span, Paula (September 3, 1991). "Operation La Toya". Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Fawcett4-15] People staff (June 25, 2022). "Farrah Fawcett: Remembering Her Glamorous Years in Photos". People. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Fawcett1990s-16] "Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009". Toronto Star. June 26, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[Confidential-17] Scott, Henry E. (2010). Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 114. ISBN 9780307378972. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

[DianaTribute-18] Mbude, Phelokazi (February 16, 2020). "Meghan Markle's British Vogue issue the fastest selling in 103-year history of the magazine, plus other notable covers". News24. Retrieved January 24, 2023.

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List of best-selling individual magazine covers

List of highest-selling singles magazine cover issues

See also

References

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