Fortune Magazine (1930-2000) Library Card Required.

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The publication was founded by Henry R. Luce in 1929 just a few months after the dramatic stock market crash. Luce is also known for launching other famous magazine titles including TIME, Life, and Sports Illustrated.

At a time when most business publications were little more than numbers and statistics printed in black and white, Fortune was an oversized 11"×14" publication, using creamy heavy paper, and colorful cover art. Fortune's advertisements were vivid and lush, and the magazine was also noted for its photography, featuring the work of Margaret Bourke-White, Ansel Adams, and others.

Luce also recruited young literary talent including Archibald MacLeish, John Kenneth Galbraith, and Alfred Kazin to fill its pages with human interest stories that were at times bold and critical. Among the critical they wrote were an exposé about the munitions industry, as well as critical pieces about Presidents Hoover and Roosevelt.

Today the magazine is known for its ranked lists, including the Fortune 500, a ranking of companies by revenue that it has published annually since 1955. The magazine is also known for its annual Fortune Investor's Guide.

Research Areas:

  • American business
  • International business
  • Economics
  • Industry
  • Technology