Reader's Digest

U.S.-based monthly magazine.

Founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace, it was first published in 1922 as a digest of articles of topical interest and entertainment value condensed from other periodicals. From 1934 it published condensed versions of current books; later it began publishing books containing original material. Though initially conceived as an impartial journal, the Digest has tended to reflect its publishers' generally conservative outlook. It probably has the largest circulation of any periodical in the world, appearing in dozens of editions and a wide variety of languages worldwide.

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▪ American magazine

      U.S.-based monthly magazine, having probably the largest circulation of any periodical in the world. It was first published in 1922 as a digest of condensed articles of topical interest and entertainment value taken from other periodicals. Founded on a low budget by DeWitt Wallace (Wallace, DeWitt) and his wife, Lila Acheson (Acheson, Lila Bell), after numerous magazine publishers had rejected the idea, the pocket-size magazine appealed from the start to popular tastes. It began publishing condensed versions of current books in 1934. Later, Wallace began to develop articles for Reader's Digest by commissioning them first and then offering the completed articles to other publications—from which the Digest would then reprint them, paying the other magazine a fee for reprint rights. This practice was attacked by some editors; however, the Digest moved gradually toward publishing original material under its own auspices most of the time. Although conceived by Wallace as an impartial journal, the Digest has occasionally been criticized for reflecting its publishers' generally conservative point of view. Its circulation, however, did not falter. By the late 20th century the Digest had 39 editions worldwide in 15 languages, with a total circulation of 28,000,000.

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