Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
💻

Esquire (magazine)

technology Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Esquire is a famous American magazine written for men.

Esquire cover Feb 1961
Esquire cover Feb 1961

It started in October 1933 as a part of another magazine called Apparel Arts. Today, the magazine is published by Hearst in the United States. It is also very popular around the world with more than 20 international editions. The magazine covers many different topics like fashion, news, and books. It has changed many times since it first began.

Esquire logo (2017)
Esquire logo (2017)

In the beginning, the magazine had a very specific way of working. Three men named Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart, and Henry L. Jackson were the founders. Each man had a different job to do for the magazine. Gingrich focused on the publishing side of things. Smart ran the business side to keep it growing. Jackson led the fashion section, which was most of the magazine for fifteen years. This teamwork helped the magazine grow during the Great Depression and World War II.

As time went on, the magazine became known for its unique writing. During the 1960s, it helped start a movement called New Journalism. This was a new way of telling true stories. Writers like Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe used this style. The magazine also used a fun cartoon character named Esky. Esky was a mustachioed man who appeared on many covers for over 25 years. This character helped people recognize the magazine right away.

Esquire has faced many changes and hard times over the years. In the 1990s, the number of people reading it dropped very quickly. This was a difficult period for the magazine. Later, a leader named David Granger took charge in 1997. He changed the focus to include more lifestyle topics. This helped the magazine win several National Magazine Awards. Even though things changed, the magazine stayed important to its readers.

Many famous people have left their mark on Esquire. Great writers like Ernest Hemingway and Stephen King have shared their work there. The magazine even tried a playful project called the Napkin Fiction Project in 2007. They mailed 250 cocktail napkins to writers to ask for short stories. This shows how the magazine loves creativity and new ideas. Whether through fashion or fiction, Esquire continues to tell stories about the world.

367 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (2)
File:Esquire logo (2017).svg
Esquire logo (2017).svg
File:Esquire cover Feb 1961.jpg
Esquire cover Feb 1961.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.