We’ve made our book, The Magazine: The Book (Year One), free to download in multiple formats. If you like it, you can purchase a slightly shorter version in hardcover, and help support our efforts as an independent publication.

Download the Year One ebook as:

The ebook editions contain these stories:

A Beacon of Hope by John Patrick Pullen. A dying city glows with optimism over its plan for a giant lava lamp.

Clarion Call by Kellie M. Walsh. Original to the collection. Marian Call is an Alaskan musician who has built her career bit by bit through connections with fans. Marian is the perfect intersection of community, Internet, travel, and artistry that we look for in all of our articles and profiles.

Boldly Gone by Chris Higgins. Portland’s Trek in the Park reaches the end of its five-year journey to perform episodes from The Original Series. Photos by the author.

Everyday Superheroes by Serenity Caldwell. The mask isn’t coming off any time soon. Illustration by Jacob Souva.

Redshirts in the Coffee Shop by Gabe Bullard. Serious cosplay. Photos by the author.

The Everending Story by Kevin Purdy. The greatest video game sequel never authorized remains incomplete.

Choose Your Character by Brianna Wu. Faced with change, an all-female indie dev team evolves to a higher form. Illustration by the team.

Strange Game by John Siracusa. The lessons from the game Journey can apply to all of human endeavor.

Roll for Initiative by Scott McNulty. I cast a spell of +10 confidence. Illustration by Matt Bors.

Look Within by Lisa Schmeiser. The author examines her detachment during her pregnancy and her desire for more information. Photo illustration by Michelle K. Martin.

Just Desert by Colleen Hubbard. Africa, a devil, and Burning Man meet in Eastern Europe’s little desert. Photos by the author.

Down from the Mountaintop by Tim Heffernan. Derham Giuliani charmed the Southern Californian mountain ranges of their reptile and insect secrets. Illustration by Olivia Warnecke.

Summit Cum Laude by Christa Mrgan. The straightest path has pitfalls in life and hiking. Photos by Neven Mrgan.

Hoe Down by Cara Parks. Small-scale farmers have turned to high tech to invent the tools they need. Photos by the author.

Laid Out by Nancy Gohring. A hen’s egg-producing years are short; her life is relatively long. Photos by Joe Ray.

A Bicycle Built for Six by Lianne Bergeron. The Netherlands has elevated bikes far above cars in the transportation hierarchy. Photos by the author.

Three Strikes, You Shout by Philip Michaels. Moneyball documented a change in baseball, but not everyone has done their homework. Illustration by Jenn Manley Lee.

You Are Boring by Scott Simpson. Tell me more about your food blog, please.

Instant Memories by Maarten Muns. The Impossible Project has earned its name by re-inventing instant film for Polaroid cameras. Photos by Laura Muns.

A Ribbon Runs Through It by Erin McKean. When one sews one’s own clothes, the questions have a common thread. Illustration by Caty Bartholomew.

How to Make a Baby by Gina Trapani. The path to parenthood isn’t always straightforward.

The Paste-Up by Carolyn Roberts. The smell of rubber cement is her madeleine. Illustration by Jacob Souva.

The Wet Shave by Lex Friedman. A relaxing, rewarding, and self-indulgent morning routine.

Icecapades by Alison Hallett. Clear ice — ice without any bubbles — produces a slower melt and a lot of obsession. Photos by Pat Moran.

Wood Stock by Jacqui Cheng. A once-obscure bit of printing history on the shores of Lake Michigan finds rekindled interest. Photos by the author.

Tiny Furniture by Thaddeus Hunt. A smaller house expanded Tad and his wife’s view. Illustration by Dominic Flask.

Light Motif by David Erik Nelson. A pinhole lens cap finally brings infinite focus and undistorted images to digital cameras. Photos by Wade Patrick Brooks.

How He Met My Mother by Jason Snell. The unlikely sequences that lead to a new life. Photos by the author’s father.

Head Games by Carren Jao. A new species has emerged in the living room; what can we learn from him? Carren stalks the wily video-game developer — her husband.

Inkheart by Nancy Gohring. Letterpress printing has been revived as a craft after its commercial death. Nancy meets up with Carl Montford, the godfather of letterpress in Seattle, and a number of other people engaged in the art. Photos by your faithful editor, Glenn.

Carriage Return by Richard Moss. The last typewriter repairman in Melbourne, Australia, considers hanging up his tools. Photos by the author.

Mechanically Attached by Morgen Jahnke. A coin-operated museum proves common ground between a litterateur and a geek. Illustration by Naftali Beder.

Re-Enabled by Steven Aquino. iOS’s impact on those with impairments isn’t just a marketing slide; it’s profound. Steven explains his first-hand experience.

What Lies Beneath by Alison Hallett. Dwindling nudist colonies have trouble finding new members. Photos by Pat Moran.

Pinball Wizards by Brittany Shoot. Keeping machines in play, one location scout and data field at a time. Photos by the author.

Sink Your Teeth In by Julio Ojeda-Zapata. Nerdy pleasures deserve to be shared, especially when sweet or savory.

Flaws and All by Manjula Martin. John Vanderslice adores digital technology — except when it comes to audio. Photos by the author.

Code Dependency by Mark Siegal. A sculpture on the grounds of the CIA, Kryptos, presents an enduring mystery that resists solutions. Photos by…well, we can’t say.

Playing to Lose by Chris Higgins. How competitive Tetris players approach an unwinnable game. Photos by the author.