The name Alta California has a bunch of connotations. It was the Spanish name for the Southwest. It was also the name of the first daily newspaper in California, whose most famous correspondent was Mark Twain.

The new Alta’s fourth issue is now out. It’s a throwback to the sort of publication that flourished in the predigital age: an oversized, well-designed, copiously illustrated general interest magazine aimed at 40 million potential readers.

The new issue features a piece by Reveal/The Center for Investigative Reporting about the devastating Wine Country fires last fall; a Q. and A. by Mr. Hearst with the state’s first lady, Anne Gust Brown; a pictorial on artists at Burning Man; a helpful review of earthquake survival kits; and, perhaps most unexpectedly, an enthusiastic article on hunting.

California magazines have had a tough time since the days of the original Alta. For all the trends started here and the good writing produced locally, the state has had trouble keeping major publications. Rolling Stone quickly fled for New York. New West began in a burst of enthusiasm in 1976, but went through various owners, and sputtered to an end as California magazine in 1991.

Mr. Hearst, whose family owns The San Francisco Chronicle and many other media properties, is bankrolling Alta.