{{Short description|Canadian magazine}} {{Infobox magazine | title = Harrowsmith Magazine | logo = | logo_size = | image_file = | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = | editor = | editor_title = | previous_editor = | staff_writer = | photographer = | category = | frequency = | circulation = | publisher = Yolanda Thornton | founder = James M. Lawrence | founded = {{Start date|1976}} | firstdate = | finaldate = | company = Moongate Inc. | country = Canada | based = Toronto | language = English | website = {{URL|http://www.harrowsmithmag.com}} | issn = 1190-8416 | oclc = }} '''''Harrowsmith Magazine''''' is a national Canadian consumer lifestyle magazine that focuses on healthy, grassroots and sustainable living, homesteading and cultural exploration. It is published four times a year and also produces ''The Harrowsmith Almanac'', the only annual almanac written by Canadians, for Canadians.
==History==
''Harrowsmith'' was founded in 1976 by James M. Lawrence, who produced the first issues in his home in Camden East Ontario and named it after the nearby town of Harrowsmith.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Little |first1=James |title=The Laird of Harrowsmith |journal=Ryerson Review of Journalism |date=January 9, 1986 |issue=Winter 1986 |url=https://rrj.ca/the-laird-of-harrowsmith-2/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Frank B. |title=Harrowsmith magazine founder James M. Lawrence inspired city folk to dream of a country life |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-harrowsmith-magazine-founder-james-m-lawrence-inspired-city-folk-to/ |website=theglobeandmail.com |publisher=The Globe & Mail |access-date=19 August 2025}}</ref> It was a platform for environmental topics and a back-to-the-land ethos, a concept that was both unique and popular—within two years, the magazine had 100,000 subscribers. Lawrence’s Camden House Publishing also published books, and launched ''Equinox: The Magazine of Canadian Discovery''.
In 1988, Lawrence sold both magazines to the Canadian media company Telemedia, which launched an American addition of ''Harrowsmith'' and added the words "Country Life" to its title.<ref>{{cite news|title=Telemedia acquires Harrowsmith|newspaper=Montreal Gazette|date=16 August 1988|p=D1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Harrowsmith makes successful invasion of U.S.|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|date=8 February 1986|p=E8}}</ref> The American edition reached a paid circulation of 225,000 and, in 1995, Telemedia launched a complementary television show.<ref>{{cite news|title=Harrowsmith TV show echoes its folksy magazine namesake|last=O'Brien|first=Melanie|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|date=4 February 1995|page=I12}}</ref> In 1996, Telemedia folded the American edition and sold ''Harrowsmith Country Life'', and ''Equinox'', to Montreal’s Malcolm Publishing.<ref>{{cite news|title=Outdoor magazine sold again: Montreal company buys Harrowsmith|last=Ross|first=Val|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=25 September 1996|p=C1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Malcolm Publishing buying Harrowsmith Country Life|agency=The Canadian Press|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=25 September 1996|p=C8}}</ref> In 2000, Malcolm folded ''Equinox'' and sold its mailing list to ''Canadian Geographic''.
In 2009, ''Harrowsmith Country Life'' had a circulation of 125,00 and revenues of $3.2 million.<ref name="Adams" /> In 2011, it published a single issue and, in August of that year, Malcolm announced that it would cease publication.<ref name="Adams">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/harrowsmith-country-life-cuts-staff-ceases-publication/article589849/|title=Harrowsmith Country Life cuts staff, ceases publication|last=Adams|first=James|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=9 August 2011|access-date=20 May 2022}}</ref>
In 2012, Yolanda Thornton, a former Malcolm employee, obtained the rights to the magazine and revived ''Harrowsmith Magazine'', with its original title, beginning with ''Harrowsmith's Truly Canadian Almanac'' for 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mastheadonline.com/news/revitalized_harrowsmith_almanac_reconnects_with_readers/|title=Revitalized Harrowsmith Almanac reconnects with readers|publisher=Masthead|date=17 October 2013}}</ref> Thornton’s company, Moongate Inc. of Toronto, continues as the publisher of ''Harrowsmith''.
Supplemental issues of Harrowsmith have also been published, i.e. ''Harrowsmith’s Gardening Digest'' (2013), ''Harrowsmith's My Kind of Town'' (2015), ''Harrowsmith's Homes'' (2015) and the now-annual ''Harrowsmith’s Almanac''. As of 2025, the magazine’s print and digital per-issue readership was 350,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mastheadonline.com/news/harrowsmith_almanac_spawns_new_gardening_title/|title=Harrowsmith Almanac spawns new gardening title|publisher=Masthead|date=3 April 2014}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160413112323/https://rrj.ca/the-laird-of-harrowsmith-2/ Ryerson Review of Journalism article "The Laird of Harrowsmith"] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20041214194252/http://www.harrowsmithcountrylife.ca/ Harrowsmith Magazine website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.harrowsmithcountrylife.ca/ Harrowsmith Country Life website as cached on the Internet Archive]
Category:Lifestyle magazines published in Canada Category:Magazines established in 1976 Category:Simple living Category:Rural society in Canada