Probably the best philatelic magazine that is published anywhere in the world is the "The American Philatelist", which is the monthly journal of the American Philatelic Society. Over eighty pages each month, the magazine serves partly as a member bulletin. But the real interest each month is the numerous detailed articles written by members, mostly about their collections and collecting interests.
Philatelic scholarship has morphed over the years and "The American Philatelist" has been leading the change. This transformation has been the work of the editor of "The American Philatelist", Barbara Boal. Years ago, articles in philatelic journals carried titles like "A Study of the Cameos of the 1851 Portugal Dom Pedro's". These articles were read and admired and promptly forgotten, except for those collectors who saved them and reread them as a sleep aid. Modern articles are still very philatelic but contain more of a human touch, like "Postage Stamp Collage Art" and an article on Russian WWII POW mail that combines philatelic and human interest. This change in emphasis in philatelic scholarly articles has been long in gestation. It has been objected to by some of the more erudite philatelists, but has the great benefit of making academic philately more interesting to most collectors.
Membership in the American Philatelic Society confers many benefits. Among the most attractive is the full-color monthly magazine: "The American Philatelist". Click here to find out how to join.