Omni Magazine in Japan, Spain, and Germany

In my never-ending dedication to informing the world about foreign language editions of American magazines (here, here, here, and probably elsewhere), I offer up this link to a web site that displays some neat covers from the late, great Bob Guccione science/science-fiction magazine Omni.

These issues are from Japan, Spain, and Germany. I actually own two copies of the German edition of Omni, for which I paid a king's ransom in postage (photographed above). I also own a copy of the UK edition of Omni, which cost me considerably (and inexplicably) less. But, because Omni listed on its masthead many foreign editions, Guccione clearly had an aggressive international marketing plan.

Judging from the two German copies I own, it looks like Omni was smart and let the international editions include lots of (mostly?) local content, rather than forcing U.S.-created content down their throats.

Check out Apogeebooks' gallery for more foreign Omnis.

Penthouse, Omni Publisher Bob Guccione Dies

Bob Guccione, creator and publisher of Penthouse and many other magazines, has died, notes MSNBC.

Out of the public eye for a number of years since losing control of his media empire (following a series of bad business decisions compounded by a changing media market – especially in the adult niche where he made most of his money – and government harassment), Guccione died in Plano, Texas, at the age of 79.

Guccione was a very controversial figure in society in general and publishing in particular. He started Penthouse magazine as a way to supplement his art career in England. The early years of the publication (as noted in this blog post of mine from a while back that continues to be one of my most-read posts – probably because a lot of people do searches on the magazine's name) were almost a comic affair, with the editor and a small handful of staffers trying to make the magazine and its impact look bigger than it was, working out of a small office and doing all the work themselves.


Of course, Penthouse grew dramatically, eventually reaching millions of copies in monthly sales and spawning a publishing empire that included everything from Omni and Longevity to Viva. The company also produced television programs, books, videos, web sites, comics, and more.


Viva was a 1970s attempt to do a magazine aimed at women, featuring somewhat nude men (less explicitly than Penthouse showed the women) along with health and political articles. It was a rather odd attempt; if you like Mickey Rourke and want to see him naked, then maybe you'll like the men in Viva. But Viva did bring to the publishing world something of greater value: its fashion editor, Anna Wintour, who would go on to great success at Vogue.

Throughout his career, Guccione careened from successes (such as Penthouse, or the early years of the science/science-fiction magazine Omni, which topped a million copies in monthly sales in the early 1980s before beginning a long decline) to failures (such as failed investments in casinos that were never built or in energy schemes that went nowhere). Along the way, he had the expected battles with feminists and the religious Right, winning some battles and losing others.

Though his core product, Penthouse, was not aimed at my demographic, that doesn't mean I'm unaware of his impact on the media world. I do not think Guccione is an icon in the way that Hugh Hefner is; Hefner changed the society instead of just riding a wave, and I think he set (and continues to set) a higher bar for thought and publishing. But Guccione made an impact by being willing to be brave and bold in his moves. Though far too many of Penthouse's articles were conspiracy-mucking, they could also be brave, such as when they took on Scientology. He also championed some of the top writers and editors in the country, such as Wintour, Ben Bova, Harlan Ellison, Carl Sagan, James A. Michener, Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, Philip K. Dick, and so many more.

Whether one liked or disliked his publications, I think it's worth noting that it was possible for one man to conceive of and then build a media empire the way he wanted to do it, to publish the ideas and artists that he wanted to showcase, and even to make the mistakes that he wanted to do. Far from being a bean-counting MBA heading up a soul-less corporate publishing company, Guccione ran his empire from his heart. Again, Penthouse wasn't my cup of tea (though Omni was), but I hope we haven't lost the ability for someone to do the same thing.

Check out Omni Magazine Tribute Site

A Chicago tech consultant named Mirko Cukich is building a very cool-looking web site devoted to the late great magazine Omni. Omni was a science and science-fiction magazine produced by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione from 1978 to 1995; at its height, its circulation was larger than 1 million, but it dropped down to around 600,000 at the time of its closure.

Omni was launched just months after Starlog launched Future (renamed Future Life a year later), and Guccione's company was just too much larger for Future/Future Life to compete, so it died four years later. (Though it should be noted that the second issue of Omni excerpted Starlog/Future's great Space Art book of space paintings.)

I loved both magazines, though I was probably more attached to Future Life. That led me a couple years ago to make my own online tribute to Future/Future Life, and I still occasionally hear from the magazine's writers, other readers, or researchers with questions about the magazine because of that tribute page. The feedback from that page is what has led me to my ongoing project to chronicle all of the issues of Starlog -- a project that will likely take me more than a year to complete, but I'm starting it here on my blog and will soon begin storing it on my main web site.

But frankly, Cukich's site is kind of putting my efforts to shame. Give his site a look and bookmark it so you can keep visiting as he populates it with more issues.