List of best-selling individual magazine covers

This is a list of some of the highest-selling magazine cover issues. It does not take into consideration centerfolds and posters. It includes any type of magazine and single special editions. Groupings are based on over 3 million newsstands copies and distribution.

Considered "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published" by David Plotz, Life magazine figures sold the most amount for decades, with a weekly circulation of 4 million copies and over 10 million readers in their prime, then-10 percent of U.S population.[1] In recent years, People became weekly's highest-seller,[1] and various single issues reached over 2 million copies.[2]

List of highest-selling singles magazine cover issues
Over 5 million
Date Publication Cover title Cover model(s),
Event		 Namesake photo Sales (in million) Notes
March 1973 Family Circle — — — 9.5[3]
August 1964 Life "The Beatles: They're Here Again and What a Ruckus!" The Beatles 8.5
April 1965 Life "Drama of Life Before Birth" — — 8[4] First-four days copies according to American Society of Magazine Editors[5]
September 2001 Time "Sept.11, 2011 The Day That Shook America" September 11 attacks 7.5[6]
November 1972 Playboy — Lena Söderberg 7.16[7] Playboy's highest-selling issue.[7]
September 1984 Penthouse "Miss America Oh God, She's Nude!" Vanessa Williams 5.3[8] Penthouse's highest-selling issue[9]
September 1985 Penthouse "Madonna in the Nude" Madonna 5[10][11]
September 1985 Playboy "Madonna Nude: Unlike a Virgin... For the Very First Time" Madonna 5[11][10]
March 1989 Playboy "Michael's Sister in a Thriller Pictorial" La Toya Jackson 5[12]
3—4.9 million
Date Publication Cover title Cover model(s),
Event		 Namesake photo Sales (in million) Notes
September 2001 People "Sept.11, 2011 The Day That Shook America" September 11 attacks 4.1[2]
December 1995 Playboy "Farrah Fawcett Holiday Pictorial" Farrah Fawcett 4[13] Best-selling issue of the decade.[14]
July 1955 Confidential "Willie Mays' Luckiest Strikeout!" Various Various 3.7[15]
1997 People "Diana Princess of Wales 1961—1997" Diana, Princess of Wales 3.1[16] Tribute to Diana, special edition.

See also

References
  1. Plotz, David (December 27, 2013). "The Greatest Magazine Ever Published". Slate. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  2. Winerip, Michael (May 22, 2009). "People Magazine Still Has a Bikini Body". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  3. Geniesse, Jane (January 28, 1974). "The Cover Story: Best Sellers of 1973". New York. Vol. 7, no. 4. p. 34. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  4. "Life magazine through the years: See the most iconic covers". New York Daily News. November 22, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  5. "Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". American Society of Magazine Editors. 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  6. Society of Publication Designers (2002). September 11, 2011: A Day in Time. The Quarto Group. ISBN 9781564968852. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  7. Yahr, Emily (September 30, 2017). "The bizarre story behind Playboy's highest-selling issue ever". The Denver Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  8. Morris, Chris (January 15, 2016). "Penthouse to shutter print magazine, go all digital". CNBC. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  9. Anolik, Lili (September 15, 2020). "'A Felony Just to Own': The Sleazy Story Behind Penthouse's Most Controversial Issue". Esquire. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  10. Mansfield, Stephanie (July 11, 1985). "Madonna's Photo Finish". Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  11. "Advertising Age: 100 leading media companies". Advertising Age: 56. June 30, 1986. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  12. Span, Paula (September 3, 1991). "Operation La Toya". Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  13. People staff (June 25, 2022). "Farrah Fawcett: Remembering Her Glamorous Years in Photos". People. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  14. "Farrah Fawcett: 1947-2009". Toronto Star. June 26, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  15. Scott, Henry E. (2010). Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 114. ISBN 9780307378972. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  16. Mbude, Phelokazi (February 16, 2020). "Meghan Markle's British Vogue issue the fastest selling in 103-year history of the magazine, plus other notable covers". News24. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
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