The end of any year brings much introspection and the inevitable best of lists.  As this is a project solely devoted to a best of theme, it appears to be only appropriate to select a best of for the year. However, I am reluctant to provide such a selection for both practical and philosophical reasons. To understand my reasoning, I must return to the impetus of this project.

In early 2008, I took notice that many of my friends had stacks of The New Yorker magazines neatly piled on their coffee table (or bedside table, or dining room table . . .). Each time I spotted this stack I instinctively asked if they had read some article with which I was currently obsessed. Perhaps it seemed that I asked only to assert that I too was one of the cool kids reading this fine Condé Nast publication. Although I have oft been guilty of such transparent self-serving inquisition, on these occasions I had no ulterior motives. Each time I asked the answer would be some variation of “I’m still about ten issues behind, is that a good article?”  After months of these conversations, I figured that there may be more people out there who love The New Yorker, but just don’t have time to read each issue from cover to cover. Thus the New Yorkerest was born.
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