Back Issues
Modern Living Quarterly has been published continuously since 1953. Back issues are available at select locations. Readers seeking specific volumes are encouraged to make the necessary arrangements. Select locations are not listed here, as listing them would suggest the locations require promotion, which they do not.
We are aware of the interest in Vol. XLIV No. 2 (Summer 1996).
No further comment at this time. It is available at select locations.
📝 Content note: Full archive to be expanded. Add issues as lore develops. The table below contains confirmed canon issues plus placeholder rows for decades. Status options: Available · Select Locations · No Further Comment · Lore Only.
1953 — 1959
| Volume | Issue | Season | Year | Feature Article | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. I | No. 1 | Spring | 1953 | Inaugural Issue — Robert's First Editorial. The founding of the Institute. No known copies in circulation. |
Lore Only |
| Vol. I–VI | Various | All | 1953–1958 | Complete founding decade. All issues published without interruption. | Select Locations |
1960 — 1989
| Volume | Issue | Season | Year | Feature Article | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. XXXV | No. 4 | Winter | 1987 | The Gutters of Plano: A Thorough Examination. The definitive word on the subject. We need not revisit it. |
Select Locations |
| Vol. XXXVII | No. 1 | Spring | 1989 | Courtship Conduct: A Seven-Part Series (Part 1 of 7). Parts 2–7 in subsequent issues. |
Select Locations |
| Vol. XLII | No. 1–4 | Full Year | 1994 | The Complete Lawn Series. Every question with a correct answer is answered here. Questions without correct answers were not addressed, as they are not questions worth asking. | Select Locations |
| Additional issues from this period available at select locations. Inquiries welcome but not required. | |||||
1990 — 1999
| Volume | Issue | Season | Year | Feature Article | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. XLIV | No. 2 | Summer | 1996 | Carol's Casserole: The Complete Recipe With Carol's Note On Temperature. Multiple reader inquiries received. No further comment at this time. |
No Further Comment |
| Vol. XL–XLVIII | Various | All | 1990–1999 | Complete decade available. Full decade of adequate living coverage. | Select Locations |
2000 — 2019
| Volume | Issue | Season | Year | Feature Article | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. LX | No. 1 | Spring | 2012 | The Case For Beige: A Definitive Position. The position remains unchanged. | Select Locations |
| Vol. XLIX–LXVII | Various | All | 2000–2019 | Full two decades of publication. Published quarterly without interruption. | Select Locations |
2020 — Present
| Volume | Issue | Season | Year | Feature Article | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. LXVIII | No. 4 | Winter | 2020 | Sensible Footwear: What To Wear And Why The Answer Is Obvious. Also: A lighter khaki, briefly introduced. The experiment is concluded. | Select Locations |
| Vol. LXX | No. 1 | Spring | 2022 | The 1957 Buick: An Appreciation. Gary photographed for the first time. | Select Locations |
| Vol. LXXI | No. 3 | Fall | 2024 | The Sensible Man's Complete Guide to Meeting a Woman of Adequate Character. Also: Gary (four-time Man of the Month). Also: Deb writes in again. | Current Issue |
To inquire about a specific back issue, write to robert@plainism.com.
Robert will confirm that the issue is available at select locations.
Select locations will not be specified in the reply.