• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 6, 2007

One of America's most respected shelter magazines is no more, as Conde Nast announced Monday that century-old House & Garden will cease publication after its December issue. The decision is symptomatic of a topsy-turvy magazine environment, where some categories and companies are riding high while others remain mired in red ink.

Charles H. Townsend, president and CEO of Conde Nast, cited the surprise resignation last month of House & Garden's publisher Joe Lagani as a contributing factor in the decision to close the title: "With the unexpected departure of the publisher of our magazine, we decided to take a serious look and re-evaluate the title." Townsend summarized the result: "Our investment in House & Garden throughout the years has been substantial, and we no longer believe it is a viable business investment for the company." House & Garden's Web site is also closing. Lagani left Conde Nast in October to join Glam Media, where he became vice president and general manager of its Glam Living Channel.

On the face of it, House & Garden hadn't suffered nearly as much as some other magazines that are still kicking. In the first nine months of 2007, its ad pages fell a modest 1.4% compared to the same period in 2006. That's less than Architectural Digest (down 4.6%), Country Home (down 15.2%), Home (down 3.5%) and Traditional Home (down 8.1%). However, as magazines sometimes give discounts from the prices stated on their rate base cards, it's unclear how these titles actually stack up.

While perhaps the most venerable victim, House & Garden is just one of many magazines to close in 2007. This year has also seen the demise of Business 2.0, Child, Jane, Life, Nick Jr. Family Magazine, Premiere, Stuff, and Vibe Vixen. One magazine didn't even make it to the newsstand before it got the axe: Bauer Publishing's Cocktail, a much-ballyhooed lifestyle and gossip magazine targeting the same women who read Bauer's In Touch Weekly.