• New York , Thursday, October 2, 2008 10:30 AM

As I was flipping through the formidable print edition of New York magazine's Fortieth Anniversary issue at 1 a.m. this morning, I vowed, once again, to spend more time with paper and ink.

Then I came across "The Most Memorable Advertisements Madison Avenue Ever Sold," a compilation of the best ads since 1968 as determined by an apparently anonymous panel of two-dozen ad-world denizens.

There are really no surprises except, perhaps, a billboard campaign for Nynex Yellow Pages circa 1987 -- "If It's Out There, It's in Here" -- that I don't even remember. Perhaps it's a nod to the outdoor industry. Perhaps I didn't get out enough in the Eighties. The Fed Ex "Fast Talker" spot takes first place, followed by Wendy's "Big Fluffy Bun" and Alka-Seltzer's "Mama Mia, That's A Spicy Meatball!"

Only two print ads make the Top 20 -- the long-running "Absolut Bottle" campaign and Milton Glaser's iconic "I (Heart) NY." Which brings me to my vow. As much as I enjoyed flipping through the dead trees while fittingly waiting for Morpheus , soaking in the rich colors and fine photography (particularly Dan Winter's portraits of New York actors ), the static screen grabs of the fast talker and the other TV ads are obviously no match for the videos in the digital edition of the magazine .

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