The most astounding deal in the world if you love to read

It's The Complete New Yorker, on eight DVDs.

All 4,109 issues published from 1925 to February 14, 2005.

Eighty years worth.

Half a million pages.

Every cover, article, cartoon, illustration and ad, exactly as it appeared in the magazine, in full color.

Among the reasons this version is preferable to the print archives, besides the ability to carry it anywhere in the world in a single 9" by 12" shell, is the search function: you can explore the magazines by date, contributor, department or subject.

The New Yorker says "quantities are limited."

Tell you what: last year when the British Library offered "The Spoken Word — Writers" CD featuring recordings of writers of the past century reading from their work, problems with copyright arose and it was pulled, never to become available again.

I received plenty of anguished email from joeheads asking me how to get the now–extinct disc — my reply: visit eBay.

You can still buy the "The Spoken Word — Poets"; it's £9.95 here.

Don't be left out in the cold with the New Yorker.

$100 here.

Or $63 at amazon.

Want to find out more?

Take a virtual tour here.

Oh, one more thing, for my rapidly increasing number of readers in China and elsewhere who are learning English: this DVD set would be an invaluable aid to improving your English comprehension, especially in terms of understanding nuance and context: if you can "get" the New Yorker's cartoons you're well on your way to fluency.

Note that the DVDs work only in computers, not in DVD players attached to your TV.

For Windows 2000 and XP and Mac OS X 10.3 and higher.