A celebration of Ms.—the most startling, most audacious, most norm-breaking of the magazine’s groundbreaking pieces on women, men, politics (sexual and otherwise), marriage, family, education, work, motherhood and reproductive rights, as well as the best of the magazine’s fiction, poetry and letters. • Featuring Toni Morrison, Billie Jean King, Alison Bechdel, Brittney Cooper, Joy Harjo and Audre Lorde, among many others.

book cover
50 Years of Ms.

50 Years of Ms.

The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution

Hardcover

Ebook

$14.99

Sep 19, 2023ISBN9780593321577

Available for preorder from:

Since its earliest days, Ms. has been a brazen act of independence, demonstrating the untapped potential for journalism that centers news and analysis on women and their lives. The magazine’s new book, 50 YEARS OF Ms., showcases it all, decade by decade, as well as behind-the-scenes photographs that reveal and reflect the changes set in motion by Ms.—and, of course, the iconic covers that galvanized readers.

It is a stunning collection: 500-plus pages filled with the best of the magazine’s features and award-winning fiction and poetry. Naturally, no Ms. anthology would be complete without highlights from the thousands of letters to the editors that poured in over the years from women and men, girls and boys, from across the country and around the globe.

As it proudly features some of the most revolutionary writers and thinkers of the past half century, the book is as much a reflection on the era as it is a road map for the path forward.

Ms. on Tour

  • Sep. 18 New York, NY Roosevelt House Public Institute @ Hunter College Recap
  • Sep. 18 New York, NY McNally Jackson Books (Seaport)
  • Sep. 20 New York, NY Center for Brooklyn History, Brooklyn Public Library Recap
  • Sep. 22 Washington, DC Politics and Prose Recap
  • Sep. 22 Austin, TX Texas Tribune Festival Recap
  • Sep. 26 Greenwich, CT Athena Books
  • Sep. 26 Washington, DC Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • Sep. 27 South Hadley, MA Odyssey Bookshop
  • Sep. 28 Northampton, MA Smith College Recap
  • Oct. 02 Cambridge, MA Harvard Bookstore @ Cambridge Public Library
  • Oct. 03 Claremont, CA Claremont McKenna College Athenaeum Recap
  • Oct. 05 Los Angeles, CA Hammer Museum Recap
  • Oct. 10 Pasadena, CA Vroman’s Bookstore Recap
  • Oct. 10 Berkeley, CA Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore
  • Oct. 11 Corte Madera, CA Book Passage Recap
  • Oct. 14 Chicago, IL Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) Camp Recap
  • Oct. 17 Chicago, IL Women & Children First Bookstore
  • Oct. 21 Charlottesville, VA Democracy360 by University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy Recap
  • Oct. 26 Baltimore, MD The Ivy Bookshop
  • Oct. 29 Los Angeles, CA Skirball Cultural Center
  • Nov. 01 Virtual American University Women & Politics Institute's Women on Wednesdays
  • Nov. 27 San Francisco, CA + Virtual Commonwealth Club Recap
  • Dec. 04 New York, NY + Virtual Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center Recap
  • Dec. 07 Atlanta, GA Margaret Mitchell House Museum
  • Dec. 08 Decatur, GA + Virtual Charis Books & More
  • Jan. 30 Virtual The 92nd Street Y
  • Mar. 01 Virtual University of Iowa Recap

Reviews

  • “An illustrated guide to toppling the patriarchy … 50 Years of Ms. recounts how the magazine upended norms, disrupted the print world, and made trouble.” The New York Times Read More
  • “Spillar, the executive editor of Ms. magazine, takes a lively and inspiring look at the pioneering feminist periodical. … This thorough survey makes a persuasive case for the magazine’s continued importance.” Publishers Weekly Read More
  • “This thoughtfully curated and zestful celebration of the first 50 years of Ms. would be fascinating under any circumstances, but given the renewed assaults on women’s rights it’s all the more compelling.” Booklist (Starred) Read More
  • “Verdict: A timely and thought-provoking collection of feminist essays, which shows how far society has come and how much work is left to do to obtain true gender equality.” Library Journal Read More
  • “The book, including pieces by Steinem, Barbara Ehrenreich, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde and other heavyweights, provides an essential look back while making an impassioned case for the critical role of feminist writing going forward.” Bookpage Read More
  • “The book is empowering because that's what Ms. has always been about. Helping women to seize the power we have and to use it, to act collectively, to realize that together we can make change happen, even if it takes 50 years.” Newsmax Read More

The Fall 2023 issue of Ms. features Amber McFadden, photographed by Michele Rosero Schofield.

Ms. co-founder Gloria Steinem on book launch day, Sept. 19.

Labor icon Dolores Huerta at TribFest in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Sept. 22.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined other members of Congress and feminist leaders to celebrate 50 Years of Ms. at an event at the U.S. Capitol.

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar makes remarks at a press briefing at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College.(Max Fallon-Goodwin)

50 Years of Ms. on the shelf in New York City!

Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios, Feminist Majority Foundation president and publisher of Ms. Eleanor Smeal and Dolores Huerta sign books after a 50 Years of Ms. event presented by the Hammer Conversations series at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Gloria Johnson, Senate candidate and member of the “Tennessee Three,” speaks at an event celebrating '50 Years of Ms.' in New York City on Monday, Sept. 18. (Courtesy of Firehouseroad.com)

50 Years of Ms. at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. (Firehouseroad.com)

Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios and Carly Frankel show off the book at a 50 Years of Ms. event at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City.

The Hon. Carolyn Maloney carrying a copy of 50 Years of Ms. during an event at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. (Firehouseroad.com)

Feminist leaders, including Carol Jenkins, Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar and Publisher Eleanor Smeal and the Hon. Carolyn Maloney gather at a 50 Years of Ms. event and press briefing at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. (Firehouseroad.com)

Sign4ERA petition leader Bella Ramirez signs books after a 50 Years of Ms. event at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. (Max Fallon-Goodwin)

The Hon. Carolyn Maloney and Sign4ERA Petition Leader Bella Ramirez sign copies of 50 Years of Ms. at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. (Firehouseroad.com)

Ms. executive editor Kathy Spillar; the Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney; journalist and former ERA Coalition president Carol Jenkins; Ting Ting Cheng, director of the ERA Project at Columbia Law School; Ms. publisher Eleanor Smeal; and Sign4ERA petition leader Bella Ramirez discuss '50 Years of Ms.' at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College in New York City. (Courtesy of Firehouseroad.com)

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, contributors and Ms. Committee of Scholars members Premilla Nadasen and Brittney Cooper and Ms. Managing Editor Camille Hahn in conversation at McNally Jackson Books in New York City. (Max Fallon-Goodwin)

50 Years of Ms. at McNally Jackson Books in NYC (Max Fallon-Goodwin)

Brittney Cooper at McNally Jackson Seaport on Sept. 18.

'50 Years of Ms.' on display at McNally Jackson Seaport.

Kathy Spillar, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Camille Hahn, Premilla Nadasen and Brittney Cooper.

Ms. co-founder Gloria Steinem, Ms. Studios executive producer Michele Goodwin, Ms. executive director of strategy and 50 Years of Ms. contributor Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, and Ms. executive editor Kathy Spillar at a New York City book launch event on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Irin Carmon, Shawnda Chapman and Joanne Smith.

Ms. Managing Editor Camille Hahn and Executive Director of Strategy & Partnerships Jen Weiss-Wolf at a 50 Years of Ms. event at the Center for Brooklyn History.

50 Years of Ms. on display at the Center for Brooklyn History.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Irin Carmon, Shawnda Chapman and Joanne Smith.

50 Years of Ms. comes to Washington, D.C. at Politics and Prose bookstore.

Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar and author Dorothy Roberts discuss 50 Years of Ms. at Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Committee of Scholars Chair Emeritus Bonnie Thornton Dill, Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, author Dorothy Roberts and Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar sign books after a 50 Years of Ms. event at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Palmieri, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Kate Zernike and Gina Barreca at Athena Books in Greenwich, Conn.

Dolores Huerta enjoys '50 Years of Ms.' in Austin on Sept. 22.

Dolores Huerta with Ms. managing digital editor Roxy Szal in Austin.

Ms. executive editor Kathy Spillar at a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 28, in D.C.

Bracewell Partner Dee Martin, Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, National Women's Law Center Director of Workplace Equality Gaylynn Burroughs, Dolores Huerta, Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal, District Court Judge Ana Reyes, Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, Georgetown Law Professor Victoria Nourse and Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia President Kandis Gibson at an event celebrating the 50 Years of Ms. collection in Washington, DC.

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky speaks at an event celebrating 50 Years of Ms. at the U.S. Capitol.

Ms. Contributor Jackson Katz and Ms. Contributing Editor Carrie N. Baker in conversation at Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, MA.

An attendee at the Smith College discussion marking the 50th anniversary Ms. reads a copy of the book. (Shana Sureck Photography)

Ms. Contributor Jackson Katz, Contributor and Ms. Committee of Scholars member Janell Hobson and Loretta Ross in conversation at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Smith C(Shana Sureck Photography)

Ms. Contributing Editor Carrie N. Baker moderated a conversation about the book at Smith College. (Shana Sureck Photography)

Ms. Contributor Jackson Katz, Ms. Committee of Scholars member and Contributor Janell Hobson, Ms. contributor Loretta Ross and Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios in conversation at Smith College. (Shana Sureck Photography)

Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, Dolores Huerta, and Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios in conversation during a 50 Years of Ms. event presented by the Hammer Conversations series at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, Feminist Majority Foundation president and publisher of Ms. Eleanor Smeal, Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, Dolores Huerta, and Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios on stage for a 50 Years of Ms. event presented by the Hammer Conversations series at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, Feminist Majority Foundation president and publisher of Ms. Eleanor Smeal and Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwinin conversation about 50 Years of Ms. at an event presented by the Hammer Conversations series at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Ms. Contributor Aziza Ahmed, MassNOW Board Chair Naitasia V. Hensey and Ms. Contributing Editor Carrie N. Baker in conversation at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Cambridge Public Library.

Ms. Contributor Aziza Ahmed, MassNOW Board Chair Naitasia V. Hensey and Ms. Contributing Editor Carrie N. Baker in conversation at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Cambridge Public Library.

Ms. Contributing Editor Carrie N. Baker signing books at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Cambridge Public Library.

Ms. Contributing Editor Carrie N. Baker signing books at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Cambridge Public Library.

Copies of 50 Years of Ms. move down the signing line at Cambridge Public Library.

Copies of 50 Years of Ms. move down the signing line at Cambridge Public Library.

Ms. Executive Editor Kathy Spillar, Pandia Health co-founder Sophia Yen and Ms. Managing Editor Camille Hahn at a 50 Years of Ms. Event at Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley, CA.

Ms. Executive Editor Kathy Spillar, Pandia Health co-founder Sophia Yen and Ms. Managing Editor Camille Hahn at a 50 Years of Ms. Event at Mrs. Dalloway's in Berkeley, CA.

50 Years of Ms. on display at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena, CA the evening of an event.

Ms. contributor and author of BRAVE-ISH Lisa Niver, Nohelia Canales and Nayereh Tohidi—both members of the Ms. Committee of Scholars and Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios sign books at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

Ms. contributor and author of BRAVE-ISH Lisa Niver, Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios and Nohelia Canales and Nayereh Tohidi—both members of the Ms. Committee of Scholars—at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

Nohelia Canales and Nayereh Tohidi, both member of the Ms. Committee of Scholars, sign books with Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios (center) at a 50 Years of Ms. event at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

Ms. Executive Editor Kathy Spillar and Managing Editor Camille Hahn celebrating 50 Years of Ms. at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA.

Ms. Executive Editor Kathy Spillar and Managing Editor Camille Hahn celebrating 50 Years of Ms. at Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA.

50 Years of Ms. and the Fall 2023 issue of Ms. magazine on display at Mrs. Dalloways bookstore in Berkeley, CA.

50 Years of Ms. and the Fall 2023 issue of Ms. magazine on display at Mrs. Dalloways bookstore in Berkeley, CA.

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, Founding Director of the Harvard Law School Gender Violence Program Diane L. Rosenfeld and Ms. Committee of Scholars members Bonnie Stabile and Jennifer Williams at Ivy Bookshop.

Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Executive Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Ms., signs books at Democracy360, hosted by the UVA Karsh Institute.

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar in conversation with Karen Hawkins, Story Editor at The 19th, at JAWS CAMP in Chicago.

Karen Hawkins, Story Editor at The 19th, in conversation with Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar at JAWS CAMP in Chicago. "If it weren't for Ms.," Hawkins said, "the 19th wouldn't exist."

From the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

The TBR pile at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin delivers the opening keynote address at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot snaps a photo at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

Dolores Huerta accepts an award from the CCUSD School Board and students at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

Pandia Health co-founder Dr. Sophia Yen, Rabbi Sari Laufenberg, artist Michele Pred and Ms. Consulting Digital Editor Carmen Rios discussing reproductive justice at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

NPR Special Correspondent Renee Montagne, Afghan activist Crystal Bayat and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, Ms. Studios Executive Producer Michele Goodwin, Futures Without Violence Founder Esta Soler and Founding Executive Director of the UCLA Williams Institute Brad Sears at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

A signed book at the 50 Years of Ms. symposium at the Skirball Cultural Center. (Alex Wolf / alexwolfmedia.com)

  • 50 Years of Ms. on CBS Sunday Show

    Gloria Steinem was a 30-something columnist for New York magazine when she helped found a new publication aimed at pushing feminism into the mainstream. Correspondent Rita Braver talks with Steinem about the origin of Ms., and with executive editor Katherine Spillar, who has spent two-and-a-half years compiling the new anthology.

Full of practical guidance and thoughtful insight, today Ms. remains an indispensable resource for navigating the challenges of the 21st century.

Nancy Pelosi

Ms.—in 1972— normalized being a woman, abortion and all. And here we are, 50 years later, needing that now more than ever.

Sarah Silverman

Gloria Steinem and Ms. magazine changed the course of history for modern women, period.

Whoopi Goldberg

For five decades, this groundbreaking publication has been at the forefront of the fight for women’s rights. Now … the work that Ms. magazine has pioneered is more important than ever.

President Joe Biden

Ms. is just as important in today’s world, as feminist leadership is needed to create a just international society.

Dolores Huerta

I can’t imagine our lives without Ms. magazine, that most radical, heart-wise, irreverent, outrageous and odd magazine!

Alice Walker

I look forward to the next fifty years of Ms. Together, let’s keep elevating women’s voices and ideas. Onward!

Hillary Rodham Clinton

The arrival of 50 Years of Ms. comes at the right moment in history and will serve as both a reminder of what we are capable of and a blueprint for how we continue the fight for women’s equality.

Soledad O'Brien

The magazine’s bold, boundary-breaking reporting has motivated me, infuriated me and inspired me. And now this one extraordinary book—50 Years of Ms.—captures it all.

Jane Fonda

50 Years of Ms. is a must-read for all feminists.

Loretta Ross

I’ve been a reader of Ms. for many years and am forever grateful for the ways it shaped my activism. 50 Years of Ms. is truly a national treasure.

Alyssa Milano

Who would have thought that today we would need Ms. more than we ever needed it before?

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Finding Ms. and Ms.-minded women as the women’s movement came of age helped me find my way.

Julia Alvarez

Ms. magazine has played a monumental role in building the women’s movement over the past fifty years. It’s more than a publication—it’s an urgently needed call to action.

Patricia Arquette

Ms. has been dogged in starting and continuing conversations our country needs to have about gender equality. I’m grateful.

Rep. Katie Porter

Ms. has never been afraid to put the real issues—and dreams— of women first.”

House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark