It seems that today The Strand Magazine is continually at the forefront of its genre. Not satisfied with sitting comfortably in a niche, the magazine’s publishers are always trying something new. This coming November through January it’s a special holiday issue. "It’s something that used to be done in England over a hundred years ago," explains Andrew Gulli, the managing editor. "This issue is a bumper. We have more of everything in it." The holiday issue is on glossy paper, in color, making The Strand a one of a kind in its genre.

"The Strand sells out in most bookstores after two or three weeks," says publisher Juliette Fredrickson. "We can boast a sell-through rate that is much higher that the industry standard for any magazine on the market, despite the fact that mystery magazines are not given a prominent place on most newsstands."

Yet The Strand is unlike any other magazine. In addition to mystery stories, it also offers interviews and articles on a wide variety of subjects. Recently it featured interviews with Sir Peter Ustinov and the late London stage icon Sir John Gielgud. "We find that our readers enjoy the variety," says Gulli. "We find that it definitely gives us an edge on our competitors."

While most mystery magazines are digest size, The Strand is full-sized with a full-color cover, making it attractive for readers and collectors alike. "The Strand has become a hot item for collectors," says Juliette Fredrickson, "especially the first issue. But what is really rewarding is our readership base. We have readers from ages 11 to 90, from Japan to Holland and of course across the United States."

The Strand captivates its readers with evocative covers which seem to call out to the magazine browser. The next step is to look inside and the rest is history. "I always get phone calls from people asking us about the artwork on the covers," says Andrew Gulli.

Despite the fact that The Strand Magazine is published in the United States, many contributors are from England, and the stories are set in a variety of locations¾ from the United States to post-revolutionary France to England to turn-of-the-century Bohemia. "The type of people who enjoy The Strand," says Frank Simon, the associate publisher, "are the group of people who enjoy watching the commercially successful mystery programs on A&E. They are people who are interested in a quality publication, not in the typical run of the mill mystery magazine, and when they want the best in mysteries, they know where to look. The variety really helps. We have people buying the magazine for the articles as much as for the stories and interviews. We seem to appeal to a broad range of readers. If they are the type who are interested in mystery stories only, well, we’ve got the best mystery writers contributing to the magazine. If they want articles we’ve got a great variety, and if they like celebrity interviews we feature those as well. Our book review section even features reviews of audio books."

The holiday issue also marks the third anniversary of The Strand’s debut. Each year it seems to hit a new milestone. What is the secret of its success? According to Gulli, "Our system is to take our readers seriously and never to underestimate their intelligence."