In the mid 1970s,
on their kitchen table, Ed and Rebecca Gray began to build the
premiere issue of Gray's Sporting Journal. They wanted
to publish a hunting and fishing magazine for a "thinking"
audience. Or, as Ed put it, the sporting magazine he would want
to read.
In 1975, however, publishing a new magazine of any kind was
a daunting project. This was especially so for a young couple
with an idea that bucked the big, bold and splashy trends
of the magazine business and publications aimed at ever larger
yet ever less sophisticated audiences. Ed and Rebecca would
step backward toward a calmer state of mind, toward a more
studied readership.
Rather than eschew tradition, fine literature and classic
presentations, Ed and Becky chose to honor them. They dared
to create an intelligent, thoughtful national magazine that
strove to achieve a much higher standard. They were aware
it could be a magazine that might never achieve great numbers
of readers but would attract a more discerning reader - men
and women who cherish our sporting traditions and the grand
contemporary recreation those traditions have created.
However, Gray's has not only survived for a quarter
century but also has flourished. Gray's is still, and
hopefully will always be, unique, what The Washington Post
once called "this little gem."
Morris Communications has owned Gray's since 1989
and continues to be delighted to bring it to both readers
and advertisers.
