Suppose you finally admit to yourself that you like reading the New Yorker and decide to get yourself a subscription. You could get a year for $46 at newyorker.com or amazon.com; just $1 an issue equalling 72% off cover price. Not bad. Or you could do a Google search for "new yorker discount subscription" and choose among vendors like SpeedyMags.com, which sells a year for $19.05, a savings of 89%.

These cheaper vendors will probably send you more junk mail, but the savings seem worth it. Why is it that the price differential here is so high? Are many New Yorker readers so lazy or fearful that they can be expected to pay $27 instead of doing a google search?