A reissue of the first three issues of McSweeney's Quarterly Concern from late 1998 through 1999. Experimental in design and formatting, there is just too much content of too much variety to summarize. Suffice it to say, you get a feeling that Dave Eggers and company were having a blast creatively pushing the limits of publishing in general and literary magazines specifically. Ironically, the popularity of their hip magazine spawned an actual publishing empire, launched inner-city kid's writing workshops, and attracted some of the best authors of the past 25 years as well as springboarding the talents of dozens of writers to wide recognition.
At times things do feel like they are simply being clever for the sake of being clever but it's very hard not to get caught up in the infectious delight Eggers, the authors, and McSweeney's staff are having in constantly surprising the reader. Issue no. 3 starts the incredible Lawrence Weschler's Convergences essays, which include multiple fold-out, full-color pages of artwork and media images printed on heavy stock. It must have been incredibly expensive to print and yet is just a teaser for things to come in future issues.
There are too many authors in the first three issues to list but noteworthy are David Foster Wallace, Rick Moody, Jonathan Lethem, Amanda Davis, and Sarah Vowell. Those that enjoy McSweeney's today should search out these reissues of McSweeney's earliest issues. ( )

Reviewing the first three issues together, since I have in my library the third printing (2006) of the initial three volumes. As with most installments, there are some real high spots and some that are less compelling, but the creativity and imagination that have become the hallmark of the McSweeney's brand are already much in evidence. Essays by Paul Collins can be found in the second and third issues, which will be of interest to fans of that author. Lawrence Weschler's "Convergences" make their first McSweeney's appearance in the third volume, and Gary Greenberg's Unabomber piece is fascinating. ( )