Online full-text access to The Atlantic has been a perennial request of Penn Libraries. The magazine has a long, distinguished history as a cultural reporter and opinion-maker since its start in 1857 as a showpiece for Boston literati. Faculty in the political science department and other Penn academic programs frequently include Atlantic articles in their course reserve lists, and diligent students often report frustration over the website’s metered paywall access. Additionally, title changes over the years have made The Atlantic one of the more difficult items to find in the Penn Libraries catalog.

The Penn Libraries’ Atlantic website subscription provides web-only content and print-magazine content. Faculty can now easily share URLs to specific articles with students, and all students, faculty, and staff can enjoy everything The Atlantic has to offer, from cultural commentary to the Caleb’s Inferno crossword. Currently, the subscription does not include The Atlantic’s mobile app.

Additionally, PDF versions of whole monthly issues (advertisements included) are available for download from the latest issue back to the first issue published in November 1857. While some of this content is currently available through Nexis Uni and Factiva, the new Atlantic website subscription provides images and publisher’s formatting. That said, readers interested in discovering and viewing specific articles in older issues of The Atlantic may still find it easier to use Penn Libraries’ searchable full text subscription to The Atlantic Magazine Archive, covering 1857 through 2014.

How To Access

Accessing The Atlantic online is easy.

1. Visit the Sign In page from anywhere on theatlantic.com.
2. Click on “Sign in through your institution.” Do not create a personal account or sign in using the Facebook or Google options.
3. When prompted, type University of Pennsylvania where it asks you to enter your institution name and click “Continue.”
4. Enter your PennKey when prompted.
5. Enjoy The Atlantic.