Is the recession over in the magazine industry? Not quite, but surprising data emerged yesterday. It seems that a few mags countered February 2002's awful numbers (cumulative -13.57%) when the advertising downturn from the September 11, 2001, attacks was at its worst.

Allure (+5.24% February 2002/ +37.97% February 2003) is one; so, too, are rivals Health (+5.14%/+31.13%), Self (+9.70%/+29.48%), and Shape (+4.50%/+49.43%), while Real Simple went from a modest +2.63% to a gargantuan
+78.68%. But most of the 2003 "up" differentials reflect a return to normalcy--not to exuberance--from the depths of a year ago. Here, alphabetically, are 15 examples (percentages rounded off):

DOWN IN FEBRUARY 2002, UP IN FEBRUARY 2003