Conde Nast's magazine empire is storied, full of names that lead their respective empires. Vogue is not only the leading women's fashion title in the world, but also the inspiration for many a book, movie, and TV show. Gourmet is the formidable leader in food magazines; Travel + Leisure is the first/only name in travel; and The New Yorker is a category in and of itself (far exceeding the geographical borders set by its name). House & Garden is what many consider the premier "shelter" magazine, a title that defined the category for a half-century before the category was even named.

But today, Conde Nast announced in a brief missive that the magazine, along with its companion web site, would both be shuttered after the December 2007 issue, a sudden and final blow to a title whose audience, perhaps, had aged out of the market for aspirational goods like Wolf ranges and Vespas (the magazine's readership of nearly six million has a median age of 51, and average income of $124,582). Could the magazine's advertisers have been affected by the sub-prime meltdown? Without a home equity line of credit, you can't afford $1,700 tubular fireplaces, I expect, or anything to be found in Gwyneth Paltrow's abode.

The website still brightly reports that, if you subscribe today, you're guaranteed the Gwyneth Paltrow issue -- her Hamptons home is profiled, along with the Harlem penthouse of Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) darling Marcus Samuelsson. The sense of doom hasn't yet struck Gwyneth's happy purpleness.

Also from Luxist: Are shelter magazines in trouble?