A JAMAICAN FIRST BY STEVEN DALY

FIRST, puckishly billing itself as "the only magazine in Jamaica" is a small format glossy that has won a hefty cult following among the funkier echelons of the international jet set. Founded last year by 35-year old photographer and editor Peter Dean Rickards and his business partners, FIRST set out to give Jamaicans a uniquely authentic portrayal of their own culture. Although the magazine, which is sold only in Kingston*, wasn't designed for tourists, it is informally distributed worldwide by vacationers returning to chillier climates.

"Predictably, the tourists seem to love it, " says Rickards.

With its unlikely juxtapostion of ghetto reportage, shamelessly glam fashion shoots and whimsical photo essays, FIRST is an inspired oddity that flouts conventional magazine wisdom while keeping production values high.