HFJ Chronicle and FF Clifford are two brilliant, contemporary serifs with graded densities. Chronicle also has display sizes.

Lexicon and Renard are two more, slightly more traditional (yet still fresh and distinctive) typefaces with graded densities as well. Lexicon also has a headline version.

Let me know how you find these suggestions, and what you end up choosing!

Not sure if it fits exactly but I'm keen to explore what Kris Sowersby's Tiempos Text could be used for...IIRC the concept was to re-explore Plantin from a newsy/restrained angle, and it's definitely contemporary.

Chronicle is not a humanist, and Clifford has a very specific old/ancient feel to it. I need something that feels more up to date, but still sober. The latter two are unfortunaltely beyond my budget at the moment, but I really like them both very much. I'm afraid Tiempos is too newsy.

Pona, Periodico, Lyon?

I was going to suggest Periodico and Lyon too!

You could use a style with both looks, e.g. Seria and Scala.

My Williams Caslon Text has been used for text in both magazines and books. You could eg use it at 10 point in narrower magazine columns and at 11 point in wider book columns. I've also seen it recently used well at 10 point in a small paperback, like the old Penguin pocket books (column measure 19 picas). The bold weight is really a semi-bold, if that's what you're looking for. You would want something else in display; it's been paired with Caslon 540 and Big Caslon, as well as Knockout and Archer.

Not a humanist, but may I suggest my Kinney.

Or maybe Moraine.

Or if you really want a bit of the humanist Rawlinson

Romain BP is another interesting choice, with both Text and Display families you could use.

Oh, and DSType's Mafra and Mafra Display have a nice humanist feel. Maybe too slabby for you, though.

The Janson/Kis typeface is one of the most beautiful old-style faces, at least Tschichold thought this way. Interview Magazine is using it for example, and it is a commonly used book typeface. The regularly used version is Janson Text, however recently a complete rework of the typeface was released, called Kis Antiqua Now.

Kis Antiqua Now has 4 weights and two display cuts. The reinterpretation turned out great in my opinion, the capitals are now in a more contemporary size relation compared to the lower case characters. On the page it looks great, not as monotonous as some recent typefaces.
http://www.fonts4ever.com/portrait_typeface.php?language=en&id=5

Kis Antiqua Now looks really nice. Here's another humanist typeface, recently released, seems well-made and fairly versatile as well, and they're offering a free weight: http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/hoftype/corda/

Hoftype and Hofrichter’s typefaces are an interesting new addition to the font market from an experienced type designer. Personally I find Erato his best serif typeface, however they all have their merit given different purposes.

Agreed! I forgot about Erato. Cala is nice as well. Hofrichter knows what he's doing.

There's also Capitolium 2 and Coranto 2, both by Gerard Unger.

I just realised how tired I am of trendy fonts :)

May I inquire how you decided in the end? And: which fonts are “trendy” you find?

I'm considering Greta. I think the grades might come in handy, and it's a touch more sober than what we used previously.

What I find (too) trendy is very subjective, but the self-promotion fonts and the listed-on-a-blog fonts are not all that convincing :)

Guilty of a little bit of self promotion myself :) No hard feelings.

Greta is nice, as is Dolly, although it doesn't have too many weights and styles.

Dolly is a beautiful face, but not suitable for a serious journal. It's to "cute" and feminine, IMO. I didn't mention the subject or audience in my initial post. Perhaps that's why the answers vary so wildely.