The Idler (1993)
 The Idler #42: Smash the System |
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| Editor | Tom Hodgkinson |
|---|---|
| Categories | Arts/Culture |
| Frequency | Annual (previously quarterly and bi-annual) |
| First issue | 1993 |
| Company | Idler |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | idler.co.uk |
| ISSN | 1351-5098 |
The Idler is a yearly British magazine devoted to its ethos of 'idling'. Founded in 1993 by Tom Hodgkinson and Gavin Pretor-Pinney, the publication's intention is to return dignity to the art of loafing, to make idling into something to aspire towards rather than reject.[1]
The magazine combines the aesthetics of 1990s slacker culture and pre-industrial revolution idealism. The title comes from a series of essays by Samuel Johnson, published in 1758–59.
Contents |
[edit] Idling
On the practice of idling, Tom Hodgkinson writes:
| “ | [a] characteristic of the idler's work is that it looks suspiciously like play. This, again, makes the non-idler feel uncomfortable. Victims of the Protestant work ethic would like all work to be unpleasant. They feel that work is a curse, that we must suffer on this earth to earn our place in the next. The idler, on the other hand, sees no reason not to use his brain to organise a life for himself where his play is his work, and so attempt to create his own little paradise in the here and now.[2] | ” |
The Crap series of humour books is a spin-off from an Idler column:
- Crap Towns exposes some of the worst places to live in Great Britain. Crap Towns caught the public imagination but drew fire from both local councils and local media in those areas concerned.[3]
The Idler website includes archived magazine content and regular updates from the editor including his long-lived Country Diary column.[4]
[edit] Contributors
Contributors and interviewees featured in The Idler include:
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[edit] References
- ^ "About". The Idler. 17 June 2009. http://idler.co.uk/about/. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "The Idler". The Idler. 17 June 2009. http://idler.co.uk/notes/letter-from-the-editor-2/. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
- ^ Kirby, Terry (25 March 2004). "Revealed: the top 100 'crap' towns in Britain". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/revealed-the-top-100-crap-towns-in-britain-567573.html.
- ^ "Country Diary". The Idler. http://idler.co.uk/category/country-diary/. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Editor's interview with 3:AM Magazine
- Idle Foundation, an unofficial forum and resource site about idling
