- Dishonesty Is The Second-Best Policy and Other Rules to Live By” by David Mitchell
- “Michael Palin In Venezuela” by Michael Palin
- “Happiness: Lessons From A New Science” by Richard Layard
- “The People on Platform 5” by Clare Pooley
- “Encyclopaedia of Narrow Gauge Railways of Great Britain and Ireland” by Thomas Middlemiss
- “Moscow Coup: The Death of the Soviet System” by Martin Sixsmith
- “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged Thirteen and Three-Quarters” by Sue Townsend
- “The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole” by Sue Townsend
- “Adrian Mole: The Collected Poems” by Sue Townsend
- “How To Live Like A Stoic” by Tom Hodgkinson
- “The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass aged 37 3/4” by Adrian Plass
- “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peretti
- “Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes” by Daniel Everett
- “Brutal Scotland” by Simon Phipps
- “Idler XXX: Thirty Years of The Idler, A Visual History” by Tom Hodgkinson
Started: 6th April 2026
Finished: 14th April 2026
3/5 stars
This book was published as a limited edition at the end of 2023, to celebrate The Idler magazine’s 30th anniversary. Following an introduction telling the frequently turbulent history of the magazine, there’s a fascinating selection of articles and images from the first issue up to the end of 2023, showing the many different forms it has taken over the course of its life. I’ve only just got around to reading it, though.
I think it’s fair to say the Idler has improved with age – I certainly find the more recent issues to be more interesting and readable, although there’s plenty of interest from the early years too. Only criticisms I have of the book are that a lot of the articles are either not reproduced in full, or that they’re printed too small to be particularly legible, leading to a fair bit of squinting. Otherwise, it’s really interesting and enjoyable, and shows what an eclectic and lively publication it’s been over the years.
I’m lucky enough to write for it too, although none of my stuff made the book! I’ll let them off, though. 🙂