10,000 Not Out: The History of The Spectator 1828 - 2020

by David Butterfield

There is no journal with a livelier and richer history than The Spectator. As well as being the world s oldest current affairs magazine, none has been closer over the last two centuries to spheres of power and influence in Britain. First issued in 1828, during the dying days of the Georgian era, The Spectator came out ready to spar with the Tories and their Prime Minister, the Duke of Wellington, with a corrupt political system, and with the lacklustre literary world of the day. Over the subsequent 52 Prime Ministers, The Spectator has not only watched the world change but waded into the fray: it has campaigned on consistently liberal lines, fighting for voters rights, free trade, the free press and the decriminalisation of homosexuality, while offering open-minded criticism of every modern taboo and orthodoxy. 10,000 Not Out celebrates the 10,000th issue and recounts the turbulent and tortuous tale of 192 years chock-full of crises and campaigns, of literary flair and barbed wit. Eight chapters chart in technicolour the evolution of the title from radical weekly newspaper, to moralising Victorian guardian, to wartime watchdog, to satirical magazine, to High-Tory counsellor, to the irreverent but influential The Spectator of the twenty-first century. The book weaves together copious quotations from the magazine s unparalleled archive, the contemporary press, private letters and staff anecdote.

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 2020

About the author

Dr David Butterfield is a fellow and senior lecturer of classics at Queens’ College, Cambridge. He is the author of many books including, most recently, Varro Varius: The Polymath of the Roman World. Outside the classical world, he has written regularly on any subject other than politics for The Spectator, where he is a contributing editor.

Reviews

[Tony Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Spectator magazine published it's 10,000 edition earlier this year, and has brought out this commemorative history of the long running weekly magazine of politics, arts and culture. I have read it for ever, and generally enjoy it's lively writing, and sympathise with most of it's political positions (Europe aside). This book, written by Cambridge Lecturer David Butterfield, is organised in chapters focused partially on chronology, and partially on the key personnel developments of the magazine, through its ups and downs. It is set so that each chapter mirrors the typeface and layout of the magazine that pertained to that era. I found the history interesting (although the 20th and 21st century material was an easier read), and the details of what was going on in the magazine's boardroom and editorial meetings enlightening. The practice of long (sometimes multi-column) quotations from articles were a bit tedious, and the tendency of the author to revert to the style of an academic publication somewhat annoying (ridiculous obsession with the educational background, and even class of degree of each succeeding editor for example). I am glad the magazine's circulation and income has never been in a stronger position - hopefully I will be able to read it for many years to come.