Exact Editions is delighted to announce that the digital edition of The Idler is available to purchase now. Individual and institutional subscribers will gain access to a year’s worth of back issues and all future published issues of the bimonthly title. 

The Idler magazine’s aim is to help readers slow down, have fun and live well. Founded by writer Tom Hodgkinson in 1993, each bi-monthly issue offers a book-sized feast of great writing, interviews, cartoons, practical advice on living the idle life and beautiful illustrations. 

Together with his old friend, designer and writer Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Tom Hodgkinson produced the first issue of The Idler in August 1993. It first had the sub-title “literature for loafers” with Dr Johnson as the cover star and included an interview with magic mushroom guru Terence McKenna. The magazine has since then enjoyed a number of incarnations. In the nineties it was published by The Guardian, and then by Ebury publishing. Tom published the Idler as an annual collection of essays until 2014, then relaunched the magazine in 2016.

Idler is a company devoted to helping people to lead more fulfilled lives. As well as publishing The Idler, the company also produces online courses and run live events. The Idler Academy was founded at a festival in 2010, a school which offers online courses in the classical liberal arts and practical skills, teaching philosophy, calligraphy, music, business skills, English grammar and more.

Subscribers to The Idler will be able to access the fully searchable title across the web, as well as iOS and Android devices, browse the entirely linked back issues and their content pages, as well as bookmark an article, download a page, share on social media, and receive new issue notifications. On the sophisticated Exact Editions Reader, users can view and search new and back issues on the go or at their leisure. 

For institutions interested in requesting a free trial of The Idler, please click here.

Individuals can purchase an annual or quarterly subscription by clicking here.