ILN: reflecting glamour of London
The Illustrated London News, the famous picture news magazine founded in 1842, is being revived.
Believed to be the world’s oldest illustrated magazine in continuous publication, the title, which was bought by the ILN Group in 1985, has been appearing biannually. It is to be relaunched in November with the intention of going monthly next year.
Edited by former Express executive and Sunday Telegraph news editor Mark Palmer, the magazine will cover culture, the arts, people, political issues, fashion and architecture.
“The idea is that it will reflect the sophistication and glamour of London without going down the celebrity tittle-tattle route,” said Palmer. “Our aim is to produce a magazine that is so gorgeous to look at that it will make anyone who doesn’t live in London feel like they are missing out.”
Designed by Simon Esterson, the magazine will retain the strong visual element of the original ILN but, said Palmer, the editorial will be in the spirit of the New Yorker magazine.
“We are assuming quite a high level of discernment among our readers. It will have the intelligence and wit of The Spectator with the visual impact and stunning photography of House and Garden,” he added.
Lisa Barnard, managing director at the ILN Group, said the title was aiming to launch as a monthly but the first issue would test the water.
Priced at £2.50, with an initial print run of about 30,000, the magazine will also be available outside London.
By Sarah Boden
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