Tatler
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Image:6334-12.jpg Tatler is a British "society" magazine. It carries articles on a broad number of topics, but its primary focus is on the social trends amongst the very wealthy and aristocratic. It is the oldest English language magazine currently in print. Tatler is currently edited by Geordie Greig, who was previously the Literary Editor of the Sunday Times.
History
It was originally founded in 1709 by Richard Steele who also used the nom de plume of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire. Steele's idea was to publish the news and gossip heard in London coffeehouses, hence the title. A "reporter" was based in each of the best-known of these, in order that readers need not miss out on anything.
In its first incarnation, it was published three times a week. The original "Tatler" was published only two years from April 12, 1709 to January 2, 1711.
Three months after the original "Tatler" was first published, a Mrs Crackenthorpe published what was called the "Female Tatler." However, its run was much shorter: the magazine ran for less than a year - from July 8, 1709 to March 31, 1710.
There is some question as to whether the current glossy "society" magazine is related to the original Tatler. It is generally acknowledged that the current edition began publishing in 1901. From the 1940's until the early 1960's, the then-weekly magazine was entitled "Tatler & Bystander." In March 1968, the "Bystander" was dropped from the magazine's title, and it began publishing on a monthly basis.
The Modern Magazine
Editor Geordie Greig recently gave an interview in which he said that reading Tatler should be "like a fabulous journey in an incredible sports car ... you can go fast, you can go round the bend, you can go a bit mad, you can have pretty girls in it, you can stop at stately homes as well as go round to Monte Carlo. It should be a journey of speed and surprises". [1]
The Magazine also throws a number of large parties throughout the year. The two most important are the Tatler Summer Party, and the Tatler Little Black Book Party. The Tatler Little Black Book is an annual list published by the magazine of the country's 100 Most Eligible Men and Women.
The Bystander section is now made up primarily of photographs of a small number of exclusive private parties. This section is edited by Tatler's social editor, Clare Milford Haven (the wife of the Marquess of Milford Haven) and by the photographer Hugo Burnand.
Today, the magazine is owned and operated by Advance Publications.