The Idler (1892–1911)

This article is about the 19th-century literary magazine. For other publications with this name, see The Idler (disambiguation).

Robert Barr at his desk in the Idler office. Photo by Fradelli & Young

The Idler was an illustrated monthly magazine published in Great Britain from 1892 to 1911. It was founded by the author Robert Barr, who brought in the humorist Jerome K. Jerome as co-editor, and its contributors included many of the leading writers and illustrators of the time.

Content

The Idler generally catered to the popular taste, printing light pieces and sensational fiction. The magazine published short stories, serialised novels, humour pieces, poetry, memoirs, travel writing, book and theatre reviews and interviews. It also included a monthly feature called 'The Idlers' Club,' in which a number of writers would offer their views on a particular topic.

Most of The Idler's contributors were popular and prolific writers of the time. Some of them, such as Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain, are still read today.

Contributors

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Writers

3

Artists

3

External links

• Full text online from Project Gutenberg:

Vol. 3, iss. 13, February 1893.

Vol. 3, April 1893.

Vol. 3, May 1893.

• Interview with Louis Wain by Roy Compton, originally published in The Idler in January 1896 (Vol VIII No. XLVIII.) .
• The Idler (1892-1911) - Indexes to Fiction (Victorian Fiction Research Guide)