Men's magazines: an A to Z

Razzle issue 6, plugging its 'Dream Girl - four colour art plate inside'

Razzle issue 47 with 'The brightest cartoons of them all'

Razzle issue 82 in 1955 with Maria Felix on the cover

Razzle [closed] Back to top

Ritz Publishing Co (1935) Ltd. January 1948-?
Pocket format monthly men's magazine that published 'the brightest cartoons of them all'. Most of each issue of Razzle was devoted to cartoons with two or three topless photographs. Colour used on the cover and on the centre spread, which was reserved for the Razzle Dream Girl, drawn by George Davies.

The flipside of the single 'Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll' by Ian Dury and the Blockheads is 'Razzle in my Pocket' (1977). The lyrics are about trying to steal a copy of Razzle from a newsagent:

'In my yellow jersey, I went out on the nick.
South Street Romford, shopping arcade
Got a Razzle magazine, I never paid...'

The title lives on as a top-shelf magazine published by Paul Raymond (since 1983).

Razzle issue 97 (1957). While the front covers evolved, the back covers stayed consistent, displaying the logo in various spot colours. The selling line on this cover was: 'Dream Girl pin-up in full cover.'

Razzle issue 97 (1957). Another thing that stayed consistent was the centre-spread colour pin-up by George Davies. The centre pages were printed on heavier, glossy paper of a similar stock to the cover

Reveille [closed] Back to top

Reveille Newspapers/IPC, 1940-1979?
Launched as a weekly tabloid for the armed forced and began publishing pin-ups from the start. Relaunched in the mid-1970s as New Reveille, though later reverted to Reveille. Similar formula to Tit-Bits, which absorbed it in about 1980. Publishers:

• Reveille Newspapers Ltd, 132 Fleet Street, London EC4; and
• IPC, 127 Stamford Street, London SE1.

IPC profile

Shortlist first issue cover

ShortList Back to top

20 September 2007-
Free weekly men's magazine. Some 500,000 copies distributed in British cities, taking a similar tack to free weekly Sport in London. Headed by former FHM editor Mike Soutar, whose company Crash Test Media developed ShortList under the working title Alpha One. The backers include Beano publisher DC Thomson. The title has a website and is available as a digital magazine using the same Ceros technology as Monkey.

ShortList home page

Zoo Sie7e first international edition of men's weekly Zoo

Sieze (Spain)Back to top

Focus Ediciones/Emap, August 2005-
The first international edition of Emap's men's weekly Zoo, launched in Spain. It is published in partnership with Focus Ediciones (part of Swiss publisher Edipresse), which publishes FHM in Spain under licence. Weekly Sie7e (Seven) was already on the shelves but it was re-branded as Zoo Sie7e. The target circulation for Zoo Sie7e was 100,000 within 18 months (FHM sold 250,000 copies in Spain).
Emap profile

Sky last issue

Sky [closed] Back to top

News International/Emap, February 1987-2001
Rupert Murdoch's News International magazine division launched the pan-European youth magazine Sky, in a joint venture with French group Hachette, led by publisher Peter Jackson. Sky started out as a fortnightly for 16 to 25-year-olds, but failed to meet a 200,000 sales target and was cut back to a monthly in November. Its audience was refined to 18 to 22-year-olds and was increasingly influenced by the lad's mags in the 1990s. Murdoch pulled out of magazine publishing, and the Hachette partnership, which included Elle, was taken up with Emap, until it was dissolved in 2002. Sky closed in 2001.
Emap profile

Snug [closed] Back to top

Licensed Publishing, London, Nov/Dec 2002-?
The catchline 'A haven for drinkers and thinkers' called readers to this title, which editor Nick Bradshaw described as 'a magazine from a pub'. Its menu of sport, politics, religion, health, fashion and travel marked a change from the bimbo-infested launches of the previous decade. Jarvis Cocker was the cover interviewee. Snug received backing from the Just Customer Communication agency.

So / Switched On wanted to be a men's gadget title

So / Switched On [closed] Back to top

Galaxy Publishing. Jan-Apr 2007
Relaunched version of Ice that tried to become a mainstream men's gadget title but folded after 3 issues.
Switched On website

Sorted for teenage boys lasted just four issues

Sorted [closed] Back to top

Sorted Communications, Brighton. February 2004-May 2004
Monthly for boys aged 12-16. The first issue of Sorted carried an A1 poster for Whiplash computer games and the film School of Rock. The editor was Martin Klipp. Sorted closed after just four issues. The fifth issue, featuring a cover interiew with David Beckham, was at the printers.

Sour Mash [closed] Back to top

Mash Communications, High Wycombe, Bucks. November 2003-?
Described in the trade press as a men's magazine aiming to be a cross between Private Eye, early Loaded and Viz, the launch issue of Sour Mash felt more like a cross between Viz and Heat.

The company was founded by four ex-IPC executives: Andy McDuff, Alan Lewis, Nick Taylor and Mark Jones. Johnny Sharp was the editor. The FT's Creative Business magazine quoted McDuff (who was head of men's division when Loaded launched) criticising the 'super tanker mentality' of IPC and Emap : 'IPC would never launch Sour Mash. It's too radical, too small and doesn't meet any portfolio strategy." (Four Emap executives had launched a similar breakaway company to launch Word.) Best visual joke: acerbic writer Julie Burchill - who established her reputation in the punk era at IPC's NME - digitally enhanced to look like Winston Churchill. Print run of 60,000; expecting to sell 50,000 of first issue. Sour Mash needed to sell 25,000 copies a month to break even, but it failed.

Span from 1958

An issue of Span from 1962 with Joan Collins on the cover

Span [closed] Back to top

Town & Country Pubs (SoCo), Croydon, Surrey. September 1954-Oct 1976
Editor and manager: R.T. Staples. Advertising: JDW Hancock. Pocket pin-up magazine. First issue of Span had 10-page feature on the Can-Ca Girls and leggy, eight-page ‘Funfair frolics’ piece based around Shirley Ann Field and Sally Edgar-Lee. Plus a Joan Collins pin-up. Span was mono throughout apart from the use of spot colour on the cover. Spick and Span joined together to produce specials in summer and winter. SoCo - as the men's magazine publisher has become known - also published Fanfare and 66.

Spick from 1957

Spick [closed] Back to top

Town & Country Pubs (SoCo), Croydon, Surrey. December 1953-May 1971?
Spick was a UK pocket pin-up magazine that came out at the same time as Playboy in the US. Aimed at a very different working-class audience, with its content based on 'girl next door' photographs. See also Span above.

Stuff focuses on technology for men

Stuff Back to top

Dennis/Haymarket. December 1996/January 1997
Stuff is a technology magazine for men. In 1999, Haymarket Dennis sold Stuff to Haymarket.
Dennis profile
Haymarket profile

Subject first issue cover with the page 3 response below

Subject [closed] Back to top

Stable Publications, London. March 2001-?
Men's lifestyle magazine edited by Ross Cotttingham. Lacked the sophistication in presentation - and undoubtedly the budget - to compete in a cut-throat market. Subject tried a more thoughtful approach, as demonstrated by the cover statement, 'The first rule of men's lifesytle magazines is ... you must have sex opn the cover', which was questioned on page 3: 'Must you have sex on the cover? Subject: question everything.'