The ''Courier'' was a magazine published in Britain from 1938 to 1951 by Norman Kark Publications. It was printed mainly on art paper and continued to be produced throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, in spite of the paper restrictions imposed. Each issue included approximately 180 pages, 7½ inches wide by 7 inches deep: at the time, Britain's daily newspapers were rationed to only four pages. There were usually four issues a year (although there were some issues that were missed). The price was three

shillings The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or ...

, A Penguin pocket book only cost six pence in 1940 (one sixth of the price). The sub-title was "Picturing Today". Each copy had a large number of Satire articles, one or more

shaggy dog story In its original sense, a shaggy dog story or yarn is an extremely long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents and terminated by an anticlimax. Shaggy dog stories play upon the audience's precon ...

was always included. In addition there was a section of art photographs, including chaste "nude studies" of women, countryside and seascape photographs. Some issues had coloured fold=outs and others had humour inserts printed on standard paper . The contents were grouped into the following sections: * Satire - which included

cartoons A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

and a short topical article, as well as a "Shaggy Dog" story. * Transatlantic - Articles about New York and other US news items. * Life in Pictures - Photos and other illustrations. * Day and Age - General, Technical and Historic articles. * Departments - including; The Mode, The Stage, The Screen, and The Page. * Fiction - Short stories, including a handful by the better-known British authors of the day, including A. A. Milne,

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultu ...

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include '' The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize ...

, and Robert Standish. The production of the Courier was extended after 1951 as a monthly publication, with a different format and fewer pages. During the fifties, the Courier changed to a 100-plus page magazine. It incorporated the material from the discontinued publication called TO-DAY. A sister magazine was published monthly by Norman Kark called ''Bandwagon''. It was a smaller format than the Courier, but printed on the same high quality art paper. It started just after the end of the Second World War and stopped publishing in the early 1950s. The contents was on all aspects of entertainment, with sections on art, fashion, music (both classic and popular), the stage, the cinema and biographic sketches.

References

{{Reflist News magazines published in the United Kingdom Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines published in London Magazines established in 1938 Magazines disestablished in 1951 Quarterly magazines published in the United Kingdom