Cover of the September 2016 issue of Geographical Magazine
|
|
Editor | Paul Presley |
---|---|
Categories | Geography, Science, Nature |
Frequency | Monthly |
Founder | Michael Huxley |
Year founded | 1935 |
Company | Syon Publishing |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Website | www.geographical.co.uk |
Geographical (formerly The Geographical Magazine) is the magazine of the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), a key associate and supporter of many famous expeditions, including those of Charles Darwin, Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. The publishers pay a licence fee to the Society, which is used to fund the advancement of exploration and research and the promotion of geographical knowledge.
The magazine is published monthly, and is sold in retail outlets and on subscription in both print and digital. It contains illustrated articles on people, places, adventure, travel, and environmental issues, as well as summarising the latest academic research and discoveries in geography. Geographical also reports news of the Society's latest work and activities to members and the public.
The Geographical Magazine was founded by English diplomat Michael Huxley in May 1935. Huxley’s editorial policy was centered on presenting “an understanding of the world that no other periodicals can give”. The original print release of the magazine in 1935 sold out, and a total of 50,000 copies of the first issue were printed. During the first few months of publication the magazine bought its readers stories from Mexico,Tahiti and Ankara, examining different regions in a way that offered both analysis and the traveller’s impression.
The Geographical Magazine continued to publish throughout the Second World War despite facing shortages of paper and government censorship, and the post-war period saw it expand to accommodate the interpretation of geography as done by geographers into the original founder’s editorial policy.
Publishing of the magazine was taken over by The Times in 1956, and then by Odhams in 1965. Eventually the magazine became part of the International Publishing Corporation, and in 1968 the magazine underwent a substantial re-design. In 1981 the publisher changed hands again, with United Newspapers taking control of the magazine, and then by Hyde Park Publications in 1988, when the title was changed from The Geographical Magazine to simply Geographical.