The Reader 51 has arrived

We're at the start of a new season, which means that the arrival of Issue 51 of The Reader magazine is incredibly well-timed. Featuring a gorgeous and comforting Autumnal scene cover, appropriately titled 'Little Comfort' by artist Michael Troy, Issue 51 is full of rich content to keep your literature levels well stocked up as the days get shorter and nights get longer once more.

Highlights of the issue include:

• A new poem from Jean Sprackland, Taking Down the Scaffolding, which also features in Charlie Darby-Villis's account of her visit to HMP Low Newton as part of the Reading in Secure Environments (RISE) programme
• New poetry from Hannah Lowe, John Wedgwood Clarke, Jonathan Edwards and Barney Eden
• Sean Haldane writes on the strange arrangement of personal time in this issue's Poet On His Work
• The craft, nature and beliefs of Thomas Hardy is given perspective as we get 'Four Helpings of Hardy' from Mike Irwin, Bernard O' Donoghue, Jane Thomas and Josie Billington
• The new Vintage Classics editor Frances Macmillan is interviewed on publishing matters and the literary phenomenon of the year, Stoner by John Williams
• Combative, engaging and fascinating essays from Philip Davis, Martin Boston and Malcolm Bennett
• New fiction from Stuart Evers and Victoria Benn

All this alongside your regulars and more tales from the Reading Revolution - a true wealth of literary goodness as golden as the leaves descending from the Autumn trees.

Current subscribers can expect Issue 51 of The Reader to drop through their letterboxes any day now, and if you haven't already subscribed then there's no need to miss out - you can snap up your copy of the new edition or purchase a year's subscription from on our website, where you can also browse through our back catalogue of vintage Reader copies.