The Idler Magazine
Literature for Loafers
The Idler magazine was founded in 1993 by Tom Hodgkinson and Gavin Pretor-Pinney in order to explore alternatives to the work ethic and promote freedom and the fine art of doing nothing. In that time it has passed through many incarnations, and inspired thousands of people to cast off the shackles of corporate or bureaucratic life, and find freedom. It now exists as an annual collection of essays, published in hardback book form. The current issue is themed around Utopia and includes contributions from Louis Theroux, Bill Drummond, Boff Whalley and Joe Dunthorne.
The Idler Academy
Cultivate Your Leisure
The Idler Academy is a school and bookseller founded in 2011 by Tom Hodgkinson and Victoria Hull with the intention of providing lifelong education in useful, enjoyable but neglected subjects. The ancient Greek word schole, which turned into our word for "school", originally meant "free time". It was with this Athenian sense of the importance of cultivated leisure that the Idler Academy was conceived.
Our motto is libertas per cultum, meaning “freedom through education”.
The Idler Online Shop
Idleness for the World
In our online shop you can purchase many Idler goodies, including signed copies of Tom Hodgkinson's books, copies of the Idler, short-run pamphlets, books published under our own imprint, our own limited run t-shirts, plus posters, badges, mugs and other ephemera designed to improve your life. All items are offered at 10% discount to members of the Idler Club.