Private Eye the First 50 Years and Private Eye Annual 2011

Private Eye is Britain's first, most successful and indeed only fortnightly satirical magazine. Founded in 1961, it has consistently entertained, informed and irritated its readers. Over five turbulent decades it has developed its unique mix of jokes and journalism, comedy and campaigning, gags and gossip, laughter and libel, to cover the public life of the nation.

And what better way to mark your half century than with a book of unsurpassed, fascinating history of Private Eye over the past 50 years? Private Eye: The First 50 Years, an A-Z, is a lavishly illustrated, definitive history of the magazine, charting its rise from 300 copies of the first edition on 25th October 1961, to a fortnightly readership of 700,000, steered at the helm by Editor of 25 years, Ian Hislop.

In addition to a wealth of new material, the book features exclusive interviews with current editor, Ian Hislop, his predecessor Richard Ingrams and co-founder, Christopher Booker, plus a host of other key figures past and present.

Get your copy of Private Eye: The First 50 Years, an A-Z now!

The 2011 Annual

With the phone hacking scandal, the superinjunction fiascos and the European financial meltdown it has been a quiet year for news.

Luckily Private Eye was there to fill the gap. The 2011 Private Eye Annual presents the very best of Private Eye's unique blend of wit and humour, jam-packed with pages of parody, the funniest spoofs, gags, cartoons, photo bubbles and topical humour. Consistently found in the bestseller charts and selling in excess of 78,000 copies last year alone, it is a must for every Christmas stocking.

Order the Private Eye Annual 2011 now!

And to complete your Private Eye fix...

Opening on Tuesday 18th October and running for three months until 8th January 2012, Private Eye at the V&A is on display in the V&A's Studio Gallery in South Kensington, London. Ian Hislop has chosen 50 of the best front covers, one from every year the magazine has been published. The covers will be arranged in a timeline, offering a graphic satirical history of the news over five decades.