The 2011 issue of the Idler is devoted to the idea of small business as an alternative to the grind of the nine-to-five.
There is an introduction by editor Tom Hodgkinson who attempts to outline an idler’s business ethic. Tom also tells the story of how he and Victoria Hull set up the Idler Academy, and the inevitable anxieties that it produced.
In an inspiring interview, Bill Drummond calls on people to take responsibility for their lives. He even takes issue with the philosophy of the Idler, saying: ‘Idleness is the fastest route to depression.’
David Boyle of the New Economics Foundation resists the call fro endless growth and scale, and argues that ‘small is beautiful’.
Other contributors include Robert Wringham of the New Escapologist magazine, early retirement expert Jacob Lund Fisker, and Toby Young, who writes on how Eton old boys continue to dominate British politics.
There are fine illustrations from Alice Smith, Clifford Harper, Bronwen Jones and more, and the whole has been typeset and produced by the inky-fingered Mr Brett of Brackepress.
The book extends to 320 pages. It is bound in blue cloth and printed on paper of exceptional quality.
