Eight Less One

When British publishers spoke of "The Great Eight" they meant the Graphic, Illustrated London News, Sphere, Sketch, Tatler, Bystander, Britannia & Eve, Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News--all published by Illustrated Newspapers Ltd. Last week the eight were reduced to-seven. Instead of their weekly copies of the Graphic, U. S. subscribers received instead notice that the famed 62-year-old paper was no more.

Of the eight, Graphic and Illustrated London News were best known in the U. S. Both were distinguished by fine color plates, striking photographs of world news events, superbly printed. It was the alert, somewhat sensational Graphic that introduced to the English-speaking Press Dr. Erich Salomon and his "Candid Camera." The Graphic devoted less attention than the Illustrated London News to archaeology, Egyptology; more to unique photography. Also it combed the world's Press for items characteristic of national foibles, reprinted them with little or no comment as the American Mercury presents its "Americana."

Early this year the Great Eight publishers elected to alter the Graphic because it resembled Sphere too closely. At the same time Editor William Comyns Beaumont of Bystander was considering quitting the Great Eight group to start a weekly of his own, an illustrated smartchart something like the New Yorker, to be named either The Londoner or St. James's. Instead the publishers let Editor Beaumont take charge of the Graphic, replacing Editor Alan John Bott.

Reduced in size and price (from is. to 6d.), the Graphic was renamed The National Graphic. Editor Beaumont explained: "Lord Northcliffe, followed by Lords Rothermere and Beaverbrook, set out to organize the daily and Sunday newspapers on a national scale, but nobody has yet taken up the British weekly press in a similar way, although it has been done in the United States where the weeklies have gigantic circulations."

The transformed magazine had little of distinction. Its front cover (which formerly was filled with advertising) began to look like Liberty's. Its pages were cluttered with chopped-up layouts, fancy borders, other "art work" common to U. S. cinema magazines. It took on an air of cheapness.

Circulation of the new magazine started at 75,000, fell steadily. In the last issue, which contained 40 pages, there were only eight pages of advertising.

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