Illustrated London News (ILN), the content and heritage agency, is launching a special Limited Edition book set to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen’s becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history on 9th September, overtaking her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. Drawing on previously unseen archive material of the ILN and its sister titles, and in partnership with the Royal Warrant Holders Association, the set features a Foreword by The Prime Minister David Cameron and a new portrait of The Queen painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, commissioned exclusively for the publication.  

In 1897, The Illustrated London News paid tribute to Queen Victoria’s era-defining monarchy with A RECORD NUMBER FOR A RECORD REIGN, a spectacular, ornate edition, which commemorated Victoria’s reign and the accomplishments of Victorian Britain.

This two-volume book set, to be published on 3 September 2015, includes an exact reproduction of the 1897 RECORD REIGN edition alongside a new companion volume:  THE RECORD REIGN OF HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, an equally glorious record of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, celebrating her life and developments in Britain over the last 63 years, and written by ILN historians and other high-profile contributors. Presented as a collector’s book set in an exquisitely crafted slipcase, both volumes are larger than A3, hard back, clothbound, gold-foiled, gilt-edged and printed on superb paper. The book set is priced at £295.00 for both volumes, with a print run of only 1,000 copies.

ILN, in collaboration with Haymarket Media, is also publishing a softback “bookazine” to be sold on the newsstands at £6.99 from 3 September, The Illustrated Record Reign, providing a popular account of Queen Elizabeth’s reign including image-led features and entertaining vignettes. It features advertisements by Royal Warrant Holders including car brands Volkswagen, Vauxhall and Aston Martin, luxury retailers Hamilton & Inches, Thomas Lyte and William & Son, and food and drinks brands Champagne Lanson and Walkers Shortbread.  This follows the success of The Illustrated Diamond Jubilee, which was the best-selling bookazine in WH Smith in 2012. 

Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive of ILN, commented:

“These are two remarkable Queens, who have reigned over periods of extraordinary change. Our aim is to present the two reigns side by side in order to compare, contrast and commemorate.  The  ILN, as the world’s first pictorial newspaper has vividly chronicled both periods and both monarchs since our inception in 1842, so we are best placed to do this. It has been a publishing feat to recreate the 1897 publication and we have gone to enormous lengths to remain faithful to the original. That had been the most ambitious and lavish edition to date of the ILN, showcasing not just the achievements of  Queen Victoria but also the significant advancements during her reign. We have taken the same approach in creating The Record Reign of Her Majesty The Queen.  The pace of change since 1952 has been huge, and the Victorian era seems scarcely recognisable to us today. These beautiful books show in fascinating detail the parallels and differences between these record reigns.”

The limited edition book set and bookazine are available to order on the dedicated website www.recordreign.com The bookazine will be sold at high street newsstands including WHSmith and specialist retailers. A donation will be made for every copy sold to QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust), the charitable arm of the  Royal Warrant Holders Association, to support British craftsmanship. Limited edition prints of the portrait of The Queen, signed by the artist, are also available to order on the website. The portrait will be unveiled on 1 September.For more details, visit www.recordreign.com 

Please contact Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive, ILN 

[email protected] 

Tel: + 44 (0) 207 426 1011

Please find attached the covers of both publications and a summary of THE RECORD REIGN

BACK TO LIST