This is a very rare opportunity to acquire a complete set of the cult fashion magazine Nova. From the very first issue in 1965 to the last in 1975, this full run includes every issue published and is available to buy in one easy step.
Nova is perhaps THE most iconic fashion and style magazine of the last 100 years. Referenced by the great and good in the fashion and design industry. It was, and still is, the place to go for those in the know for the best in directional fashion images from the sixties and seventies. Nova was known for its unflinching confidence and its ability to tackle controversial and important societal issues with its bold and dynamic editorial approach which has never been matched since. Many of those timely stories still make it feel fresh and contemporary today. A complete run is coveted by anyone who has had the luxury of perusing just one edition. Single issues are impossible to find - let alone a full set. This is the holy grail for vintage fashion magazine collectors, libraries and archives.
It is without doubt our favourite magazine and it took us more than 10 years to collate this set.
NOVA MAGAZINE - The Taste Makers Bible
Source - Wikipedia: “Nova, published from March 1965 to October 1975, was a British magazine that has been described as "a politically radical, beautifully designed, intellectual women's magazine. In 1965 it discussed sex and the Pill, and epitomised the sophistication of London with its bold type and white space."
For its day, Nova's agenda of journalistically taboo subjects included contraception, abortion, cancer, race, homosexuality, divorce and royal affairs, invariably boosted by agenda-setting cover images, making it unique among magazines. It was Nova's courageous second editor, Dennis Hackett, together with visionary art director Harri Peccinotti, who swiftly established their magazine as an influential must-read for the movers and shakers of Swinging London, with men as well as the original target audience of women becoming devotees of its heady mixture of social issues and cutting-edge fashion and modern lifestyle features.”
An extremely rare complete collection and a unique opportunity to secure for your archive.
We have been in awe of Nova magazine since we started the Elegantly Papered Vintage Fashion Magazine Archive just over 20 years ago. In 2006 we attended a talk at the Women’s Library at the Woman’s Institute in London, hosted by experts from the fashion and feminist academia, who discussed the title’s long lasting influence. One of the interesting facts we discovered was that there was only one known set of Nova in existence. It took another several years to collate what we believe was only the second set in the world.
The issues are much harder to find now as the appreciation of magazine culture has grown alongside the disappearance of print as the world goes digital.
Nova relished asking the difficult questions of the day splashing controversial images and bold headlines across its covers in order to start a debate. It had a counterculture approach to fashion that has not been equaled since. They commissioned some of the leading writers and photographers of the day, who worked to produce a lavish, glossy, large format magazine with an exciting contrast of avant-garde fashion alongside articles about the most serious political issues of the day.
A selection of Nova contributors:
Edited by: Dennis Hackett, together with visionary art directors Harri Peccinotti and David Hillman.
Stylists: Caroline Baker and Molly Parkin.
Fashion photographers: Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, Diane Arbus, Brian Duffy, Sarah Moon, Hans Feurer, Harri Peccinotti, Jeanloup Sieff, James Wedge, Saul Leiter and Terence Donovan.
Models include: Jean Shrimpton, Donna Jordan, Willy Van Rooy, Celia Hammond, Grace Coddington, Kellie Wilson, Marie Helvin etc
Writers: Graham Greene, Lynda Lee-Potter, Christopher Booker, Susan Sontag, Arthur Hopcraft, Irma Kurtz etc
Artwork by: Peter Blake, Alan Aldridge, Barney Bubbles, Barry Fantoni, Mel Calman, Stewart Mackinnon, Gerald Scarfe, Edda Kochl, Roger Law etc
Interviewees include: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Pablo Picasso, Brigitte Bardot, Marlon Brando, Ava Gardner, Frank Zappa, Rudolf Nureyev, etc
This exceptionally rare, complete run of Nova magazine is comprised of 127 issues. Spanning the years 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975.
The complete set is offered here for sale at £25,000.
DAZED & CONFUSED had this to say about Nova in 2016: “The fearless women’s mag that played by none of the rules”.
The condition is excellent overall. Some issues have light wear. Shipped in sturdy archive boxes to anywhere in the world.
A selection of covers and internal spreads are shown here. Please get in touch if you have any questions and we'd be happy to talk in more detail.
