''Knave'' magazine was a long-running British
adult magazine
Pornographic magazines or erotic magazines, sometimes known as adult, sex or top-shelf magazines, are magazines that contain content of an explicitly sexual nature. Publications of this kind may contain images of attractive naked subjects, as is ...
featuring
softcore pornography
Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. Sof ...
, published by Galaxy Publications Limited. Originally launched in 1968 by the photographer
Russell Gay, it was the
upmarket sister publication of ''
Fiesta'' magazine.
[ ]Mary Millington
Mary Ruth Maxted (née Quilter; 30 November 1945 – 19 August 1979), known professionally as Mary Millington from 1974 onwards, was an English model and pornographic actress. Her appearance in the short softcore film ''Sex is My Business'' ...
modelled for the magazine in 1974, prior to her exclusive signing to work for David Sullivan's magazines.
Along with many other adult magazines, ''Knave'' has published the works of popular authors, including Kim Newman
Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula (1931 ...
, Dave Langford
David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for mos ...
, and Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
. The first issue featured a short story by Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen is a pseudonym created in 1929 by American crime fiction writers Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee and the name of their main fictional character, a mystery writer in New York City who helps his police inspector father solve ...
.
The surrealist artist Penny Slinger
Penny Slinger, sometimes Penelope Slinger, is a British-born American artist and author based in California. As an artist, she has worked in different mediums, including photography, film and sculpture. Her work has been described as being in the g ...
appeared in ''Knave'' in 1973 in a photoshoot and interview in which she posed nude with her own artwork. The artist and musician Cosey Fanni Tutti
Cosey Fanni Tutti (born Christine Carol Newby; 4 November 1951) is an English performance artist, musician and writer, best known for her time in the avant-garde groups Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey.
Tutti first performed under the name ...
appeared as a ''Knave'' model in 1977, as part of an art project exploring pornography in which she appeared as a model in a number of pornographic magazines.
Neil Gaiman's early short stories, including " We Can Get Them for You Wholesale", were published within the magazine; he also worked at the magazine in many roles, including celebrity interviewer and book reviewer. Gaiman began work at the magazine in 1984 but left in the late 80s because an editorial change resulted in the magazine concentrating more heavily on pornographic content.
Eric Fuller, credited by ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as "the man behind the success of Dennis Publishing
Dennis Publishing Ltd. was a British publisher. It was founded in 1973 by Felix Dennis. Its first publication was a kung-fu magazine. Most of its titles now belong to Future plc.
In the 1980s, it became a leading publisher of computer enthusia ...
's lad-mag, ''Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
''", also worked for the magazine for a time.
''Knave'' ceased production in 2015, after 47 years of publication.[, see final issue Volume 47, No. 4.]
See also
* List of pornographic magazines
This is a list of pornographic magazines (sometimes called ''erotic magazines'' or ''adult magazines'') — magazines that contain content of a sexual nature and are typically considered to be pornography.
For inclusion in this list, pornographic ...
* Outline of British pornography
This is a list of topics related to pornography in the United Kingdom.
Legislation
* Obscene Publications Acts
* Video Recordings Act 1984
* Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008
* Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 ...
* Pornography in the United Kingdom
Pornography in the United Kingdom is regulated by a variety of laws, regulations, judicial processes, and voluntary schemes. Pornographic material generally has to be assessed by regulators or courts to determine its legality.
The Victorian pornog ...
Notes and references
{{authority control
Men's magazines published in the United Kingdom
Pornographic magazines published in the United Kingdom
Magazines established in 1968
Magazines disestablished in 2015
1968 establishments in the United Kingdom
2015 disestablishments in the United Kingdom