First issued in 1828 in the dying days of the Georgian era, The Spectator came out ready to spar--with the Tories and their Prime Minister, with a corrupt political system, and with the lackluster literary world of the day. More than fifty prime ministers later, The Spectator has not only watched the world change but waded into the fray: it has campaigned on consistently liberal lines, fighting for voters' rights, free trade, a free press, and the decriminalization of homosexuality, while offering open-minded criticism of every modern taboo and orthodoxy.

10,000 Not Out celebrates the magazine's 10,000th issue and recounts the turbulent and tortuous tales of 192 years chock full of crises and campaigns, of literary flair and barbed wit. Eight chapters chart in technicolor the evolution of the title--from radical weekly newspaper, to moralizing Victorian guardian, to wartime watchdog, to satirical magazine, to High-Tory counselor, to the irreverent but influential magazine of the twenty-first century. Replete with extracts, anecdotes, and illustrations, the book turns up many forgotten episodes in the The Spectator's long, lush history.