The winds of change and the forces of commerce have pushed this publication in a new direction.
After twenty-five years of existence as a quarterly magazine, and the publication of 122 editions, The Chap has decided to convert from print publication to members’ club. This decision has not been reached lightly, especially as our very first cri de coeur was issued in the form of a magazine, but over the last quarter-century, the world has changed.
One does no longer communicate one’s ideas by popping down to the local branch of Prontaprint with a sheaf of papers constructed in QuarkExpress, and politely ask for them to be photocopied and stapled together, before trundling along to a few select outlets and putting them up for sale alongside copies of Fortean Times, Viz and Sniffin’ Glue.
Today, there are other ways to disseminate one’s radical ideas, and many would argue that we were better off without social media, when all the lunatics were much more difficult to find. However, the world is as it is and who are we to wish for a gentler time? Ironically, the days before the Internet and mobile phones now seem as remote and nostalgic as the period of the 1940s and 50s celebrated by the earlier editions of The Chap.
Nevertheless, we believe that The Chap still has something useful to provide to its readership, and for this reason we are modifying our offering in the following manner:
The Chap Members’ Club will publish books, provide exclusive online content, run events and organise quarterly social meet-ups. Everyone who is currently a subscriber is invited, with no change to their subscription fees, to convert their subscription to membership of The Members’ Club. Full details of what you will receive may be found on our Membership Page.
We realise what sad tidings these might be to many of you (as they are to us), especially those who have been with us since the very beginning. But fear not, dear reader, this is merely the beginning of a New Era rather than the end of Civilisation. Our message, our manifesto and our life force will remain as strong as ever, simply delivered via different means.
We hope you will agree that, even after 25 years, there is still no other voice quite like The Chap; nowhere else that chaps and chapettes can go for sartorial guidance, a manifesto for living graciously and a programme of social occasions that brings together the best-dressed folk on the planet.
