I’m ever so pleased to have you here, in this particular nook of the print world...as is customary, fix yourself a drink and a snack, find yourself a quiet spot to luxuriate in and let’s go.’

Sophie Gargett, editor’s letter, The Dilettante Issue 3

The Dilettante is a very enjoyable nook of the print world for us. We were hooked from the first issue, and it’s wonderful to see this glorious mag reach its third edition, having started out life as a gazette distributed for free around the cafés of Nottingham. 

It’s like entering another world for a little while, watching a black and white movie on a rainy afternoon, or rereading (the fun bits) of The Great Gatsby.

It’s full of whimsy, with their satirical news bulletin ‘keeping you up to date with what’s not happening,’ the Vernacular Spectacular, which promises to combat a ‘numbingly dreary’ vocabulary and their resident Agony Uncle, Professor Elemental, but there’s also some fascinating reading, as they tell you the story of the eccentric Marchesa Casati, dive into the life and works of trail-blazing female artist, Hilma Af Klimt, celebrate the Belle Époch and uncover the origins of the hermit as a real (no joke) 18^th century profession.

The Dilettante has a beautiful design and a clear sense of who it is – something that’s quite rare in a relatively new mag. Along with the helping of ‘sensible nonsense,’ the features are intelligent and brilliantly written.

Craig Rix of Travel Africa mag said in a recent editor's letter, that the great thing about indie mags is that you never know where they will take you, that with each turn of the page there's a new discovery. This is the magic of good mags. And The Dilettante,in our opinion, is a really good mag.

We’ll leave you with this comment from a Free Range mag subscriber who received issue 3 earlier this year… 

“Thank YOU so much for introducing me to the Dilettante magazine. It is the best magazine I've read in my life and I read it from cover to cover from opening, which I've never done with any magazine."Rita, Free Range subscriber

 Fig. 1 Fig 2

 Fig. 3 Fig. 4

Fig. 1 The Marchesa Casati and her influence on the world of art
Fig. 2 A guide for female cyclists from the York World newspaper, 1895
Fig. 3 Artist, Hilma Af Klimt
Fig. 4 "Some stories have to be written because nobody would believe the absurdity of it all." Sharon L. Alder