Founded in 1979, the London Review of Books has been dedicated to carrying on the tradition of the English essay. In this respect, it is not very different from one of the great 19th-century periodicals. It gives its contributors the space and freedom to develop their ideas at length and in depth.

Contributors to the 19 October 06 trial issue include: Hal Foster on Richard Rogers, Ian Gilmour on Profumo, Thomas Jones reviewing Jonathan Raban's Surveillance, and Terry Eagleton reviewing Richard Dawkins — The God Delusion.

Contributors to the 15 December 05 trial issue include: Julian Barnes on Georges Braque, Liam McIlvaney on The Door by Magda Szabó, Bruce Cumings on North Korea, Maurice Keen on Chivalry, Susan Eilenberg on Muriel Spark, Hugh Pennington on MRSA , Jenny Diski's Diary, and poems by Robin Robertson and Tony Harrison.

Subscribers to the digital edition have access to all issues published since February 2005.