Intelligent Life is already on the news-stand in Britain, Europe and Canada, but has only been available by subscription in the U.S. until now. The application, which is offered in North America only for the moment, marks the first time a major magazine has launched in the U.S. exclusively through the iPad. It is free to download, with access sponsored by Credit Suisse for the autumn issue, alongside a free introductory sampler of content from previous issues.
Launched in 2007, Intelligent Life mixes contributions by Economist writers with specially commissioned pieces from leading authors such as Julian Barnes, Carlos Fuentes and Douglas Coupland. While the magazine shares The Economist’s fondness for crisp prose, dry wit and free thinking, says the publisher, it moves away from politics and economics to explore areas such as food, wine, books, music, fashion, museums, travel and philosophy.
“Intelligent Life has always been recognized for its photography and illustrations, which match the elegance of the writing itself,” said Des McSweeney, publisher of Intelligent Life. “Our team has made sure that the app gives readers a design as intuitive as the iPad itself, with every page specially adapted for both landscape and portrait formats.”
“The iPad is a superb medium for long-form journalism,” said Tim de Lisle, editor of Intelligent Life. “It is both a library and a lightbox, so it plays to our strengths. The iPad edition is a real treat, fully adapted to the medium, no PDFs allowed.”
The autumn issue contains a range of memorable pieces, including:
• OMG! The rise of the acronym by Lane Greene, international correspondent for The Economist.
• Eyes on the prize: Hilary Mantel, whose novel “Wolf Hall” is now the most popular book in Man Booker prize history, on life as a winner.
• Four children, four continents: Emma Williams, a British doctor turned writer, on family life in New York, Jerusalem, Senegal and Belgrade.
• Minimalism – is it over? Stephen Bayley.
• The Photo Essay: boxing in the slums of Nairobi, by the American war photographer Jehad Nga.
The Intelligent Life sample issue contains the following:
• Brushes with Hockney: a portrait of the artist at home in Los Angeles and Yorkshire, by Karen Wright, former editor of Modern Painters.
• Extreme dogs: a Photo Essay by Tim Flach, best known for his beautiful images of horses.
• Authors on Museums: the novelist Margaret Drabble on the art of pietra dura, or painting in stone, as seen in a gem of a museum in Florence.
• The Line of Beauty: the ice blonde through the ages, from Lucrezia Borgia to Grace Kelly.
• A river runs through him: Laura Barton, a young novelist, follows Mark Twain down the Mississippi.
