Jackie Archive, 1964-1993
Discover over 51,000 pages of Jackie, the seminal British weekly magazine for teenage girls. Across three decades, Jackie chronicled the changing identity of British girlhood, from the optimism of the Swinging Sixties to the uncertainty of the early 1990s. Today, it stands not only as a nostalgic artefact but also as a rich source for scholars investigating the intersections of adolescence, media, advertising, gender, culture, and more. This series provides access to thirty years of Jackie for the higher education sector for the first time, digitised in partnership with leading publisher DC Thomson and the British Library.
Key facts
1964-1993
Date range
More than
1
Newspaper titles
More than
51,000
Newspaper pages
Source(s)
and more
Jackie, 3 July 1993
About this series
What was Jackie?
Jackie magazine was a cultural touchstone for British teenage girls from 1964 to 1993. A symbol and standard-bearer for the 1960s and beyond, it was the first title to cater explicitly to young teens and went on to sell in excess of a million copies a week, against similar London-based opposition, principally Boyfriend and Valentine. Few magazines have managed to capture the voice of a generation so effectively. This series provides access to the only full set known to exist, as no publicly held collection, including those of the British Library or the National Library of Scotland, holds a complete collection of the magazine. The earliest years are not available in any other public collection, making this the only full set in existence.
How did Jackie magazine evolve through time?
Launched during Beatlemania, Jackie originally cost 6d (2½p) and had 24 pages, although it evolved throughout the following years, growing to 32 pages from 1970 to 1979, 36 pages until 1986, 48 pages until 1990, and 40 pages up to its closure in 1993. Likewise, its price had increased to 50p in 1993. Jackie was also the first magazine printed on the Goss rotary photogravure press installed at Kingsway, Dundee in 1962.
Who were Jackie’s editors?
Editors of Jackie included Gordon Small (from 1964), Dave McColl, Emil Pacholek (until 1974), Nina Myskow (1974-1978), Harrison 'Harry' Watson, Sandra 'Sandy' Monks, Anne Rendall (1988), Maggie Dun, Gayle Anderson, and Pam Wilson (to 1993).
What are some of Jackie’s best-known sections and features?
Jackie offered readers’ letters, beauty tips, picture strip stories, fashion, colour pop pin-ups, and its highly influential ‘Cathy and Claire’ agony aunt page. By the 1970s, this feature alone attracted 400 letters a week from the magazine’s 10-16 age group readership. ‘Cathy and Claire’ were replaced by ‘Dear Ellie’ from 11 July 1987.
Entering the 1980s, Jackie’s pages were packed with pin-ups, problems, photo stories, boys, bands, fashion, and features. The last issue of Jackie in 1993 advertised a new magazine aimed at the same target audience called Shout. Shout closed in 2023.
Even after Jackie ceased publication in 1993, its cultural legacy and impact continued to be felt. There was Jackie the Musical, sponsored by The Courier, and based on the magazine. It opened at the Gardyne Theatre, Dundee in September 2013, and was recreated with a new cast in 2016.
How can Jackie be used by academics?
Despite having been a significant source for researchers since the late 1970s, with seminal research conducted on it by scholars such as Angela McRobbie, Jackie remains a key source for researchers looking at youth studies and girls’ studies, scholars exploring media and communications, cultural and gender historians, and more. By providing access to every edition of Jackie ever published, this series opens a new window into the study of gender studies, girls' studies, media and communications, and cultural history in Britain, making Jackie fully browsable and searchable on a single platform for the very first time. With early editions now rare and often absent from national collections, this complete archive constitutes an essential academic resource.
The British Newspaper Archive
DC Thomson, the owners of The Social History Archive, are the British Library’s digital publishing partners and have been developing the world-famous British Newspaper Archive for over a decade. Through this partnership with the British Library, the British Newspaper Archive (home to the world’s largest collection of digitised British and Irish newspapers), and other key newspaper publishers, The Social History Archive is delighted to make this rich archive available to the higher education community.
What was Jackie?
Jackie magazine was a cultural touchstone for British teenage girls from 1964 to 1993. A symbol and standard-bearer for the 1960s and beyond, it was the first title to cater explicitly to young teens and went on to sell in excess of a million copies a week, against similar London-based opposition, principally Boyfriend and Valentine. Few magazines have managed to capture the voice of a generation so effectively. This series provides access to the only full set known to exist, as no publicly held collection, including those of the British Library or the National Library of Scotland, holds a complete collection of the magazine. The earliest years are not available in any other public collection, making this the only full set in existence.
How did Jackie magazine evolve through time?
Launched during Beatlemania, Jackie originally cost 6d (2½p) and had 24 pages, although it evolved throughout the following years, growing to 32 pages from 1970 to 1979, 36 pages until 1986, 48 pages until 1990, and 40 pages up to its closure in 1993. Likewise, its price had increased to 50p in 1993. Jackie was also the first magazine printed on the Goss rotary photogravure press installed at Kingsway, Dundee in 1962.
Who were Jackie’s editors?
Editors of Jackie included Gordon Small (from 1964), Dave McColl, Emil Pacholek (until 1974), Nina Myskow (1974-1978), Harrison 'Harry' Watson, Sandra 'Sandy' Monks, Anne Rendall (1988), Maggie Dun, Gayle Anderson, and Pam Wilson (to 1993).
What are some of Jackie’s best-known sections and features?
Jackie offered readers’ letters, beauty tips, picture strip stories, fashion, colour pop pin-ups, and its highly influential ‘Cathy and Claire’ agony aunt page. By the 1970s, this feature alone attracted 400 letters a week from the magazine’s 10-16 age group readership. ‘Cathy and Claire’ were replaced by ‘Dear Ellie’ from 11 July 1987.
Entering the 1980s, Jackie’s pages were packed with pin-ups, problems, photo stories, boys, bands, fashion, and features. The last issue of Jackie in 1993 advertised a new magazine aimed at the same target audience called Shout. Shout closed in 2023.
Even after Jackie ceased publication in 1993, its cultural legacy and impact continued to be felt. There was Jackie the Musical, sponsored by The Courier, and based on the magazine. It opened at the Gardyne Theatre, Dundee in September 2013, and was recreated with a new cast in 2016.
How can Jackie be used by academics?
Despite having been a significant source for researchers since the late 1970s, with seminal research conducted on it by scholars such as Angela McRobbie, Jackie remains a key source for researchers looking at youth studies and girls’ studies, scholars exploring media and communications, cultural and gender historians, and more. By providing access to every edition of Jackie ever published, this series opens a new window into the study of gender studies, girls' studies, media and communications, and cultural history in Britain, making Jackie fully browsable and searchable on a single platform for the very first time. With early editions now rare and often absent from national collections, this complete archive constitutes an essential academic resource.
The British Newspaper Archive
DC Thomson, the owners of The Social History Archive, are the British Library’s digital publishing partners and have been developing the world-famous British Newspaper Archive for over a decade. Through this partnership with the British Library, the British Newspaper Archive (home to the world’s largest collection of digitised British and Irish newspapers), and other key newspaper publishers, The Social History Archive is delighted to make this rich archive available to the higher education community.
Jackie, 4 December 1971
Jackie, 14 October 1972
Jackie, 24 August 1974
Newspaper series
| Title name | No. pages | Years | Publication place |
|---|---|---|---|
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From the Archive
Explore stories, insights, and editorial deep dives that bring our Primary Source Series to life — from behind-the-scenes research to the broader historical context of each source.
Exploring gender, media, and culture through Jackie magazine
