The special retrospective collection allows Readly subscribers to travel through four decades of history, from the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall, to cultural touchstones like the first appearance of Bridget Jones’s Diary and exclusive artwork by Tracey Emin. Ten specially selected issues will be published in their entirety as part of the anniversary partnership, says Readly.
For 40 years, The Independent has been a global force in news, championing innovation, disruption and free thinking, added Readly. Today, it offers Readly's subscribers reporting, that is free from political party allegiance and proprietor influence, helping to give audiences the freedom to form and express their own opinions.
Laurent Kayser, CEO at Cafeyn Group said: “We are delighted to mark this milestone with The Independent and celebrate everything the title stands for over the past 40 years. Forming well-rounded democratic viewpoints is synonymous with Readly, so to collaborate on such an initiative is a great opportunity for Readly, Cafeyn Group and our subscribers. Together, with our publishers, we continually aim to broaden our content portfolio and make quality, trusted journalism more accessible to millions of consumers globally through a seamless and highly valued digital reading experience.”
The ‘free thinking’ 40th anniversary series is part of a wider celebratory campaign from The Independent to mark the anniversary. The full Readly series includes:
- The first-ever edition of The Independent (7 October 1986)
- The fall of the Berlin Wall, featuring photography by Brian Harris (10 November 1989)
- The end of Communism as Mikhail Gorbachev stands down as General Secretary (25 August 1991)
- The first ever appearance of the Bridget Jones’s Diary column by Helen Fielding (28 February 1995)
- Foreign correspondent Robert Fisk’s exclusive interview with Osama bin Laden, ‘Get Out of the Gulf’ (10 July 1996)
- An election landslide sweeps New Labour to victory (2 May 1997)
- The Independent stands with Charlie Hebdo following the terrorist attack (8 January 2015)
- The final print edition of The Independent (26 March 2016)
- Exclusive Tracey Emin artwork for The Independent to mark International Women’s Day, ‘A Marriage to Myself’ (8 March 2023)
- Bel Trew investigates the killing of Independent Arabia journalist Mariam Abu Dagga in Gaza (24 August 2026)
Sophie Hanbury, director of strategic content partnerships for The Independent and The Standard said: “We are delighted to be commemorating the 40th anniversary of The Independent with our partners, Readly. This series captures a specially curated collection of the most memorable and iconic moments since we first started publishing back in 1986. The strength of our unique editorial voice shines through in this fascinating snapshot.”
Readly says this is the latest in a series of special collections as it seeks to offer its subscribers new and diverse forms of content. The collection is now available for Readly subscribers to read alongside the more than 5,200 titles as part of the all you can read digital magazine and newspaper subscription.
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