The New Yorker is unique, a magazine that has become an institution, the idiosyncratic haven for writers and artists of style and wit and excellence. Owned for over 60 years by Harold Ross and then the very private, highly revered editor William Shawn, always known as Mr Shawn to his intensely loyal staff, the magazine flourished under his guidance. In 1985 it was acquired by the business tycoon, Samuel I.Newhouse, owner of Conde Nast and Random House. This major upheaval was followed by Shawn's departure and the controversial appointment of his successor, Robert Gottlieb. During most of these years, the magazine has been observed and loved by Brendan Gill, a contented inmate of this singular body of people. In the course of his long career on The New Yorker, Gill has written short stories, poems, profiles and reviews. He has worked with some of the most colourful literary and artistic personalities of this century - James Thurber, Edmund Wilson, Truman Capote, Robert Frost, Katherine White. These, and many more, populate his chronicle.