Autumn doesn’t have to mean back to school and the end of summer holidays. If you’re feeling autumnal blues, we aim to inspire you with an issue full of colour and action. We get geared up for winter sports when we look at the history of ski resorts, as reflected in their advertising posters. And when not on the slopes we find out about the outdoor adventures of Frank E Schoonover, who informed his images of heroes enduring rugged conditions in the American wilds with his own extensive travels in Canada. The great outdoors – and the great animals that inhabit it – is also the passion of our interviewee, Big Cat Diary presenter Jonathan Scott, who tells us how it was his prints and illustrations of wildlife (rather than his zoology degree) that first made him realise he could earn a living working with wild animals in Africa.

    

For adventures of a different kind, we look at the Sixties revolution as it affected the illustrations that appeared in women’s magazines. From the aspirational glamour of early 1960s romance, we learn how the magazines’ artists began to reflect the dramatic changes occurring in society with a heady mix of psychedelic colour, hip mini-skirted heroines and startling wallpaper. Meanwhile, Mordechai Beck is busy producing 21st-century illustrations for the ancient adventures of Biblical heroes such as Jonah. He explains why these stories still have the power to intrigue us and discusses the challenges of bringing something new to such old and revered material. From ancient texts we move to modern ones when we salute the achievements of Ambit, the literary and art magazine that is now celebrating its 200th issue. We ask its editors how it has managed to remain fresh and exciting for over 50 years, while continuing to secure illustrations by the biggest names in the game. So shorter days don’t have to cut short inspiration – we hope you find plenty of it in this issue.