Publication Identification

Field	Information
Country	United Kingdom
Publisher	Freestyle Publications Ltd. (October 1997 inaugural-issue masthead)
Publisher address	Alexander House, Ling Road, Tower Park, Poole, Dorset BH12 4NZ, United Kingdom (October 1997 masthead)
Magazine title	Pet Reptile
Publication status	Discontinued.  Independent periodical indexing reports that publication ended in 2001.
Publication run	Inaugural issue confirmed as October 1997 by the editor’s statement; documented copies extend through June 2001.  Exact final issue designation: Pending research update.
Editor	Gethin James (October 1997 inaugural issue)
Printer	Pending research update
ISSN	1361-3989 (printed October 1997 masthead); 1369-2510 inferred from cover EAN.  Discrepancy pending research update.
Language	English
Publication type	Reptile, amphibian and invertebrate hobby magazine
Publication frequency	Monthly; inaugural masthead states 12 issues per year.

Preservation Significance

The represented Pet Reptile run preserves an important late 1990s and early 2000s British hobby publication at a time when specialist reptile keeping information was still heavily dependent on print magazines.  The covers show a strongly practical editorial approach, with recurring material on husbandry, feeding, hygiene, breeding, travel, wild herpetology and the care of snakes, lizards, amphibians and invertebrates.

The October 1997 inaugural editorial, written by Gethin James, provides direct evidence of the magazine’s founding purpose.  It describes a monthly publication intended to give both beginners and experienced keepers balanced, factual guidance on reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.  The editor explicitly contrasts its approach with sensationalized tabloid portrayals of exotic pets.  This opening statement is especially valuable because it documents the educational aims and public perceptions that the magazine sought to address at its launch.

Snakes are particularly prominent across the represented set.  The June 1998 issue centers on scorpions but still includes a snake photograph in a secondary cover image.  February 1999 features boas, March 1999 features an anaconda, March 2001 centers on pythons and boas, June 2001 places a green tree python on the cover, and several other issues feature snakes as either the principal image or a secondary photograph.  This makes the run useful for documenting how snakes were marketed to British keepers during this period.

The October 1997 copy is confirmed as the inaugural issue by Gethin James’s opening editorial, which welcomes readers to the first issue.  June 1998 is explicitly numbered Issue 9.  The October 1997 cover itself does not print a number, so it remains identified by date and inaugural status without assigning a number not verified in the physical issue.

Independent periodical indexing identifies Pet Reptile as a United Kingdom publication aimed at a relatively accessible or entry level readership while still containing useful herpetological articles.  The same indexing records that the title had ceased publication by 2001, giving the surviving physical copies additional preservation importance.