To Our Readers

Attentive readers of this page will recall the recent announcement from editor-in-chief Norman Pearlstine that Chris Redman was moving up from editor of Time Atlantic to become an editor-at-large for Time Inc. The new position will allow him to work not just for Time but also for our many sister publications. And he'll be helping our business-side colleagues explore ways of expanding our businesses internationally. Redman will continue to be based in London, thank goodness. As one of the new editors of this edition of Time and an old friend of his I look forward to working with this smart, talented, insightful journalist.

Witty too. Redman recalls his first appearance in this space, in what used to be called A Letter from the Publisher. "It was back in 1980, soon after I had joined Time and been assigned to the Detroit bureau. I had reported much of that week's cover story on the robotics revolution and was pictured standing beside an industrial robot in an automobile factory somewhere in Michigan. When the issue appeared I received many messages from kind colleagues and well-meaning readers asking which one was the robot."

Redman's appearances on this page since then have served to chronicle his career at the magazine, first as a correspondent and then as an editor. And four years ago, as founding editor of Time Atlantic, he started signing the To Our Readers letter himself. "It was a very proud moment for me," Redman recalls, "but also a challenging one: I had to fashion a new signature that vaguely looked like my name rather than the indecipherable scrawl I use to sign my checks." It was also a rewarding moment. "Those who star on the cover of Time or feature inside or who just get quoted or photographed become part of the great pageant of history-in-the-making," he says. "Those of us, however, who work behind the scenes are wary of becoming part of the drama ourselves, and rarely do we get to talk directly to our readers. But as editor of Time's Atlantic edition I've been lucky enough to be able to step out of the wings from time to time and address readers personally in letters such as this. It's also been a way to showcase the very talented men and women who help produce the world's leading newsmagazine. Perhaps I can take the opportunity now to thank our readers and the Time Atlantic team for all their support over the past four years."

There are many more years to come. Hey, we may even devote a To Our Readers letter to him from time to time.