W : the first forty years

W Magazine (W stands for World of Style) will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2012 with a book featuring the most fabulous high points over the last 40 years.

W is an award-winning publication, one of the world's greatest and best-known fashion magazines.

It was founded in 1971 as a sister publication to Women's Wear Daily and was owned by Fairchild Publications until it was purchased by Conde Nast in 1999.

Its long-time creative director Dennis Freedman and editorial director Patrick McCarthy left the magazine in 2010 and were replaced by Stefano Tonchi, who is now its editor in chief.

Often the subject of controversy, W magazine is renowned for its provocative, influential and often groundbreaking fashion features by such photographers as Steven Klein, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Steven Meisel, Tim Walker, Craig McDean and Juergen Teller.

W is the only fashion magazine that will dare to devote an entire magazine to one feature narrative by one photographer (such as Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt or Madonna, both by Steven Klein).

W covers not only fashion & beauty, but everything style, design, celebrity and artistic related in not only American and European culture and society, but throughout the world.

The book will be divided into three sections; Who, Where, and Wow, with a foreword by Stefano Tonchi and introductory essays to each of the three sections, one of which will be written by magazine contributor Lynn Hirschberg.