Janus – the longest running spanking magazine in the world and featuring a large collection of vintage spanking pictures from the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
Janus began more than 40 years ago as the brainchild of one extraordinary man – Gordon Sergeant. Originally it was a pocket sized monthly magazine called ‘Mentor’, first published in 1971. Described as a magazine for ‘the modern discerning adult’ and edited by Peter Brewer, Mentor focussed on a range of different fetishes. The magazine changed its name to Janus from issue 5 because Mentor conflicted with the name of another publication. A perceptive member of staff hit on the title ‘Janus’ to signify the Roman god of the hearth and the doorway who looked inwards and outwards.
Janus reached its first 100th issue in 1980 – George Harrison-Marks edited the magazine also producing some of the most popular films, which were shown in the viewing booths at the back of the shop. His last major film for Janus was ‘Warden’s End’ in 1981, which was shot in and around 40 Old Compton Street. Following the publication of New Janus issue 7 in 1982, George stepped down as editor and left to set up Kane magazine. By this time Janus was no longer the only major spanking magazine on the market. Both Roue and Blushes had arrived on the scene and were proving very popular