From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishback issue/copy/numberback issue/copy/numberTCNa copy of a magazine or newspaper from an earlier date → back
Examples from the Corpus
back issue/copy/number• A little later Bacon appeared, walked up to their table and asked Minton why he did not look after his back numbers.• Anyway, I thought you ought to know you have your reader back, and I enclose £4 for 4 back issues.• Six issues cost $ 39, and new and back issues are available.• My parents collected all their copies of Wimpey News and we have back numbers going back to the 1940s.• Mackey had seen handbooks on guerrilla tactics, back issues of a racist magazine Guy published.• Lifelong readers who kept the back issues piled in their attics renewed their subscriptions like clockwork at the five-year rate. 