Abstract: In hand-held magnetic readers, it is desirable that the magnetic read head be able to detect flux transitions on the surface of a magnetic media without requiring that the head have a specific orientation to the media. The present invention provides such a read head in which a thin planar magnetoresistive element is mounted so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the media. A thick yoke which is coplanar with the element provides a pole face adjacent the media surface which is sufficently wide as to extend over adjacent flux transitions when the plane of the element is skewed with respect to the flux transitions. A further pole face of the yoke is adjacent the edge of the element remote from the surface.