alvin lustig

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  • GENTRY, Number 1, Winter 1951 (includes excerpt from Siddhartha) by Segal, William C. (1904-2000) Publisher.
    Segal, William C. (1904-2000) Publisher.
    GENTRY, Number 1, Winter 1951 (includes excerpt from Siddhartha)

    Edition: First printing.

    New York: Reporter Publications, Inc., 1951. First edition - The scarce first issue of an iconic men's magazine from the Golden Age of Magazine Publishing, "for those people who have never relished the banal or the ordinary." Contents range from how to build a Finnish bath (based on Segal's own sauna) to a portfolio of early American automobiles with tipped in full color drawings; several articles on drawing including one with a tipped in line drawing by Matisse on light blue tissue paper; the first appearance in the US of excerpts from Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, printed on special stock with a tipped in drawing, translated by Hilda Rosner and preceding the book publication by New Directions; a separate…

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    New York: Reporter Publications, Inc., 1951. First edition - The scarce first issue of an iconic men's magazine from the Golden Age of Magazine Publishing, "for those people who have never relished the banal or the ordinary." Contents range from how to build a Finnish bath (based on Segal's own sauna) to a portfolio of early American automobiles with tipped in full color drawings; several articles on drawing including one with a tipped in line drawing by Matisse on light blue tissue paper; the first appearance in the US of excerpts from Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, printed on special stock with a tipped in drawing, translated by Hilda Rosner and preceding the book publication by New Directions; a separate booklet with a portfolio of engravings of ducks by Thomas Bewick (laid in at the center of the magazine where there is a double page photograph of ducks) and more. What also sets this magazine apart are the number of advertisements - mostly for men's clothing - which have samples of the original cloth used tipped in. The final article - on Gentry fashions - also has numerous swatches tipped in. The ads are in both full color and black and white, and while the majority are for men's clothing, there are also some of perfumes, Vanity Fair, and other items that might be gifts for women. A fascinating publication which reflects the interests of William Segal (who was the subject of a documentary by Ken Burns) - he was a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, a follower and confidante of Gurdjieff (this issue includes a page of music by Thomas de Hartmann, who arranged Gurdjieffs music.) While successful in many ways, the cost of producing this magazine made it a financial albatross for Segal, but despite that he rejected an offer from Time-Life. A history of the magazine by Stephen Heller includes this comment. "Magazines are ephemeral. To rise above its particular time, to be remembered and studied as a milestone, a magazine must be irrefutably unique. The case for Gentry can easily be won on visual evidence alone: It was both daring and beautiful. But Segals personal passion is what made it a paradigm of innovative publishing. As its editor, he belongs among an illustrious circle that includes Arnold Gingrich of Esquire, Diana Vreeland of Vogue, Hugh Hefner of Playboy, and Clay Felker of New York, all of whom imposed their wills, ids, and egos on their respective publications and, in so doing, shaped readers tastes and perceptions." Cover by Alvin Lustig. Large format, 132 pp. The small booklet has 16 pp in stapled sage green wrappers.

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    Condition: Very good (some wear to the ends of the spine, short closed tear on bottom edge) - the contents and the separate brochure are fine.

    Book ID: 84189
    View cart More details Price: $200.00