Magazine of the Year, October 1959

A portrait of a woman in profile dominates this pulp magazine cover, her gaze distant and composed. The painterly realism—smooth skin tones, carefully rendered shadow and highlight—typifies the commercial illustration aesthetic of mid-century magazine covers. Bold red typography announces two film adaptations: "My Not So G.O.P." by Bartley C. Crum and "Some Men Are Virgins" by Ilka Chase, signals that this issue bridges entertainment, culture, and satire. Pulp magazines of this era, printed on cheap wood-pulp paper and sold for thirty-five cents, relied on painted covers to compete on newsstands. Though adventure and genre fiction dominated the form, magazines also featured celebrity journalism, humor, and social commentary—positioning themselves as affordable windows onto Hollywood glamour and contemporary debate.