Judge, 1916-11-18 · page 27 of 28
Judge — November 18, 1916 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **advertising content**, not a political cartoon. The page promotes the "Standard Edition" of Shakespeare's complete works through the Brunswick Subscription Company. The opening quote—attributed to Alexandre Dumas—uses flowery Victorian language to praise Shakespeare as the greatest chronicler of human nature, claiming his characters represent all of history and emotion. The **sales pitch** frames Shakespeare as essential for personal development: reading him provides "daily inspiration," develops imagination (invoking Napoleon as authority), and commands of language. This appeals to early 20th-century aspirations toward self-improvement and cultural refinement. The advertisement emphasizes exclusive features ("unsurpassed," "in no other edition"): prefaces, explanatory notes, illustrations, and a bonus book of "Golden Texts." A **mail coupon** at bottom completes the classic subscription model. This reflects the period's reverence for Shakespeare as a marker of education and civilization—positioning the complete works as an achievable luxury item for middle-class readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
i a Ta a I STs aE Ee ¢ fter God. , Shakespeare Has Created Most” Alexandre Dumas eueat i In Shakespeare's character creations the history of the human race is written | “| 7 forever. There is no phase of/human nature not “found in his pla: Through .. | | the magic of a verbal alchemy that kindled every thought into a picture, mad ) and clothed the emotions of his characters in visible images, kings, nobles, | ‘folloe. | | sages, picturesque reprobates like Falstaff, scheming villains like lago, high- | bon dames, lovers in whose bosoms the little god seemed ever to keep a i sine |B fery vigil, become creatures-of flesh and blood. and my His historical characters are stamped with the very spirit of the age in | which they lived and are breathing realities. We meet the great leaders— | Julius Cesar, Brutus, Mark-Antony, Henry IV, Richard II, the Knights of > the White and the Red Rose—we hear the clatter of swords, and the laughter of beautiful and clever young women. ‘The East in its Oriental voluptuous- ss, Greece, Rome, France and [England lighted by the last rays of setting chivalry gleam from his pages. WHAT DOES HE MEAN TO YOU? Does the influence which Shakespeare has exerted on mankind through three centuries mean anything to yo Are you reading him for daily In- spiration, for the development of Imagination, which the great Napoleon | declared rules the world, for command of Language a , which } Shakespeare possessed more than any man ever born on this I All that Shakespeare means in richness and fullness of life may be yours ¥ 5 the Pleasure, the Profit, the Complete Understanding—through WEP YR. ' THE UNSURPASSED FEATURES OF THE STANDARD EDITION YOU WILL FIND THESE IN NO OTHER EDITION PREFACES fo GOLDEN TEXTS FROM SHAKESPEARE \ copy of this beautiful and valuable book by Raddatz GIVEN TO SUBSCRIBERS CRITICAL NOTES i EXPLANATORY NOTES foe Delivered for $1.00 and coupon. We prepay charges. Brunswick Subscri ) | ater eeription C MAIL COUPON TO-DAY | comicbooks.com