Judge, 1928-09-29 · page 31 of 36
Judge — September 29, 1928 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a subscription advertisement for *The American Mercury*, edited by H.L. Mencken, a prominent satirical magazine of the 1920s. The small cartoon shows two figures discussing the magazine—one appears to be soliciting the other with a crude reference to liver-draining, likely alluding to Arkansas's reputation (possibly related to folk remedies or stereotypes about rural Southern practices). The joke is defensive: despite the Arkansas Democrat's skeptical or mocking coverage, *The American Mercury* actually has strong Arkansas circulation compared to other states. The ad presents this as evidence that even in a state making fun of Mencken's magazine, it outsells competitors. The "liver-draining" jab is sarcastic—implying Arkansans are unsophisticated, yet they're buying the magazine anyway. The special offer (9 issues for $2) is a genuine subscription pitch, not satire. The extract attribution to "Menckeniana, A Schimpflexikon" (*Schimpflexikon* = "book of insults") reinforces Mencken's reputation as a fearless critic.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
for the price of 4 THE AMERICAN MERCURY Edited by H. L. MENCKEN “Come to Arkansas, Mr. Mencken, and get your liver drained.” ESPITE, Or perhaps in part because of, the efforts of D the Arkansas Democrat, in which this appeared, THe AmerIcAN Mercury has 79 subscribers and 264 newsstand buyers in Arkansas which is thus ahead of Maine, Ver- mont, South Carolina, Wyoming and Nevada. What is more, two of our contributors in 1927 were natives of Arkansas and another was a resident. SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER 9D issues for $2-°0 We believe that there are many more persons interested in Tuk American Mercury than those who buy it for $5.00 by the year or $.50 per copy at the newsstands. To these individuals we offer this special introductory price of 9 issucs for $2.00 — (6 issues begin- ning October, and the July, August and September issues without addi- tional charge). Purchased individually * Extract from ‘“Menckeniana, A Schimpflexikon" pub- lished by Alfred A. Knopf. on the newsstands, these copies would cost $4.50. With this coupon you get it for $2.00. Mail it now and prepare yourself for a good many hours of lively reading. Good only until December 1, 1928 THE AMERICAN MERCURY 7§0 Fifth Avenue, New York City Please enter my subscription as per your special offer of 9 issues for $2.00. Nat seencessccasneseeerssses comicbooks.com.