Life, 1897-12-04 · page 10 of 34
Life — December 4, 1897 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This page is primarily a **holiday advertisement** for Bookseller Bargain Dale's, written as a humorous poem by John Kendrick Bangs. The ad humorously promises Christmas shoppers they can buy books extremely cheaply—"Poe or Dickens by the pound," "Dickie Davis by the word," and literary works by famous authors at absurdly low prices. The three illustrations are unrelated vignettes: - **"Cause for Alarm"**: A woman confronts a child about a dog, suggesting domestic chaos - **"A Cold Christmas for the Grasshopper"**: A beggar at a door in winter - **"A Full Page Cut in a Magazine"**: Two figures examining something These sketches appear to be humorous filler rather than connected satire. The page functions primarily as commercial content disguised as entertainment, typical of *Life* magazine's advertising approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
486 *> LIFE: Holiday Announcement Extraordinary. THE BOOK COUNTER AT BARGAINDALE’S. ye Christmas buyers all, before ) to seck your Yule-tide gifts, O hear b : ndrous Mammoth store To fill the souls of all mankind with cheer We'll sell you Poe or Dickens by the poun We'll sell you Bulwer-Lytton by the yar¢ We've got ’em all in paper, “re bound, Just co d see, or drop a postal card. We'll sell you Dickie Davis by the word, ‘The very best assorted words he’s got. At ninety cents a million—it’s absurd, But hurry up; they're selling mighty bot. Our Jumble-Box is quite a eatehy thing Take these Ten thousand words from Meredith, And range ’em in a line or in a ring And make ‘em mean just anything you please. We've got a line of Kipling by the verse— A hundred ripping stanzas for a dime; And as for Alfred Austin, leave your purse; We're giving him away « » a special bin— © a gross for but a song; And if you want unmitigated sin, On Caine and Mr, Hardy we are long. And everyone who buys a pound of tea May have a lovely set of dinner plates; Or Mr. Crawford—all of this is free— Will write a novel for him while he waits. So hear, ye Chr s buyers all, before You go to seek your Yule-tide gifts take care You read this advertisement of our store, And note the wondrous bargains that are there. John Kendrick Bangs, A FULL PAGE CUT IN A MAGAZIN FY) WAV Notice. V ITH this Number of Lire is issued as a supplement a picture by C. D, Gibson, printed on plate paper. Our readers should see that their newsdealers supply them with this supplement, as no copy of Cimistmas Lire is complete without it. CAUSE FOR ALARM, “OW, DEAR ME! NERO WILL BITE A PIECE OUT OF THAT CHILD'S LEG, 1 KNOW HE WILL! AND IT WILL RE THE DEATH OF THE POOR DOG, FOR HE'S UNACCUSTOMED TO MEAT.”