Life, 1906-09-27 · page 2 of 24
Life — September 27, 1906 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **advertising**, not satire or political commentary. The left side features a large ad for "Whys and Wherefores of the Automobile," a book by The Automobile Institute (Cleveland, Ohio). The ad mocks consumers who make uninformed car purchases—specifically someone who lost $400 buying a lemon from a smooth-talking salesman. The pitch promises the book will educate even a 14-year-old about automobiles in simple terms. The right side contains unrelated ads: Knox hats ("the creation of excellence"), Butcher's Boston Polish floor finish, a theatre magazine advertisement featuring "Maude Adams as Peter Pan," and Jones Speedometer. The page reflects early 1900s consumer culture—the automobile was still novel enough to require instructional books for ordinary buyers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
AUTOMOBILES FOR SALE—New 1908 % H. P. Astomobile of standard Has Been ron lees than 100 e nile, Cat a ae good condition ax on day of deli jery. Will sell $400 leas than cost. A. K. Bor-23M. ——~._ a @ Why do advertisements like this appear in the daily papers? Answer one and you'll find the owner made a mistake in Ey TORK. buying, and counts himself lucky to lose only $400 in getting off HAT his hands a car that he finds he didn’t want; a car that a smooth salesman told him, convincingly, was the best on earth. the creation par excellence of the nation. Agencies ia all the principal cities in the world, @ It’s an old, old story. Man had the price of a car, but didn’t know much about automobiles. Hadn’t studied mechanical engineering at school, and didn’t understand the jargon of mysterious words that everybody threw at him whenever he asked anything about automobiles. So he just went to a dealer’s, and—and now he is sorry. @ No longer any reason for mistakes like that. For the first time in history, automobile information—complete and reliable— has been put into everyday English words. A book, sensibly written, sensibly illustrated, printed in large type—a book that can be read through in one evening—has been issued. @ That book, “Whys and Wherefores of the Automobile,” dispels instantly the idea that a sensible man cannot understand the automobile. So simple and logical that any 14-year old school boy can read it intelligibly and thereby know the difference between a good car and the other kind—and give the reasons. q Your money back if you find “Whys and Wherefores of the Automobile” anything but the best and most easily under- stood presentation of the automobile ever issued from the press. Leather Binding $1.00, Cloth 50c, Paper 35c. 102 Illustrations Edition limited. Better write today THE AUTOMOBILE INSTITUTE 15 Prescott Street, Cleveland, Ohio THe avrowoBILE cit BUTCHER'S | SUD IDN Saale on _ vee bees device worthy of tering ®t BOSTON POLISH This maguifcect portrait thoevaphed ta ‘s ‘Automobile Club of Gre#t realy be argent pie Britain and Ireland's Rei- Is the best finish made for FLOORS, || i eee i Ni ability tes was represente® Interior Woodwork and Furniture ad will iene es : The Jones Hy trans cet eee } “ns 3 . Speedometer ee dF pono Loon s)For ale by Dealere in Paints, hs 0 Furntabings oS nal ; Js or Vee Hoskiet, telling of the many 2 Seon : i | proved itself to be the of Advantages of BUTCHER'S BOSTON FOLISIL in| 4 \ co : My reliable instrument and received the club's Gold Med! XN THE BUTCHER POLISH COMPANY N Literature on application. 386 Atlantic Avenue, :: 3: :: BOSTON, MASS. an 1d Street, N.Y. OURNo. 3 REVIVER tsa sopertor Gaish for titenen and platsa Peary THE THEATRE MAGAZINE, = “si%c4,%rt | | JONES SPEEDOMETER, 104 W. 32d Street. (Manufactured by Jos. W. Jooes) comicbooks.com