Life, 1910-06-16 · page 8 of 44
Life — June 16, 1910 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces an upcoming "Dull Number" for the following week. The editors humorously acknowledge that the issue will contain uninspired content—describing it as a "Booklovers' Number" focused on books, which they joke is inherently tedious. The accompanying caricatures illustrate different character types representing dullness: - "Dry" (bald man with spectacles) - "Hebetudious" (long-haired figure, the word meaning stupid) - "Punk!" (pointy-headed character) The text self-mockingly warns readers not to order the issue early and admits the magazine "dare[s] do anything" with its content. This is satirical self-deprecation—the editors playfully roast their own upcoming issue before publication, inviting readers to share in the joke about a presumably boring, book-focused edition.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Wild Oats Nomber Is coming on July 7. If you have any sowed you will be in- terested. Or, if you have: may be you would like to lea All explained in this great first- of-the-month number, crammed jammed full of reckless jokes. An awful number “ Hebetudinous " Subscription, $2.00 Dull Number Next Week We believe it's called a Booklovers’ Number, or gomething of that sort. When this number was first broached, we tried to take a feeble and spasmodic interest in it. So far as we can judge from a prenatal survey, it doesn’t contain one redeeming feature. Of course, if you are a regular subscriber, you will have to see it. But don’t order it early from your newsstand, and don’t buy it—not if you value your life. If you want to know how hopeless it is, we have only to say that the funniest thing in it is some useful information about books. What excuse have we for issuing such a number? Pure cussedness. Why be superlatively good all the time? Even Mr. Roosevelt has his dull moments. . We dare do anything on this little paper. We have even been known to refuse money for good advertising—when the copy came too late to insert. Hamoroas Number In response to many requests we intend to issue soon a Hu- morous Number. It’s a doubtful experiment, but our courage is equal to any test. Life is noth. ing if not original, Canadian, $5.52 “Never read a worse number" “Punk!” Foreign, $6.04