Life, 1910-10-27 · page 34 of 44
Life — October 27, 1910 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a self-promotional advertisement disguised as editorial content. The headline "Almost!" and main cartoon depict five figures (appearing to represent different social types) reading *Life* magazine together, with the caption "All sour except one—come, be a sweet gherkin—obey that impulse!" The "pickle" metaphor suggests that non-subscribers are "sour" while subscribers are "sweet." The text aggressively urges readers to subscribe as a Christmas gift, using psychological pressure: claiming subscription is a "supreme psychological moment" and suggesting that cultured, intelligent people already subscribe (implying shame for those who don't). The upcoming Thanksgiving issue is touted as the largest ever published. This is essentially hard-sell advertising wrapped in flattery and social shaming—typical of early 20th-century magazine marketing tactics.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Almost! Next Week—“Unbidden Guests” That's the title under the cover picture, by O'Malley. Just another wonderful cover. But more than this, the next issue will be the Thanks- giving issue—almost the largest number of LIFE ever issued, and a precursor of the One Hundred Page Numbers which are coming. Please don’t forget that one hundred pages mean much more in LIFE than in any other periodical, because so many ideas are crowded into every LIFE page. To discover a person of culture, refinement and genuine intelligence in this country who is not a regular subscriber to this paper, or who does not see it regularly, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. This leads us toa startlingly new thought, one so original in conception that we almost hate to mention it—but—why not Obey that Impulse and be a regular subscriber now? We speak of this diffidently, and we should not mention it at all if it were not that this happens to be the one, supreme, psychological moment of the whole year to begin your subscription—and those friends who would be so delighted to have it for a Christmas present! Don’t think this over. Be brave, and do it now. PICKLES ALL SOUR EXCEPT ONE COME, BE A SWEET GHERKIN — OBEY THAT IMPULSE! Subscription $5.00 Canadian $5.52 Foreign 30.04 comicbooks.com