Life, 1912-11-07 · page 4 of 60
Life — November 7, 1912 — page 4: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page announces an upcoming "dull" issue of Life magazine, using self-deprecating humor to promote subscriptions. The top cartoon depicts a well-dressed man holding a cocktail, captioned "It's Deadly Dull," suggesting the forthcoming issue lacks wit or intelligence. Below, another cartoon shows a couple with a child, labeled "Isn't this awful? But it's nothing to that coming awful Number of LIFE"—a tongue-in-cheek admission that next week's issue will be deliberately uninteresting. The page paradoxically uses this negative advertising to market subscriptions and special holiday numbers. The text acknowledges Life occasionally produces intentionally dull issues to prove it's *possible*, while promoting their Christmas "Great Christmas Number" at 25 cents. This is playful, ironic marketing that treats the magazine's occasional mediocrity as entertainment itself.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Coming Numbers Doctors’ Debutantes Christmas Widows’ Birthday Awful ? Isn't this awful ? But it’s nothing to that coming awful Number of LIFE. It’s Deadly Dull Next week's LIFE hasn’t a glimmer of human intelli- gence in it. We do this sort of thing occasionally just to show that it is possible to get out a dull number. Speaking of Specials, the Great Christmas Number is coming early in December —Price of this number is 25 cents. A five dollar yearly subscription includes this number; also the 25 cent Easter Number. Don’t subscribe to LIFE, how- ever, unless you really feel that you need the paper. You might get into the habit of reading it through every week and become so cheerful that you couldn't stand it. A pre- mium picture with every yearly subscription, from now until the Holidays. OFFER Enclosed find One Dollar (Ca- nadian $1.13, Foreign $1.26) Send LIFE for three months to Open only to new subscribers; no subscription rt newed at this rate. This order must come to 0 direct ; not through an agent or dealer. : LIFE, 17 West 31, New York “Bygones”’ > eA ‘ ONE YEAR $5.00, (CANADIAN $5.52, FOREIGN $6.04) comicbookeet com