Life — June 8, 1916 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This page is primarily an advertisement for the Encyclopedia Britannica's "Handy Volume" issue, not a cartoon or satirical content. The ad uses an illustration of a sunset on June 17 to announce a price increase taking effect that date. The marketing pitch emphasizes urgency—readers must order before 7:33 p.m. on June 17 to lock in current prices ($11-$19 depending on binding). The ad attributes the price hike to wartime inflation: paper costs rose significantly, leather bindings became 75% more expensive, and some materials became impossible to import due to "the British embargo on fine leather." The copy stresses the encyclopedia's value (29 volumes, 30,000+ pages, 500,000 index entries) while leveraging scarcity and deadline pressure as sales tactics. Sears, Roebuck and Co. is listed as the sole distributor.