Life, 1924-10-23 · page 35 of 36
Life — October 23, 1924 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **subscription advertisement** for *Life* magazine disguised as editorial content. The "Big Three" refers to three special upcoming issues: Football (November 13), Thanksgiving (November 20), and Christmas (December 4). The whimsical illustration at top—a cherub in a cart pulled by a rooster and two large eggs—visualizes the "three" theme playfully. The text uses clever wordplay: it compares the magazine's "Big Three" to famous historical trios (Three Musketeers, Adam/Eve/Serpent) to make the offer seem momentous. The mathematical gimmick—$1 equals "exactly 3 times 33 and 1/3 cents"—is presented as lucky numerology to entice impulse purchases. Essentially, *Life* is pitching a discounted trial subscription ($1 for 10 issues) by wrapping it in humorous, slightly absurdist marketing language typical of early 20th-century advertising. The phrase "Obey that Impulse" directly targets consumer psychology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE BIG THREE ISTORY is full of them— beginning with Adam, Eve and the Serpent, we have the Three Musketeers; Wynken, Blynken and Nod; Three-for-a-Quarter Cigars; The Three Strikes; When Shall We Three Meet Again; Hart, Schaffner and Marx; Faith, Hope and Charity, and now, greatest of all, the Big Three of LIFE. FOOTBALL NUMBER November 13 The THANKSGIVING NUMBER November 20 The CHRISTMAS NUMBER (25c) December 4 There’s luck in odd numbers, and you certainly will be lucky in see- ing these three, for reasons which will be self-evident at the time. The We call it our “Trial Subscription Plan” or some such name, but you will call it the greatest opportunity you ever had to spend a dollar and not regret it. Obey that Impulse, Including Coupon! point is that for $1—which, oddly enough, is exactly 3 times 33 and 1/3 cents—you can see them, as well as seven others. LIFE, 598 Madison Avenue New York, New York Your three-star offer interests me. Lhope those 10 issues will do as much. Here is my $1 (Canadian, $1.20; Foreign, 1.40). One Year, $5 (Canadian, $5.80; Forcign, $6.60) comicbooks.com