Life, 1928-05-03 · page 43 of 46
Life — May 3, 1928 — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a promotional page announcing Life magazine's complete redesign. The cherub illustration depicts the magazine's "new life"—a visual pun on the publication's name. The text promises radical changes: new typography, layout, and column sizes that will make Life "resemble no other publication." Notably, it emphasizes that despite superficial changes, Life remains fundamentally a satirical revue of American life. The page lists prominent contributors (Robert Benchley, Grantland Rice, Franklin P. Adams, and others), establishing credibility for the redesign. Unusually, it explicitly *doesn't* ask for subscriptions—instead casually urging readers to simply buy or borrow the next issue to judge it themselves. The phrase "open a NEW chapter in the History of American Humor" reflects Life's self-importance as a leading satirical publication during this era. The "100 Proof Ink" bottle is a humorous touch, suggesting quality and strength.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
WATCH FOR THIS COVER—ON EVERY NEWS-STAND—NEXT WEEK wt HAVE been doing a lot of intimating lately about the new Lire. Next week, we shall stop intimating and come down to cases. The new Lire will be new in its physical appearance —typography, make-up, column-size, and all sorts of things like that. Furthermore, there will be new features by new writers and new artists in the new LiFe. Thus—in its superficial trimmings—Lire will assume an entirely different aspect. It will resemble no other publication that has ever been seen on the face of this earth. Fundamentally, however, Lire will ‘be just what it always has been, and always will remain: a revue of American life—witty and wise, satiric and sympathetic, humorous and humane. The list of contributors to next week's issue will in- clude Grantland Rice, Robert Benchley, Milt Gross, E. S. Martin, Baird Leonard, F. G. Cooper, Walter Winchell, A. A. Wallgren, Franklin P. Adams, Neal O'Hara, R. E. Sherwood, Henry Suydam, John Held, John Kieran, Agnes Smith, and Arthur Guiterman. Weare not asking you to subscribe for Lirenow. (You will note that the usual offensive coupon fails to appear on this page.) We are only asking you, urging you, to give the new Lire your careful consideration: buy it, borrow it, pick it up in the Pullman club car, or in the dentist's ante-room; but /ook it over! Then if you like it, we'll leave it to you to obey that impulse. The NEW LIFE will open a NEW chap- ter in the History of American Humor comicbooks.com