Promoting Peter Arno's Circus: Audacity Vs. Dirt

Two contemporary advertisements for Peter Arno's Circus, his 1931 cartoon collection, show distinctly different approaches to the art of book promotion. The first was spotted by Scott Burns in the New York Times Book Review of January 11, 1931. Under the banner "Audacity vs. Dirt," it revels in Arno's reputation for racy humor, and in the consummate skill which he brings to his art—not like, you know, some of those crude hack artists out there. Well, see the language for yourself:

Advertisement for Peter Arno's Circus
The New York Times Book Review, January 11, 1931

Photo by Scott Burns

In contrast, here is how the book was promoted on Arno's home territory in The New Yorker:

Advertisement for Peter Arno's Circus
The New Yorker, December 14, 1931, page 91

Unsigned spot drawing, news breaks, and various advertising

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1931-12-12/flipbook/090/

Peter Arno's Circus, 1931

Image added March 18, 2022

https://www.biblio.com/book/peter-arnos-circus-arno-peter/d/1160648062?aid=frg&gclid=Cj0KCQjw29CRBhCUARIsAOboZbKDV-fR6h5tvjRrwYCRI_1YVKjy2quVXb63xkq4HnTokhU1Se5nmdsaAvqKEALw_wcB

Note:  Scott Burns has come through once again, earning my gratitude here for the fifteenth time. Among his many accomplishments, Scott maintains a comprehensive Ralph Steadman bibliography here. I wouldn't steer you wrong.

As a result of these new findings, I've had to update my far-from-comprehensive 2016 post on Peter Arno book promotions here.

Are there other print ads for this book? Your discoveries can be added to this blog.

Glory be! Who can identify this spot artist?

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Charles Saxon 9 X for The New York Times

In 1961, a portfolio of nine cartoons by New Yorker cartoonist Charles Saxon was given to booksellers as a promotion for the New York Times Book Review. The photos, taken by an eBay seller, don't show all the cartoons and crop out parts of some captions, but they're still worth a look.

9 X Saxon

"Mrs. Hartung asks that questions be restricted to
non-recent books. She wishes to avoid saying anything
that might adversely affect any work in current release."

"Mrs. Hartung asks that questions be restricted to
non-recent books. She wishes to avoid saying anything
that might adversely affect any work in current release."

"This isn't one of those non-books, is it?"

"All I know about her is that I keep seeing in
acknowledgments that she helps make books possible."

"I wonder if you could suggest something to wean me
away from Jack Paar."

"This just kills me. A note to myself to read
'To The Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf, and I
can't remember why!"

"This isn't one of those non-books, is it?"

Charles Saxon
eBay listing ended July 8, 2021

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184916537998?hash=item2b0de2728e%3Ag%3AQyAAAOSwt8Bg3nDn&nma=true&si=64J6TuENCQvl%252FEQuIbsoMEcDQlw%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Charles Saxon
eBay item Description

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Ronald Searle: Tennis for the Times

Ronald Searle's mid-1980s advertising campaign for the New York Times was published in color on full pages in the Times Magazine section. Ads ran with the tag line "There's no Times like the present." This particular ad, featuring Sunday tennis, describes the newspaper as "Gripping." It usually takes awhile to digest the Sunday Times, which can seriously disrupt your set of mixed doubles...

Ronald Searle
There's no Times like the present.
Gripping
The New York Times Magazine, May 4, 1986

Ronald Searle:  Tennis for the Times
eBay Listing Accessed 5/2/2020

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373035822391?ul_noapp=true

Ronald Searle:  Tennis for the Times
eBay Item Description Accessed 5/2/2020

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Note:  Another wonderful page from this advertising campaign, Elevating, was published on February 2, 1987. It is collected on page 92 of Ronald Searle's America (2016) edited by Matt Jones.

An older Attempted Bloggery post here shows Searle's original watercolor art for two unpublished ads for the Times.

I eagerly solicit the submission of other ads from this still-vibrant New York Times campaign. It is my somewhat foggy recollection that each ad was run only once.

This year marks Ronald Searle's centenary. He was born on March 3, 1920.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Ronald Searle

The New York Times

Advertising

Tennis

Attempted Bloggery's Grand Slam Index

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John Norment: The Compleat Angler

Contributor Jerome Wrinkle has gone all out to provide us with his favorite gag cartoon on the subject of fishing. The drawing is by John Norment (1911-1988) and it was published in the New York Times Book Review, hence its literary angle. Jerome notes that the verso contains an accounting stamp from the Editorial Auditing Department which documents that Norment was paid $50 for his efforts on Saturday, January 3, 1953, "...so I suspect it appeared prior to that."

John Norment
Original art
New York Times Book Review, c. January 1953

Scan by Jerome Wrinkle

Verso

Artist John Norment was paid $50 on Saturday, January 3, 1953

Scan by Jerome Wrinkle

Note:  I thank Jerome Wrinkle for providing the above images. This is Jerome's fifth contribution to the blog, his deepest yet, and there's more on the way tomorrow.

To the best of my knowledge, examples of original cartoon art that appeared weekly in the New York Times Book Review back in the 1950s are quite rare today. I'd like to hear from anyone who possesses such art. I'd also like to hear from anyone with a copy of the Book Review in which this cartoon appeared.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

John Norment

Jerome Wrinkle

Fishing

The New York Times Book Review

Attempted Bloggery's Compleat Index

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John Norment: Grinning and Bearing It

Contributor Jerome Wrinkle has scanned the original art by cartoonist John Norment (1911-1988) that appeared in an issue of the New York Times Book Review nearly seven decades ago. The cartoon purports to explain the unusual demographics of a bestselling book. The artist was paid $50 for his work on February 17, 1951. Jerome writes:

The Book Review was an exclusive sale—if I remember correctly, they only published one cartoon in each issue, on the second page. Lots of competition for that spot.

"In spite of the fact that very few people are buying it, it's still a best seller."
John Norment
Original art
The New York Times Book Review, c. February 1951

Scan by Jerome Wrinkle

Verso
Stamp indicates that artist John Norment was paid $50 on Saturday, February 17, 1951

Scan by Jerome Wrinkle

Note:  My thanks to Jerome Wrinkle for kindly contributing the scans in today's post. More is on the way.

I am intrigued to learn that the widely-read Times Book Review published a weekly cartoon for years. Does anyone today possess an archive of these? Please get in touch. I am particularly keen to see the issue in which this cartoon appeared.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

John Norment

Jerome Wrinkle

Bears

Books

Bookstores

The New York Times Book Review

Attempted Bloggery's Bookish Index

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Ben Yagoda Reviews Lee Lorenz, 1995

Ben Yagoda is the author of About Town:  The New Yorker and the World It Made (New York: Scribner, 2000). In 1995, while he was working on the book, he reviewed The Art of The New Yorker, 1925-1995,  Lee Lorenz's magnum opus, for the Times Book Review.

"It Was Never Spinach," Ben Yagoda, The New York Times Book Review, October 22, 1995

Note:  As of next week, Emma Allen will be the New Yorker's new cartoon editor. As a public service, Attempted Bloggery is proud to present the magazine's roster of art editors and cartoon editors. From Mr. Geraghty's time to 1993, the art editor was responsible for both the covers and the cartoons. Since 1993, the art editor has been responsible only for covers and the cartoon editor has been responsible only for cartoons.

Rea Irvin, art supervisor, 1925-1939; art director, 1939-1951

James Geraghty, art editor, 1939-1972

Lee Lorenz, art editor, 1973-1993; cartoon editor, 1993-1997

Françoise Mouly, art editor, 1993-

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, 1997-2017

Emma Allen, cartoon editor, 2017-


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Ben Yagoda

Rea Irvin

James Geraghty

Lee Lorenz

Françoise Mouly

Bob Mankoff

Emma Allen

The New Yorker

The New York Times Book Review

The Art of The New Yorker 1925-1995

Attempted Bloggery's Magnum Opus of an Index

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Ronald Searle: Santa at the Shrine

What does Santa Clause do in the off season? Here he ventures to warmer climes and finds his way to a Santa shrine with the help of a guidebook and a perplexed reindeer. Ronald Searle pencilled in the whole sheet but inked only the intrepid travelers. Why did he abandon this? Could there be a problem with this audacious composition? If so, what? Searle went on to use the other side of the sheet and left this little gem in its unfinished state with his stamp (dated 1998) and an inscription.

December 21, 2014 Update:  Matt Jones has found an image of the completed artwork! It may have been published in the New York Times Book Review of September 7, 1997. Read more about it on Perpetua, the Ronald Searle Tribute blog.

http://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/2014/12/ny-times-book-review.html

Note:  Ronald Searle could hardly touch pen to paper without creating something sensational. Check out all the blog posts in the archives.

Perpetua, the Ronald Searle tribute blog has an extensive collection of Searle Santas.

This blog also boasts its own jolly collection of Santas. Ho ho ho!

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