Cover Story
Readers should forgive the authors this tangled hyperbole--"The magazine cover is to twentieth-century United States history what cave markings were to prehistoric man" --because they have chosen the cream of the crop of illustrated covers for this luscious volume. Magazines really do capture the essence of the moment in culture, freeze-framing fashion, be it graphical, linguistic, or sartorial. Just like the examples of illustrated book jackets in this title's sister book,Jackets Required, Heller and Fili's selections epitomize successful collaborations between graphic designers, writers, and marketers. This is commercial illustration at its most alluring and sophisticated as practiced in every sphere of trade magazines, fromGood HousekeepingandTown & CountrytoVanity FairandHarper's Bazaar,Popular Science, and evenNew Masses. It's particularly interesting to see magazines now known for their photography, such asLifeandVogue, sporting glorious illustrated covers, and it's even more intriguing to see the marvelous covers of little-known, short-lived magazines, from the pulps to literary journals.Donna Seaman