Apparel arts/esquire drawings from the 1930's

[Phil]

yeah, you were right. i called ecampus customer service just to confirm they had my order and that it would ship. they dont have the book, and never will. as to why it said it was available when it wasnt, the guy gave me some weird excuse that I stopped listening to after about 30 seconds. I guess i have to order through powell's, but I cant find the link.

 

[Duveen]

Phil,

The Powell's gambit is a non-starter.  They don't have any more copies.

I was really steamed to see that kabert had gotten the book because I looked actively for it a few months ago and placed orders with BiggerBooks, Amazon.ca and another place figuring that one of them MIGHT have it.  None did.  

I now have outstanding orders with eCampus (which you discovered is a non-starter) and Blackwell's US (which seems to be the same 'we'll check with the publisher' type deal...).

Sigh...

Kabert, you have to have a DC book sharing party if you do get the thing for $10.  

 

[Phil]

well, the criminal mind in me came up with an idea. i know its unethical, but I have located a copy. It is in a library in the area in which i live (NY metro area). Would it be horrible of me to take it out, under the guise of borrowing it, and then never return it? I will then pay the library the cost of whatever they charge me for it. opinions?

 

[kabert]

Phil, either you're joking or you are a twisted soul -- I'm not sure why you'd ask such a question.

Anyway, I noticed on EBay that there are a dozen or more Esquire magazines from the 1930s that various sellers are auctioning. Most for @$10 an issue. Supposedly it is these that have some of the great old drawings of this Fellows guy.

 

[masterfred]

Does anyone know if Esquire's parent company hold the rights to the old AA/Esquire illustrations?

Kidkim2, if the gentleman in question is still printing those up, I'd be interested to see what he has on offer. Shame about the reproduction qualities, though.

The copies of Esquire that I have from the 1930s era (and I agree that after 1940, the elegance diminished) have all been purchased through used book dealers in various places. I bought a batch of 5 for $15 once, and they were in decent shape. I don't buy them for the magazines themselves (although they're often interesting perusing), but for the fashion illustrations.

BTW, I used interlibrary loans to check out the 3-volume set on the history of the Apparel Arts magazine (ed. by Giancarlo Giannini, I believe). The first volume has plenty of old illustrations, and some articles by Giannini and Bruce Boyer (who wrote a piece about the drape suit's construction and history). However, the 2nd volume is a collection of articles designed for the then-menswear industry - interesting enough, but if you want just the fashion stuff, that isn't what it delivers. The 3rd covered resort and leisure wear, and was the volume I was least interested in.

 

[kidkim2]

kabert--

Your latest idea is a promising one: Get your hands on the original Esquires from the 1930's.  

Here, too, care must be exercised.  Some Esquires of the period have few or no fashion plates.  (Oddly, this seems most often to be the case during holiday seasons.)  Others have plates by lesser illustrators, several of them inept Fellows imitators.  On the other hand, some Esquires of the period, like vol.1, no. 1 (Autumn 1933), have a number of illustrations by Fellows, plus a few by others.

Two approaches: (a) Get yourself to the NY Public Library (or the closest equivalent in your neighborhood), page the Esquires from 1933 to 1939 or so, and make a record of the hot ones; or (b) ask me. My Xerox copies, supplemented by several volumes of old Esquires, constitute an extensive if not exhaustive record, which I'm happy to share.  N.B. Forget about 1941 or later.

BTW, the $155 copy of "Men in Style" listed on AddALL is no doubt legitimate.  While the price is high, it should be remembered that copies are hard to come by at any price.  In other words, someone here might do well to scoop it up.

And this note to Phil: Librarians are not as dumb as they look.  You might end up with a very hefty bill.

Regards,

Mike

 

[Phil]

true, but i looked under addall and found no copies. If it isnt too much trouble could you post the link?

 

[Duveen]

With all due respect to KidKim2, paying $1/page (it is less than 155pp) for this book, which was originally marketed at $19, is likely to result in disappointment.  Unless you can TRULY spare the money, you are likely to be disappointed.  Nothing that slim will be able to live up to a price like that (IMHO), unless it were all illustrations, and each one suited you perfectly...

 

[kidkim2]

Phil--

To my embarrassment, I don't know how to post a "hot link"--as I believe it is called.  But trust me on this: one of the following will work for you.  (And the $155 copy of "Men in Style" has not yet been removed.)

(a) Google "addall"; then hit the second AddALL site (used.addall.com).  A multifaceted window will appear.  Enter "Hochswender" in the Author space, then "Men in Style" in the title space (in both cases, without the quotation marks).  Voila.

(b) Or use the address:  used.addall.com

If neither of these works, I'll buy the damned thing and mail it to you.

Mike

 

[Phil]

I found the addall site, but I swear that I when I search for Men in Style, it says there are no copies. Maybe I am searching wrong? I also searched under Hochswender, with no luck. I am going to try again right now.

 

[Phil]

ok, got it. i had to go to used/addall.com. i was on just plain old addall.com. once i got to the used section, voila. thanks, now i dont have to steal it from the library

 

[Phil]

ok, one last wrinkle. i bought the book, but apparently addall is just a go between, and i am actually buying the book from global books. i was under the impression that I saw global books on the other link Kabert was nice enough to forward, and it was out of stock. i may be stealing it from the library after all.

 

[kidkim2]

Duveen--

I couldn't agree with you more about the punishing cost of the Hochswender book.  (But then I understand that first editions of the Jacobean poets fetch handsome prices too--and they have no illustrations at all.)

It's a mystery.  Why do some of us queue up for a chance to buy a handbag with some Frenchie's multicolored monogram all over it?  Plunk down a year's wages for a British car whose electrical system is guaranteed to malfunction before it leaves the lot?  Barter our firstborn for a table in a restaurant so dear that the doorman moonlights as a loan officer?

You can pick up a grocery bag for free; a pogo stick will get you around the neighborhood;  homemade vegetable soup is healthy and hearty.  Yet LV, Morgan, La Tour d'Argent seem somehow to scrape along. . . . 

To me, at least, it's a mystery.

Mike

 

[kidkim2]

masterfred--

I'll contact my source for the Xeroxed Fellows copies.  If he doesn't want to do business with you, I'll find a way to help out.  (I wonder how copyright applies to this seemingly innocent endeavor?)

And, yes, it is a shame about the "red shift."  OTOH, the Hochswender versions came out very well indeed--as they darned well should at that price.

More to come.

Mike

 

[kidkim2]

Phil--

One hundred thousand librarians hold their breath. The fate of nations hangs in the balance.

My money's on Global Books.

Mike