THE GRAPHIC: New York's Craziest Newspaper
Original working typescript for editor Lester Cohen's memoir of his time at THE NEW YORK GRAPHIC (1924-1932), one of the earliest and most notorious tabloid newspapers of the 20th century.
Very good.
Price: $2,500.00
THE GRAPHIC: New York's Craziest Newspaper
Though sensationalism and yellow journalism had long been part of the American fourth estate, THE GRAPHIC's unique mix of lurid detail, near-truths, half-truths, outright lies, doctored photographs, celebrity culture, and criminal antics made it the progenitor not only of THE ENQUIRER or WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, but also more recent exploitive tabloid incarnations such as TMZ and BUZZFEED. Cohen was the paper's Contest Editor — another unique feature of the paper — and one for which it would become famous. His memoir, published in 1964 by Chilton Books, is a chatty and opinionated behind-the-scenes look at THE GRAPHIC. The typescript here offered is apparently his working copy. Heavily annotated in his hand, it contains many hundreds of changes, with at least several — and more typically many — corrections, revisions, edits, etc. to each page. Wildly popular in its day, THE GRAPHIC nonetheless was so reviled when published that no institution retained copies and there is no known complete run of the paper. Its most extensive holdings are at the New York Public Library, which has an incomplete microfilm version. This typescript, therefore, represents a rare primary document of one New York's most controversial but culturally important periodicals.
The Object
n.p. n.p, [circa 1960]. 11'' x 8.5''. Original typescript on a rather ad-hoc collection of papers (including hotel and other commercial letterheads). 375+ pages, heavily revised and corrected in Cohen's hand, all now housed and individually sleeved in two large three-ring binders. First half of typescript rather toned and a bit brittle. Occasional chipping to edges. Else sound and complete. Originally housed in a box (now perished) to which was glued an apparent dust-jacket mock-up for a book by Cohen entitled THE FABULOUS WORLD OF HORACE LIVERIGHT. This and a portion of the spine (which was glued to the side of the box and lists Bobbs Merrill as publisher) have both been preserved. In black marker the Liveright title has been crossed out and "N.Y. Evening Graphic The World's Craziest Newspaper" added with an arrow to Cohen's name on the mock-up. (We find no evidence of a book by that title ever having been published, nor of any Liveright biography by Cohen.)
The Fine Print
We work hard to meet our ethical responsibility to describe our material accurately. All items are guaranteed as described and may be returned for any reason within 30 days. Please notify us before mailing a return.
We guarantee the authenticity of our items. All materials are original (meaning not facsimiles or reproductions) unless otherwise noted. First editions (meaning first edition, first printing) are explicitly stated. TPM is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America and upholds their Code of Ethics.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. We're happy to provide additional images on request.
All domestic orders ship gratis. For orders under $250, free USPS media mail shipping is included; orders $250 and over ship USPS Priority. International orders over $500 also ship gratis. Expedited, overnight, as well as other carriers (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc.), may carry additional costs beyond quoted rates. All orders receive tracking information and a direct contact in case of any questions.
International buyers are responsible for any customs, taxes, and related import fees. Please note that we are unable to accomodate requests to misrepresent, misdeclare, or otherwise falsify customs documents when shipping internationally. We appreciate your understanding.
We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, Venmo, check, money order, and bank wire. We are happy to bill institutional buyers' needs. Sales tax will be added to applicable purchases. Items subject to prior sale.
If for any reason you are dissatisfied with your purchase, please contact us. We prioritize our long-term relationships far above any individual purchase, and we want you to love your item as much as we loved cataloguing it.
