not in the least gaining his results at the expense of any other advertisers.

One of the very first, if not the first, instances of this sort of back cover advertising happened about three years ago, during the summer, in the case of the American Magazine. The front cover in this case was drawn by Robert J. Wildhack and showed a sort of beach scene at Atlantic City with a suggestion of the board walk in the background. And, as we remember it, it was a prominent automobile manufacturer who commissioned Mr. Wildhack to continue this same general beach scene and board walk around on the back cover and to insert one of his cars in postery style in the proper place.

The result was a distinct innovation and caused something of a sensation. Printers' Ink commissioned the artist to write up the details of the thing at length, which he did, and his story was published.

With one pioneer to lead the way, an increasing number of other advertisers have since seen fit to match their wits with the intricacies and artificial limitations of the back cover that links up.

As may be readily imagined by any advertising man who has had business dealings with those of our magazines which, because of their leading position in the field, can best afford to be dictatorial, not the least part of the difficulties of preparing back covers that link up has to do with getting the publishers' co-operation and permission.

An advertising manager who has used this type of back cover very successfully on several occasions was showing an advance proof of the result of his efforts to a friend recently. And the friend began to explain wherein the idea might have been improved upon, only to be interrupted to this effect: "But, my dear man, you don't appreciate, you don't begin to understand what an immense amount of diplomacy and kid-glove handling it has meant to get the publishers to consent to this as it now stands."

It is undoubtedly true that the back cover that links up with the front cover will always be very critically censored by the publishers. Otherwise it is not at all difficult to imagine how the idea would be carried to the limit, be worked to death, overdone and finally run into the ground by over-ambitious advertisers in no time. But, on the other hand, we do not look to see this type of back cover generally put under the ban. It simply needs a little

discreet regulation so as not to interfere with the effectiveness of the front cover.

Some Notable Instances

For instance, Colgate & Co. has used at least a half dozen back covers that link up. One of the most artistic instances of this sort of thing was found in the April, 1913, issue of the Woman's Home Companion. This was the Easter number and as was very appropriate the front cover design, which was drawn by Marion Powers, showed a happy-faced little boy with a potted primrose plant in his arms. The back cover, which was a Colgate advertisement, had the appearance of showing a big hole cut straight through the magazine, revealing a back view of the little lad, drawn by the same artist. And the text cleverly read: "He thought you'd look at the front cover first -so he turned that way to show you his Good Teeth." And, of course, the idea linked up with Colgate's Ribbon Dental Cream.

Colgate, by the way, has been a continued user of the back cover that links up. For instance, the Colgate back cover on the August, 1913, issues of the Butterick Trio showed a sifter of Colgate's Talc Powder and a girl seated in the full glare of the sun on an ocean beach. This cover looks as if it had been half torn off, disclosing a Colgate single column advertisement on the last inside page and also the suggestion of "pure reading matter" having to do with the importance of a good tale powder for vacation uses.

This was a stunt. And in the case of the Delineator and the Woman's Magazine this is all there was to it. In the case of the Designer, however, the front cover happened to consist of a startling picture of a bathing girl on a beach, drawn by Ruth Eastman. And the similarity of subject on front and back cover had a strong link-up effect.

Not dissimilar in its link-up effect was a Colgate first-inside-cover on Life. This depended not so much upon the pictorial part as upon its headline for its appropriateness, the bold headline reading: "Don't go through LIFE without Colgate's Cold Cream." And he who could not appreciate the pun as he turned over the first page of his new issue of Life did not have his grey matter under normal headway.

But Colgate & Co. has been a persistent believer in these back covers that link up. And its convictions in this direction have in no way been better demonstrated than by its efforts in connection with the January 4, 1913,

issue of the Saturday Evening Post, the covers of which are here reproduced.

This Colgate back cover represents the results of a long discussion with the Curtis Publishing Company in the endeavor to be allowed to duplicate as many of the features of the front Cover as possible. For instance, the back cover at first had two black lines above and below the wording "A winter necessity-5 cents," but these were ordered taken out. The connection between the phrase at the bottom of the page (reading: "More than 90 million people need it this Winter") and the usual statement as to the Post circulation, shown at the bottom of the front cover, is obvious. But, for such is the contrariness of publishers, this latter statement of the Post circulation was omitted from the front cover in this instance and the reference was not as trite as had been expected.

What from the commercial viewpoint is easily the most efficient back cover of the link-up variety that the writer has ever seen is one advertising Bull Durham Tobacco which appeared on the May 11, 1913, cover of the SemiMonthly Magazine Section and which is here reproduced. We say "from a commercial standpoint" because, as a matter of fact, its greater merit from this standpoint is undoubtedly due to the evident greater willingness upon the part of the publishers to co-operate, even at the expense of the front cover, if necessary.

This Bull Durham instance is really nothing more nor less than a big advertisement which covers both back and front covers with more or less incidental space devoted to the name of the publication on the latter. One cover is an exact continuation of the other. The front cover is to a large extent meaningless without the back cover, which, it is to be noticed, was not the case with the set of Wildhack covers already cited. The front cover shows a group of baseball enthusiasts wildly cheering and jesticulating toward the left side of the page, where appears just a mere suggestion of a baseball diamond at first base.

And, to further the impression of the picture that the scene is not complete as one first sees the front cover by itself, there is a broad red rule down the right side of the scene and across the bottom but not up the left side. It is half a frame only. The reader thinks to himself: "That's funny-why doesn't that red rule run up the left side of this cover, too." And the temptation is irresistible to turn the

magazine over, which is done, and there is the explanation. The fans are cheering and excited because a baseball player has hit a fly which is going to strike the big Bull Durham bull back of center field, which in turn means $50 for him. The text of the advertisement on the back cover goes on to explain how many times during the 1912 season these baseball park bulls have been hit and how much money and how many bags of tobacco of the "good, clean, honest smoke" were given to players of the "good, clean, honest game."

Of

From an advertiser's standpoint there is little doubt about this being a real coupe. course, what it represents from a publishers' standpoint is another matter with which we need not concern ourselves nearly so much in this place. Incidentally it would seem, however, that, if the back cover that links up is ever going to be ruled out by the publishers generally and become a permanent historical chapter of past advertising history, it will be as a result of such incidents as this, with the advertiser asking more than he has a right to ask of a publisher in the way of co-operation and the publisher, unthinking and obliging, granting the request without really appreciating at the time how completely he is prostituting his front cover.

The advertising agents of all western railroads were entertained in Salt Lake City August 4, 5 and 6. These are the men who write the folders for the railroads. Representatives of the Santa Fe, Missouri Pacific, Union Pacific, Burlington, Rock Island, Northwestern, St. Paul, Western Pacific, Southern Pacific, Salt Lake Route and Oregon Shortline Railroads were in the party.

The entertainment was in the hands of the Commercial Club and elaborate plans were suc cessfully carried out to the great enjoyment of the visitors, while Salt Lake City herself gained some excellent publicity.

John T. Bramhall, formerly on the staff of the Country Gentleman and also of the Albany, N. Y., Journal, has acquired half interest in Alfalfa, an agricultural journal published at Modesto, Calif., and has taken editorial charge.

The Chicago Daily Live Stock World has the largest paid in advance independent subscription list of any daily farm paper. Readers believe in it. "World" Bldg., Chicago. (Adv.)