Zany, Boozy ‘Mad Men’-Era Illustrations by Virgil Partch

By Jason Diamond on May 19, 2014 - Flavorwire

After the last few years of watching sad-bastard mid-century businessmen get hammered on Mad Men, the new collection of Virgil Partch’s illustrations from roughly the same period, Cork High and Bottle Deep, is a welcome change. Dry and zany, Partch contributed gag illustrations to some of the era’s biggest magazines, such as Collier’s and True. His influence on magazines like Mad is instantly noticeable, and the one-liners somehow retain their freshness all these years later, making this collection an ideal addition to your bookshelf or bar. … Read More

Dazzling 19th-Century French Book Advertisements

By Alison Nastasi on May 18, 2014  - Flavorwire

A popular figure in France’s social scene, and a successful poet and playwright, Victor Hugo spent nearly 20 years planning and composing Les Misérables. It received lukewarm reviews, but the book became a commercial success after its first printing in 1862.
The excitement the novel generated leading up to its publication was unprecedented. Advertisements displayed around the city of Paris introduced passersby to the characters struggling to start anew amid the 1832 June Rebellion in the City of Light. It was a bona fide media frenzy well before the age of the Internet. … Read More