PM
November 1937
Lester Beall, Robert L. Leslie and Percy Seitlin [Editors]
[Beall, Lester] Robert L. Leslie and Percy Seitlin [Editors]: PM [An Intimate Journal For Art Directors, Production Managers, and their Associates]. New York: The Composing Room/P.M. Publishing Co., Volume 4, No. 3: November 1937. Original edition. Slim 12mo. Stitched and perfect-bound printed wrappers. 66 pp. Illustrated articles and advertisements. White cover lightly age-toned and mildly spotted. Spine crown chipped and outer corners gently bumped. A very good copy.
The November 1937 PM features a cover and 16-page letterpress insert designed by Lester Beall. Scarce in collectible condition. The Beall cover for PM 39 is widely recognized as a singular high point in American Graphic Design. Beall's design is a perfect synthesis of the European Avant-Garde neue typographie, interpreted by an extremely sensitive Designer from Missouri. 5.5 x 7.75 perfect-bound digest with 54 [12] pages of articles and advertisements.
- Lester Beall by Charles Coiner
- Type Designs of the Past and Present - by Stanley Morison
- Printing In the Americas
- John Clyde Oswald
- Editorial Notes
- PM Shorts: mentions Congratulations to the New Bauhaus; AIGA; Fabir Birren.
Lester Beall (1903 -1969) was way ahead of his time -- a Midwestern Constructivist! Self-taught in graphic design, Beall understood the varied tongues and aesthetic ideologies of the European avant-garde. His early work shows constructivist and Bauhaus influences tempered lwith a Missourians' sense of control. In 1937, Beall became the first American designer to have a one man show at the Museum of Modern Art, featuring his silk-screened posters commissioned by the Rural Electrification Administration. After WWII, Beall exhibited great talent for communicating ideas and elevating the taste and expectations of his corporate clients-- always working with the idea that good design should be effective communication and good business.
PM magazine was the leading voice of the U. S. Graphic Arts Industry from its inception in 1934 to its end in 1942 (then called AD). As a publication produced by and for professionals, it spotlighted cutting-edge production technology and the highest possible quality reproduction techniques (from engraving to plates). PM and A-D also championed the Modern movement by showcasing work from the vanguard of the European Avant-Garde well before this type of work was known to a wide audience.