P-M
October 1936
Robert L. Leslie and Percy Seitlin [Editors]
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 3, No. 2: October 1936. Original edition. Slim 12mo. Photographicaly-printed, thick wrappers with Wire - O Binding and blank acetate cover panel. 38 [10] pp. Illustrated articles and advertisements. Multiple paper stocks. Cover artwork by Samuel Bernard Schaeffer. Clear acetate cover panel lightly fogged. Wrappers with a tiny bit of etching near spine heel. Gravure photo pages lightly thumbed. A very good copy.
5.5 x 7.75 wire-bound Digest with 38 [10] pages of articles including Functional Color by Faber Birren, Mr. Emery Gondor Comes To America, Bullen Speaks, Editorial Notes, Some Notes on Printing Design, Artists Guild Jacket Show and Pose Please (Insert designed) by Samuel Bernard Schaeffer.
PM Shorts mention: Harry Rodman, Sol Cantor, Ernest Krungliveus, Tom Benrimo, Daniel DeKoven and Ruth Bernhard.
Listing of Advertisements: Intertype, The Bauer Type Foundry, The Composing Room, Reliance Reproduction Co., Celluloid, Merganthaler Linotype Co., Flower Electrotypes, Beck Engraving, Whitney Press, The J. F. Fapley Co., Kipe Offset Process Co. and Whitehead and Alliger Co.
Samuel B. Schaeffer (B. 1905) received his art training as an apprentice with the Art Guild and the New York Evening Industrial School of Art. He designed over 200 book jackets and bindings for 35 publishers and designed printed cottons and silks. He exhibited at the Art Center in 1930. He illustrated Lotus and Chrysanthemum, The Book of American Presidents and These Restless Heads. He authored and illustrated the books Pose Please and Morning Noon Night.
Faber Birren (1900-1988) was an early practitioner in the color industry, establishing his own consulting firm with a specialization in color in 1934. He advised on topics such as product color, environmental safety, and staff morale for clients such as E.I. du Pont de Nemours Company and the United States Coast Guard. Birren also applied his professional knowledge to popular culture products such as stationery or cocktail glasses that emphasized individual color preference.
Birren was a prolific author producing 25 books and scores of articles in a variety of venues from peer-reviewed journals to high-circulation popular magazines. Birren’s very successful career allowed him to leave a permanent legacy of his work in color through the Faber Birren Collection of Books on Color. He donated a core collection of 226 books on historic color theory to the Art+Architecture Library at Yale University in 1971, as well as an endowment that allows for continued growth of the collection. In addition to books, the collection holds textile samples, photographs, paint chips, manuscripts, and more. Birren worked with library staff on the development of the collection from the time of its donation until his death in 1988.
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.