The Masses (Four Issues from 1917)
New York: The Masses Publishing Company, 1917.
Four issue run of the famous American revolutionary socialist magazine: April, May, June, and July issues of 1917. Vol. IX Nos. 6-9. Stapled wraps. Good+ condition overall, some issues better, light wear and a little chipping, toned with age. May and June issues faintly vertically creased. April and June issue wraps more heavily chipped and fragile, starting to detach. Faint pencil to front cover of May issue. Label "From the Collection of Carl Van Vechten," author and patron of the Harlem Renaissance movement, on rear wrap of April issue, overstamped "Duplicate." Beautifully and powerfully illustrated issues from the final year of the magazine, before it was censored and repressed by the US government under the Espionage Act. As with all periodicals from this time and earlier, the ads are fascinating reading in their own right. The July issue features essay "War and Individual Liberty" by Bertrand Russell. August (not included) would be seized by the postmaster and declared "unmailable"-- mainly due to the remarkable effectiveness of the political artwork-- beginning the end of the magazine.
Price: $3,000.00