Page 30 - joa 2-2020

At Liberty on thin, fragile paper. Finding a tear-free issue can be
a challenge. If the goal is to obtain reading copies
By the late 1940s, as other diversions competed only, this may not be a drawback.
for America’s attention and entertainment dollars, However, much of Liberty’s visual appeal came
readership dwindled, and memberships in the from its captivating color covers, the work of top
“Thousand Club” were few and far between. Liberty commercial artists. Cover illustrations and photos
transitioned to a biweekly, then monthly publication. capitalized on generic themes (patriotism was a
In 1950, the presses finally stopped rolling. favorite), seasonal observances, and down-home
And then, in 1971, they started up again, with the heart-tuggers (kittens up a tree). If cover quality is
debut of Liberty: The Nostalgia Magazine. At first, the a concern, your Liberty search may be a bit more
revived Liberty presented an entertaining mishmash prolonged.
of articles from the magazine’s abundant backlog. In its heyday, Liberty was hailed as the “second
Nostalgia-minded readers were interested, but there greatest magazine in America.” (As Groucho Marx
weren’t enough of them. And so, Liberty segued to put it in The Cocoanuts, “remember, there’s nothing
“theme” issues, with vintage articles under such like Liberty – except The Saturday Evening Post.”)
umbrella headings as “Hollywood,” “Crime,” and Writers ran the creative gamut, from F. Scott
“The Funny Men.” A last-gasp transformation Fitzgerald to “Tarzan” creator Edgar Rice Burroughs
retooled the magazine as Liberty: Then and Now. to Dr. Seuss. First-person contributors vying for
Blasts from the magazine’s classic past were placement in Liberty’s pages might include baseball
uncomfortably juxtaposed with current takes on Liberty enjoyed a short-lived revival in the legend Babe Ruth one week, and silent screen
entertainment (“Those Golden Oldies As They early 1970s as “The Nostalgia Magazine”. sweetheart Mary Pickford the next. And, among the
Might Be Re-filmed in the Sexy Seventies”). Uncle Sam welcomes one and all on the many worthwhile causes it championed, Liberty
The cover of the first issue of the revived Liberty cover of the debut issue, Summer, 1971. was the first publication to tout the work of
featured a 1935 image of Uncle Sam. By the summer (This image also appeared on the January Alcoholics Anonymous.
19, 1935 cover of the original Liberty.)
of 1973, the cover subjects had devolved into an Liberty was, as its promos claimed, “a weekly for
oddly paired Burt Reynolds and Ann-Margret, decked out in full disco everybody.” During the darkest days of World War II and the let’s-begin-
regalia. In the fall of 1976, Liberty’s presses again stopped rolling. again years that followed, Liberty proved to be just what readers
For good, this time. (Liberty Library Corporation, the owner of the were looking for: the essence of America at its vivid and varied best, a
Liberty archives, continues to offer online selections, with plans to warts-and-all melting pot captured in print.
eventually digitize all the original issues – nearly 1,400 of them!)
Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous Schiffer books on
Past Perfect design and collectibles, including Postwar Pop, a collection of his columns.
Please address inquiries to donaldbrian@msn.com
Fortunately for nostalgia lovers, tons of Liberty copies were printed, so Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann
tons remain available; the average price is around ten dollars per issue. Selected articles from vintage issues of Liberty can be accessed at
Condition is important. Never intended as a keepsake, Liberty was printed libertymagazine.com, the Liberty Library Corporation website.
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28 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles