Parson's font book???

[rooster1797]

can someone help figure out what I have here?  I came across this book at a yard sale. There are about 70 some pages of old 1896 advertisements plus 120 pages from a Munsey's magazine of 1896. I've included a few photos. Is this something collectors would be interested in ?? thanks for any help  thanks.

[rooster1797]

[rooster1797]

[rooster1797]

[rooster1797]

 

[rooster1797]

Ive seen plenty of typeface books, but never anything presented like this.  Its a four page cover explaining Parson's wrapped around this quite thick magazine. it measures approx 8 X10   

[Dave Hughes]

Hi @rooster1797 and welcome to the Forum. Glad you've managed to post the photos, they look great!

There is a small article on Munsey's Magazine on Wikipedia here: Munsey's Magazine

Here's what it has to say:

Munsey's Weekly, later known as Munsey's Magazine, was a 36-page quarto American magazine founded by Frank A. Munsey in 1889 and edited by John Kendrick Bangs.[1] Frank Munsey aimed to publish "a magazine of the people and for the people, with pictures and art and good cheer and human interest throughout". Soon after its inception, the magazine was selling 40,000 copies a week. In 1891, Munsey's Weekly adopted a monthly schedule and was renamed Munsey's Magazine.

In October 1893, Munsey reduced the price of the magazine from 25 cents to 10 cents, which was greatly successful. By 1895, the magazine had a circulation of 500,000 a month. It included numerous illustrations (including many by the illustrator Charles Howard Johnson) and was attacked for its "half-dressed women and undressed statuary". Some outlets refused to stock the magazine as a result, but circulation continued to grow and by 1897 had reached 700,000 per month.

Circulation began to fall in 1906 and by the 1920s was down to 60,000. In October 1929, Munsey's was merged with Argosy. It immediately thereafter demerged with Argosy All-Story to form All-Story, which continued on a monthly schedule under a variety of similar titles until May 1955.[2]

So, it sounds like the magazine was quite "racey" for the times!

I can only presume that it appealed to printers so the Parson's type people thought it was worth advertising their wares in it.