Sunday Spill: Attempted Bloggery Begins To Take Us On A Tour Of “Drawn From The New Yorker” Exhibit; Latest Addition To The Spill Library…A Bound Miscellany From 1955

Attempted Bloggery Begins To Tour The “Drawn From The New Yorker” Exhibit

Stephen Nadler, otherwise known as Mr. Attempted Bloggery, has begun to take us on a tour of the Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration exhibit currently up at The Society of Illustrators. Check it out!

–Above: Attempted Bloggery‘s photo of a Johan Bull design for The New Yorker‘s Skyline column.

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Latest Addition To The Spill Library: A Bound Miscellany From 1955

I knew when I bought this bound volume of New Yorkers, including segments of issues from September through November 1955 that it was unusual. The seller told me that their father, a book binder, had produced a number of bound New Yorkers. I like these personal expeditions, so I picked up this volume (there are others still on Ebay).

This is the first time I’ve run into a bound volume that does not follow the norm. The issues are incomplete and not bound in chronological order — there are no covers. The hardcover itself has zero identifying text. It’s a puzzle trying to understand the focus of the collected issues — nothing stands out as being featured. It’s a mystery I’ll never solve, and don’t particularly care to solve. It’s fun just knowing the book binder had something in mind. Or did he?

I’m showing just a few things that caught my eye as I looked through the issues. Above is a lovely Steinberg spot drawing from the issue of October 1, 1955, and directly below is something I don’t recall seeing before: a multi-panel series by Joe Mirachi. This was his 33rd New Yorker drawing out of a very impressive 553 published.

And if you’re looking through bound volumes of New Yorkers, every so often you’ll come across something that makes you pause for a moment — sort of like seeing a celebrity walk past you on the sidewalk. In this case it was this story from the October 8, 1955 issue: J.D. Salinger’s Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters.

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Johan Bull’s A-Z Entry:

Johan Bull (photograph dated 1934, courtesy of the Bull family) Born c. 1894, Oslo. Died Stowe, Vermont, Sept. 1945. New Yorker work (cartoons): July 4, 1925 – Oct. 22, 1927 *his NYTs obit says he contributed to The New Yorker until 1930, perhaps the last three years he contributed spot drawings(?)

Joe Mirachi’s A-Z Entry:

Joseph Mirachi Born May 25, 1919, New York City; died March, 1991, Dover, NJ. New Yorker work: 1954 -1992; 2 drawings published posthumously. (You’ll find a really great photo of Mr. Mirachi — and many other New Yorker artists –on Anne Hall Elser’s website).

Saul Steinberg’s A-Z Entry:

Saul Steinberg Born, June 15, 1914, Ramnic-Sarat, Rumania. Died in 1999. New Yorker work: 1941 – (The New Yorker publishes his work posthumously). Steinberg is one of the giants of The New Yorker. Go here to visit the saulsteinbergfoundation where you’ll find much essential information and examples of his work.