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The spark for this page came when I was paging through a recent batch of Look Magazines that I was going to list on eBay. I had so much fun going through the contents that I thought others might enjoy being able to glance through them as well. I didn't want to look at these with the same detail that I give to our Random Issues, as this would then become a six-month project, yet at the same time I wanted to at least capture the essence of this grouping of old magazines.
I thought I could preserve my own enjoyment of this grouping by bringing the cover images and contents listings over to this site. I think the titles of the articles with a few supporting comments give anybody who happens to be interested a great primary source to the world of 1942 from Look's unique perspective. At the same time, I did a lot of work creating these listings and the prices realized were a little bit better than usual, so why not spice the page up with some selling tips as well?
Just like anything else the answer is hard work. Details. I scanned all of my covers and then while I was pulling info for the contents would also scan anything else inside that I found especially intriguing. Those pics are also included on this page below. When I sat down to actually compose my listings, I first turned to the contents page of each issue of Look. Besides the titles of each article, Look also prints the name of the cover image and the photographer/illustrator on their contents page. This info is always helpful. Then I copied every item listed on the contents page. These titles can be vague, so the next step is to page through the entire magazine.
While time consuming, paging through the entire issue is beneficial in a number of ways. First and foremost it helps with grading the magazine. By paging through the entire issue you can state the magazine is complete with no cut-outs and even more importantly you can mean it. Also you can check for any major page tears or stains inside, which is also important. Next, and I've been admittedly lazy in this regard, you can include a listing of the advertisements inside a particular issue. There are a lot of sellers out there who are getting as much as $5 and up for single pages taken from these vintage magazines, just for the advertisements. To be honest, this blows my mind. These are customers that you can grab, because even if a collector is going to hack up the complete magazine that you sell to them (wow, that sounds awful!), maybe you can help their collection on multiple fronts with multiple ads. What I did, since I'm honestly not familiar with which ads are collected, is name every full page ad in the issue from the inside-front-cover to the back cover with all full-page ads included that came in between. Then I'll also name any smaller ads when they are from a familiar company, have a star pitchman, or are interesting to me in some other way. Finally, by paging through the entire magazine, you will find some surprising and marketable contents. I know for sure of two issues included below where I either doubled or tripled the final bid based on contents.
When composing item titles for eBay I used to always list the cover image or some other description of the cover. Not anymore. I'll use the cover if it's worthy of being mentioned, but more often than not it's the articles inside that are going to carry weight with your potential bidder or buyer. In the title I will always try to include the date of issue along with the magazine title--and in this case I will use "Look Magazine" rather than just "Look" because of the search consequences. How many eBay listings do you think you'll return on a search for "Look"? Quite a few, "Look Magazine" is much more targeted. In a perfect world, our customers would be savvy enough to search for "Look" in the magazine category, which would omit quite a few of those unrelated LOOK!!!! listings (ie "LOOK L@@K L00K at my special junk!"). Anyway, I find it worthwhile to spend the ten spaces on the extra word "Magazine" (counting the space before and after). I use the full date only abbreviating the month into a three-letter word (ie: Jul 14 1942). People that know what they're looking for really don't want to sift through fifteen different listings for "1942 Look Magazine", you're best to include the entire date.
By my count that leaves us just 28 spaces left to work with (29 if the date was a single numeral). Out of the issues appearing below only twice did I spend that valuable space describing the cover image and that was for Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig and for the United We Stand issue. Unless you're dealing with a personality cover, more often than not you're going to want to use that space for a personality covered inside. Now for these issues I did experiment a little and often included the term "WWII" or even "WWII issue" in the title, but I honestly did not do so at the expense of anything more interesting. More often than not you're looking for a nice photo-essay inside an issue about a sports or movie star. These names will resonate with the largest amount of potential customers. On the surface it is surprising that FDR, Hitler, Mussolini do not have the same effect, but this is simply because the major war characters tend to crop up just about every week in a World War II era news magazine. You are going to want recognizable names in your title though, because...
...generally the niche collectors know how to perform a deep search. If you personally find the article about dieting in 1942 of interest (I don't know, maybe you're a health buff with a history degree), and you're tempted to include it in your title over potential keywords from more generally interesting articles inside the same issue, such as one about Carmen Miranda or the movie review with Gary Cooper and Bette Davis pics, don't--anyone who collects information about diets throughout time has likely been forced to become skilled enough at an eBay search to dig a little deeper and find this info in your listing anyway...because you've listed all of your contents. Or maybe it's a really neat cigarette ad, but the pitchman is Jack Oakie and not Babe Ruth--mention it in your listing not your title. There has to be something more interesting than Jack Oakie or a Camel ad, but if that's what someone else collects they've been forced to learn how to find it.
Finally, put a grade on the magazine and enhance that potentially meaningless number with a detailed description of all of the items faults. You want your customers to come back, right? Don't tell them the magazine is Very Fine, or EX-MT, or 8/10 if it has a three-inch split in the spine and a stain on the back cover. Tell them what it really is, based on whatever grading system that you use, and furthermore tell them about the split and the stain. If you don't they won't be happy. If they're not happy at best they don't come back, at worst you have a return on your hands plus some negative feedback on eBay. Do the right thing. I don't do a lot of returns on my own buys, not because I'm always satisfied, but because it's not cost effective when you're reselling an item. On the other hand, I do keep a list of sellers names tacked over my desk that I won't buy from again.
I won't get into shipping and other terms here, as these should be standardized throughout your listings. Needless to say, you want to spell out all of your terms as carefully as possible. Just as you want the details of your listing to be as detailed as possible. I don't mind answering e-mail inquiries from potential customers at all, but at the same time it does take time to pull out an issue, page through it, and answer a specific question. The time you spend working on the details of your listing is time saved answering potential e-mail inquiries.
The magazines are listed below. I give you the date, the price the item sold for if it sold, a cover image, the contents page along with any additional comments when I felt that they were warranted, and the grade (though I do spare the details. If curious please check my Grading Guide on this site). All items started at minimum bids between $4.99-$9.99 and the bidding closed on January 13, 2006. This is not a "Price Guide" but rather a guide to potential prices. Enjoy!
LOOK Magazine Jan 13 1942 Sold for $7.99
Cover photo of US Army Air Force member
by Rudy Arnold.
Contents: NATIONAL DEFENSE: War With Japan by Maj. George Fielding Eliot --
Swing Shift -- NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Is John L. Lewis Washed Up? by Raymond
Clapper -- WORLD SPOTLIGHT: Rescue and Death in the War at Sea -- Spitfire
-- PEOPLE: Duke and Duchess of Windsor by Helen Worden -- LOOK Calls On
Canada's War Chief -- Carmen Miranda -- SPORTS: Flying Dutchman by Paul
Zimmerman (Cornelius Warmerdam) -- How to Improve Your Bowling by Ned Day --
MOVIES: LOOK's New Movie Reviews by James Francis Crow (w/pic & review for
Monty Woolley & Bette Davis in "The Man Who Came to Dinner", "H.M. Pulliam,
Esq.", and Gary Cooper & Barbara Stanwyck in "Ball of Fire") -- HOLIDAYS:
Hollywood Farmers (Newlyweds Alan Curtis & Ilona Massey) -- STYLE, HEALTH
AND BEAUTY: New Painless Eight-Day Diet by Don Wharton -- Spotlight of
Fashion -- TEST YOURSELF: Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures
From LOOK Readers
Grades VG or 4/10
LOOK Magazine Feb 10 1942 UNSOLD
Cover photo of Elyse Knox is by
Paul Hesse.
Contents:
AMERICA AT WAR: The Inside Story of Colin Kelly's Exploit -- Why America
Can't Lose by Raymond Clapper -- The War in the Pacific -- NATIONAL
SPOTLIGHT: Careers for Youth Today Part 1: Radio Calls for Youth by Walter
Walker -- Camera School Holds a Session by the Sea -- WORLD SPOTLIGHT:
Battle Between Planes and Ships by Paul Schubert -- Mussolini: Hitler's No.
1 Prisoner of War -- PEOPLE: Girl Test Pilot -- SPORTS: High School Hero by
Tom Meany -- How to Improve Your Skiing by Otto Lang -- LOOK's New Movie
Reviews by James Francis Crow (w/a pic & review of "Johnny Eager" with
Robert Taylor & Lana Turner and Gene Tierney in "The Shanghai Gesture") --
HOLIDAYS: "Date Leaves" in Hollywood (at Gene Raymond & Jeanette MacDonald's
home) -- ANIMALS: William Debetaz Trains Seeing Eye Dogs -- STYLE, HEALTH
AND BEAUTY: What You Can Do About That Cold -- Spotlight of Fashion -- TEST
YOURSELF: Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK Readers
Grades VG or 4/10
LOOK Magazine Feb 24 1942 UNSOLD
Cover photo of Elyse Knox at a
Naval Base is by Paul Hesse.
Contents: AMERICA AT WAR: The New War of Hide and Seek -- After This
War, What? by Vincent Sheean -- Testing for War in the Troposphere --
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Permanent Solution for America's "Labor Problems" by
Phillip Murray -- 12 Do's and Don'ts for College Girls by George N. Shuster
-- Careers for Youth Today No. 2: Department Stores by Walter Walker --
WORLD SPOTLIGHT: Hitler's New Scapegoat by Ernest R. Pope (referring to The
Catholics) -- PEOPLE: Gloria Vanderbilt: Hollywood Bride -- A Censor Who
Fights for Freedom of the Press by Carlisle Bargeron -- SPORTS: The First
Skiing Family of Vermont -- MOVIES: LOOK's New Movie Reviews by James
Francis Crow (includes a pic & review for "Joe Smith, American", "Joan of
Paris", and "Ride 'Em Cowboy" with Abbott and Costello) -- Jungle Book --
STYLE AND BEAUTY: 1942 Swim Suits Are Giddy and Gaudy -- Good Neighbor
Shopping Tour -- Spotlight of Fashion -- TEST YOURSELF: Photoquiz --
Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK Readers
Grades VG or 4/10
LOOK Magazine Mar 10 1942 Sold for $12.50
Cover photo of Joan Fontaine is by Frank
Pawolny.
Contents:
AMERICA AT WAR: ABC's of Our Army by Don Wharton -- How America is Escaping
War Nerves -- NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Meet the Mormons by Maurine Whipple --
Donald Duck Pays His Income Tax (A 67-panelled black & white comic strip
covering 4 pages by Walt Disney.) -- Careers for
Youth Today III: Government Needs Workers by Walter Walker -- WORLD
SPOTLIGHT: What We Owe to the Russian Army by Major George Fielding Eliot --
Venezuela: One of Our Best Neighbors -- Hitler's Next Move by Leigh White --
PEOPLE: Born Lucky by Avery Strakosch (About Paul Robeson including a full
page b&w photo of Robeson) -- SPORTS: Whirlaway's Million Dollar Home by
Jack Guenther -- MOVIES: LOOK's New Movie Reviews by James Francis Crow
(w./pics & reviews of Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn in "Woman of the
Year", James Cagney in "Captains of the Clouds") -- HOLIDAYS: Playground in
the Desert (Palm Springs, CA) -- STYLE, HEALTH AND BEAUTY: Hollywood's
Newest Cinderella Story (Kay Medford) -- Spotlight of Fashion (Una Merkel)
-- TEST YOURSELF: Photoquiz --Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK
Readers
Grades VG or 4/10

LOOK Magazine May 19 1942 Sold for $7.99
LOOK Magazine Jul 14 1942 UNSOLD
"America We Stand" cover
painting done by John Atherton.
This is from the week/month that practically
every US publication banded together to show US solidarity by incorporating
the image of the American Flag into their cover in some way. Very
collectible.
Contents:
AMERICA AT WAR: Report to the Nation at War: Archibald MacLeish Answers 15
Vital Questions by Marquis W. Childs -- An Open letter to American Women by
Dorothy Thompson -- Let's Face the Facts About Man Power by Paul V. McNutt
-- Labor Fights to Win the War by Philip Murray -- Industry Meets the
Challenge by William P. Witherow -- America Is the Hope of the World by
Vincent Sheean -- American Heroes: Don Mason: Sighted Subs Sank Same by Don
Wharton with drawings by Robert Fawcett -- Fighting Seamen for America's
Mighty Navy -- Schoolboys Are Helping to Win the War -- NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT:
Parenthood USA The Story of the Medical Profession -- SPORTS: Champions Are
Dean Cromwell's Habit by Paul Zimmerman -- MOVIES: Anne Gwynne Tours Deep in
the Heart of Texas -- LOOK's Movie Guide -- HOLIDAYS: Steamboat Down the
Mississippi -- STYLE, BEAUTY AND HOMEMAKING: American Housewife: 20-Job
Women -- The Spotlight on Fashion: What to Wear at the Beach -- TEST
YOURSELF: Photoquiz --Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK Readers
Grades G-VG or 3.5/10
LOOK Magazine Jul 28 1942 Sold for $22.72
Cover photo of Gary Cooper as Lou Gehrig
in "The Pride of the Yankees".
Contents: AMERICA AT WAR: West Point At War -- American Heroes.
John Bulkeley: Seagoing Guerrilla by Don Wharton w/drawings by Fred Freeman
-- Nobody's Too Old for This War by "Sergeant" Alvin C. York -- WORLD
SPOTLIGHT: The Truth About Our English Allies, as told by: 1. An Englishman:
C.S. Forester 2. An AmericanL Vincent Sheean -- Britain Declares War on
Careless Tattlers -- PEOPLE: M.F.K. Fisher: Career Woman 1942 Style --
SPORTS: Joe Gordon King of Second Basemen by George Kirksey -- MOVIES: The
Pride of the Yankees LOOK's New Movie Review (Several pics of Gary Cooper as
Lou Gehrig and even one of Babe Ruth swinging a bat as himself) -- LOOK's
Movie Guide -- Kay Aldridge. Serial Queen -- HOLIDAYS: A Family Goes Abroad
for a Day -- Holiday Trip to Mt. Rainier -- STYLE, BEAUTY AND HOMEMAKING:
Save Your Time Yet Eat What You Like -- Richie Gets a Bath -- The Spotlight
of Fashion. It's "Shorties" For the Duration -- SCIENCE: Hypnosis Comes of
Age -- TEST YOURSELF: Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From
LOOK Readers
Grades VG or 4/10
LOOK Magazine Aug 11 1942 Sold for $7.99
Cover photo of Brig. Gen. James H.
Doolittle by Sherwood Mark.
Contents: AMERICA AT WAR: When Your Husband Goes to War by Ethel Gorham
-- Annapolis at War -- Jimmie Doolittle He Bombed Tokyo by Don Wharton
w/drawings by James Williamson -- America's Unsung Battle Heroes -- NATIONAL
SPOTLIGHT: What Will Inflation Do To You? by Henry Morganthau -- What You
Can Do About Inflation by Leon Henderson and Marriner S. Eccles -- WORLD
SPOTLIGHT: How Russia Will Defeat Hitler in 1942 by Pierre Van Paassen --
Five Men Who Rule Japan by Mark J. Gayn (They are: Tojo, Yamamoto, Sugiyama,
Suetsugu, Toyama and each is pictured including a full page shot of Tojo) --
PEOPLE: Office Girl -- Toots Shor by Henry McLemore -- MOVIES AND STAGE: The
People's War (About "Mrs. Miniver") -- Actor's College -- LOOK's Movie Guide
-- STYLE, BEAUTY AND HOMEMAKING: Save Your Money Yet Eat What You Like --
The Spotlight of Fashion. Investing in Furs This Year? -- TEST YOURSELF:
Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK Readers
Grades
VG or 4/10
LOOK Magazine Sep 8 1942 Sold for $7.99
Cover photo of Apprentice Seaman is by Bob
Hansen.
Contents:
AMERICA AT WAR: What Kind of American Are You? by Albert Carr -- Hitler Can
Invade America by Air by Paul Corey -- Arthur Robinson: He Saved His Ship by
Don Wharton w/drawings by Fred Freeman -- NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: "My Mummy Is
Making Guns!" -- Ministers for Tomorrow -- WORLD SPOTLIGHT: Victory Through
Teamwork by Major George Fielding Eliot -- Hitler's Butchers by Pierre Van
Paassen w/illustration of Hitler, Goering, Himmler, and Goebbels by Arthur
Szyk shown in scan below-- OUR FAMILY: Mrs. Hoch Takes a War Job -- PEOPLE:
Ike Eisenhower: The One-Man General Staff -- Ilka Chase: Past Imperfect,
Future Promising by Gretta Palmer -- SPORTS: 42 Colleges Wanted Tom Phillips
by Jack Clowser -- MOVIES: Jane Russell Publicity Star -- Holiday Inn LOOK's
New Movie Review (w/pics of Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby & Marjorie Reynolds)
-- LOOK's Movie Guide -- HOLIDAYS: Great Lakes Honeymoon Cruise -- Coney
Island -- STYLE, HEALTH AND BEAUTY: Three New Reducing Diets -- The
Spotlight of Fashion: Joan Bennett in "New Shoes for Milady" -- TEST
YOURSELF: Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK Readers
Grades VG or 4/10

LOOK Magazine Sep 22 1942 Sold for $7.99
LOOK Magazine Oct 20 1942 Sold for $20.50
Cover photo of Army Nurse Mildred Minns
by Paul Hesse.
Contents: AMERICA AT WAR: Women of the First Fighter Comman -- University at War --
These Truths We Hold by Rollin Kirby -- How to Fire a Pistol -- Charlie
Kegelman, Hit and Run Raider by Don Wharton w/drawings by Fred Freeman --
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: The Truth About Rubber by S. Burton Heath -- The Creator
of Flash Gordon Envisions the War's End (I've scanned portions of each page
in this article about Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond and his drawings of
how he thinks super-science will win the war) -- Leo Crowley: He Has a Seven-Billion-Dollar Headache -- WORLD
SPOTLIGHT: The War's Greatest Generals by Maj. George Fielding Eliot (with
pics of MacArthur, Rommell, Timoshenko, Yamashita, von Rundstedt, Wavell and
small maps of some of their exploits) -- A Concrete Plan to Shorten the War
by Maj. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson -- OUR FAMILY: War Workers' Holiday --
PEOPLE: Meet the People -- Whitney Darrow Jr -- The Cohans and the Cagneys
(James Cagney in "Yankee Doodle Dandy") -- SPORTS: Football Goes to War by
Stanley Woodward -- Gundar Hagg Worlds Fastest Human -- MOVIES: The Moon and
Sixpence LOOK's New Movie Review -- LOOK's Movie Guide -- HOLIDAYS: South
Sea Party -- STYLE, HEALTH AND BEAUTY: Food for Soldiers of Production --
Eat and Grow Glamorous -- The Spotlight of Fashion. Eight Hours for Fun --
TEST YOURSELF: Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK
Readers --
Grades VG or 4/10



LOOK Magazine Nov 3 1942 Sold for $8.00
LOOK Magazine Nov 17 1942 Sold for $7.99
Cover photo of Corp. John Kornoff by Leo
Aarons.
Contents:
AMERICA AT WAR: Army Nurse -- Marine Raiders Are Killers -- The Mighty Jeep
(2 page color centerspread in celebration of America's 2-year old
contribution to WWII) -- How to Fire a Mortar -- George Gay: He Made His
Run-In by Don Wharton w/drawings by Hardie Gramatsky -- NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT:
Must We Draft Women? -- Lest We Forget by Rollin Kirby -- How to Cope With
Meat Rationing -- Their Boys Are Fighting by Carl Sandburg -- WORLD
SPOTLIGHT: Hitler's Coming Winter in Russia by Maj. George Fielding Eliot --
OUR FAMILY: Slim is 1A -- PEOPLE: John G. Winant: The People's Ambassador by
Maxine Davis -- Richard Taylor -- SPORTS: EL McKenzie the California
Catapult -- Don Faurot Pays Off the Mortgage -- MOVIES: Walter Pidgeon by
Henry McLemore -- Peggy Lee -- Once Upon a Honeymoon LOOK's New Movie Review
(w/ Cary Grant & Ginger Rogers) -- LOOK's Movie Guide -- HOLIDAYS:
Punchboard Party -- STYLE AND BEAUTY: Make Yourself Lovely by Joan Bennett
-- The Spotlight of Fashion. Warming Up for Winter -- ANIMALS: Shoot on
Sight in Case of Air Raid (includes the London Zoo's list of which animals
should be killed and which recaptured if an attack frees them) -- TEST
YOURSELF: Photoquiz -- Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK
Readers
Grades G-VG or 3.5/10
LOOK Magazine Dec 29 1942 UNSOLD
Cover photo of Universal starlet
Elyse Knox is by Paul Hesse.
Contents: AMERICA AT WAR: Medical Miracles: Dr. Moorhead's Secret Weapon
by Albert Q. Maisel w/drawings by Fred Freeman -- War in Africa: Painting by
Albert Dorne -- Presidents' Wives: Former First Ladies Make War Bond Appeal
(w/pics of the wives & widows of Hoover, Coolidge, Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt,
Cleveland, Taft) -- Eddie Armes Naval Veteran at 19 by Don Wharton
w/drawings by Austin Briggs -- WORLD SPOTLIGHT: Wendell Wilkie Calls on
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek -- Hitler's War Against the Catholic Church -- It's
Later Than You Think, Adolf by Rollin Kirby -- OUR FAMILY: The Boys and the
Christmas Trees -- PEOPLE: Bernard Baruch Washington Wise Man by Marquis W.
Childs -- Meet the People -- SPORTS: Dixie's Finest Athlete: Bob Gantt by
Dick Herbert -- MOVIES: Random Harvest. LOOK's New Movie Review (w/pics of
stars Greer Garson & Ronald Colman) -- LOOK's Movie Guide -- HOLIDAYS:
Duration Party (Laraine Day) -- For Men Only: They Warned You to Shop Early,
But Did You? -- STYLE AND BEAUTY: Slimmer Hips in 14 Days by Joan Bennett --
TEST YOURSELF: Photoquiz --Photocrime -- LETTERS and Pictures From LOOK
Readers
Grades G-VG or 3.5/10
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