Arcana:

(NEW MASSES). Gold, Michael & Walt Carmon, Editors. New York. 1931-1932.: New Masses, Inc.. First Editions. 4to. Stapled Illustrated Wrappers. Socialist Periodicals. Good - or Better.. Fourteen individual issues each 22 to 30pp, profusely illustrated in b&w. In protective clear acetate dustwrappers. Beginning in 1926, "New Masses" established itself as the conscientious Depression-Era illustrated voice of Communist and  Marxist-leaning American workers. The early 1930s were a particularly fertile period for it's stinging brand of graphic social critique. This run of issues begins with June of 1931, and  includes July, September thru January 1932, then April, May, June, August September, November, and December. The striking covers are by Jacob Burck (4), Hugo Gellert (2), Otto Soglow (3), I. Klein, William Siegel, Ettaro (sic?), William Gropper, and Walter Steinhilber. Other notable artistic contributors here are Louis Lozowick, Art Young, Adolph Dehn, Mitchel Siporin, Phil Bard, Anton Refregier, Walter Quirt, and many others. Featured writers include Langston Hughes, John Dos Passos, Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, Agnes Smedley, and Whittaker Chambers. This is a nice run of the magazine from a significant period, with all issues complete. Due to the highly brittle newsprint, these are wildly fragile; some covers have over the course of the past ninety years detached along the spine, and many have chipped along the foredges and the upper foredge corners. Some are soiled or show a bit of light dampstaining. All are individually protected in archival clear acetate dustwrappers. All in all, this is a good looking, well-loved archive from an important period of American labor and illustration that has been priced accordingly. Inventory Number: 027110