[Ads-l] Antedating of "Centerfold"
ADSGarson O'Toole
adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Wed Jun 26 14:21:29 UTC 2024
Thanks for your response, Peter. Here is my interpretation.
The price for an ordinary page is 21s. I think 21s is for a full page
advertisement. Hence, two ordinary pages would be 42s.
Separate prices are listed for half-pages and quarter-pages.
The centre-fold costs 30s. This implies, to me, that the 30s
corresponds to the price of one full page of the centre-fold. The
price to obtain both pages of the centre-fold would, presumably, be
60s.
I think £40 refers to advertising money obtained for the entire programme
In the traditional pounds, shillings and pence system, there were 20
shillings per pound and 12 pence per shilling, making 240 pence in a
pound.
https://www.in2013dollars.com/uk/inflation/1932?amount=40
[Begin excerpt]
£40 in 1932 is equivalent in purchasing power to about £3,499.10
today, an increase of £3,459.10 over 92 years. The pound had an
average inflation rate of 4.98% per year between 1932 and today,
producing a cumulative price increase of 8,647.75%.
[End excerpt]
Garson
On Wed, Jun 26, 2024 at 5:44 AM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
<mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
>
> From the fragment, I got the impression that they charge 30s
> for a small advert on the centre-fold, not for the entire two pages.
> The two pages can be filled with adverts, raising a total of £40.
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Date 26/06/2024 04:41:55
> Subject Re: Antedating of "Centerfold"
>
> >Nice work, Peter. There is a 1932 edition of "The Modern Technique of
> >Bowls" accessible via the Internet Archive. So a 1932 date for sense 1
> >of "centre-fold" (i.e., page(s), picture) seems solid.
> >
> >Yet, the cost listed for the centre-fold is odd. The cost should be
> >more than double the cost of a single page; assuming the two-facing
> >middle pages are treated as a unitary object.
> >
> >Instead, the two pages of the centre-fold are being sold separately,
> >it appears. Nevertheless, the two pages still qualify as a
> >centre-fold, I guess.
> >
> >Year: 1932
> >Book Tile: The Modern Technique of Bowls
> >Authors: H. P. Webber and Dr. J. W. Fisher
> >Chapter XVI: Tournament Bowls
> >Quote Page 157
> >Publisher: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, London
> >Database: Internet Archive
> >
> >https://archive.org/details/moderntechniqueo0000unse/page/n6/mode/1up?q=%22centre-fold%22
> >
> >[Begin excerpt]
> >This official programme should draw a good revenue. Care must,
> >however, be taken not to swamp the official items in the programme
> >with advertisements. The most sought-after positions for
> >advertisements are the covers (outside and in) and the centre-fold.
> >The value of the cover page or centre-fold is about 30s.; an ordinary
> >page would probably bring in 21s., a half-page 12s. 6d., and a
> >quarter-page 7s. 6d. At least £40 can be raised by these means.
> >[End excerpt]
> >
> >Garson
> >
> >On Tue, Jun 25, 2024 at 10:41 PM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
> ><mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Possible 1933, Google dating caveats apply.
> >>
> >>https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Modern_Technique_of_Bowls/UESk9gWlphkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=centre-fold&dq=centrefold&printsec=frontcover
> >>
> >> The most sought-after positions for advertisements are the
> >> covers (outside and in) and the centre-fold. The value of the
> >> cover page or centre-fold is about 30s.
> >>
> >> ==========================
> >>
> >> This one is certainly from 1891, but I'm not sure if it counts. It's
> >> talking about
> >> a single printed card, in three parts, rather than the centre page of a
> >> magazine.
> >>
> >>https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_British_Printer/5PYdAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=centrefold&pg=RA1-PP1&printsec=frontcover
> >>
> >> (left column, 20 lines down)
> >>
> >> "On the outside a broad band of rich arabesque border in green and gold
> >> extends diagonally from corner to corner appearing twice on the outside
> >> when folded and enclosing the line "Yuletide 1890" in large script type
> >> in gold; inside the centre fold is occupied by the portrait which
> >> appears
> >> in our last issue ,"
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ------ Original Message ------
> >> From "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> >> To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> Date 25/06/2024 22:25:39
> >> Subject Re: Antedating of "Centerfold"
> >>
> >> >The OED definition of centerfold (sense 2) with a 1969 citation refers
> >> >to the model and not the picture.
> >> >
> >> >[Begin OED excerpt]
> >> >centrefold centerfold NOUN
> >> >2. A person, esp. a woman, who appears or has appeared nude or
> >> >scantily clad in a photograph on the middle pages of a magazine.
> >> >
> >> >1969 I was the centerfold—the playmate for December, 1966.
> >> >Los Angeles Times 28 March iv. 25/1
> >> >[End OED excerpt]
> >> >
> >> >The early instances of centerfold refer to the picture and not the
> >> >model. Sometimes there is ambiguity.
> >> >For example, in the following 1960 citation the noun "centerfolds"
> >> >might refer to the models, but I think the most likely referent is the
> >> >pictures (or postcards) themselves and not the models depicted.
> >> >
> >> >Date: December 29, 1960
> >> >Newspaper: The Swanton Courier
> >> >Newspaper Location: Swanton, Vermont
> >> >Article: Who started all this?
> >> >Author: Chandler L. Mason
> >> >Quote Page B-6, Column 6
> >> >Database: Newspapers.com
> >> >
> >> >[Begin excerpt]
> >> >Horsley must have been horrified at the turn taken in the eighties,
> >> >when British cards blossomed out in a rash of colorful nudes; not too
> >> >unlike the "Playboy" centerfolds of today. Kate Greenaway, the famed
> >> >illustrator of children's books designed many cards and is on record
> >> >as having received an average of three pounds per design.
> >> >[End excerpt]
> >> >
> >> >The following 1965 citation for "centerfold" refers to the model and
> >> >not the picture. This was the earliest match I could find with the
> >> >desired sense without ambiguity.
> >> >
> >> >Date: November 15, 1965
> >> >Newspaper: The Tipton Daily Tribune
> >> >Newspaper Location:
> >> >Article: In Hollywood
> >> >Author: Vernon Scott (UPI Hollywood Correspondent)
> >> >Quote Page 2, Column 2
> >> >Database: Newspapers.com
> >> >
> >> >[Begin excerpt]
> >> >While Mamie is changing her professional image, in person she is still
> >> >the centerfold of a girlie magazine.
> >> >[End excerpt]
> >> >
> >> >The 1966 citation mentioned by LH in the previous message, I believe,
> >> >refers to the picture and not the model. So it corresponds to sense 1
> >> >of centerfold and not sense 2 in the OED.
> >> >
> >> >The first issue of Playboy was published in December 1953. Hence,
> >> >earlier instances in which "centerfold" corresponds to a model might
> >> >exist. Maybe a list participant can find one.
> >> >
> >> >Garson
> >> >
> >> >On Mon, Jun 24, 2024 at 2:25 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> I suspect the more specialized sense--
> >> >> OED s.v. centerfold, 2:
> >> >> A person, esp. a woman, who appears or has appeared nude or scantily clad
> >> >> in a photograph on the middle pages of a magazine.
> >> >> --can be antedated back from the 1969 first cite, given that both the
> >> >> layout and the "persons, esp. women" featured therein in (at least) Playboy
> >> >> predate 1969, as some list members will recall. (The OED includes a 1966
> >> >> entry for "center fold", with space, from a piece in McCall's Magazine.)
> >> >>
> >> >> LH
> >> >>
> >> >> On Mon, Jun 24, 2024 at 10:55 AM Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at yale.edu>
> >> >> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> > centerfold (OED 1941)
> >> >> >
> >> >> > 1938 _New York Daily News_ 23 Aug. 1 (Newspapers.com)
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Other pictures of subway crash on centerfold and back page.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Fred Shapiro
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >> >
> >> >>
> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >> >
> >> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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