“The Double-Dealer”
“The Double-Dealer” (Vol. III No. 17, published May 1922) is a curious mix of poetry, prose, and opinion pieces from various authors and literary figures. It almost feels like a snapshot of the literary world of the time.
The front cover of this edition is, perhaps, a perfect example of what I mean. From the very picture at the center: the couple in a tender embrace, yet followed by a mocking jester holding an hour-glass (a symbol rather famous for death, judgement, and a general lack of time). The way the price of the magazine is printed just above the image’s top left corner, the surety of that price, above all other things. Even the notable contributors at the bottom of the page, I recognize only one of those names (our old friend Ezra Pound), and yet the others are utterly foreign (some don’t even come up as the first result for their own name in a google search). It’s fascinating to imagine what a reader might have taken away from this magazine cover in 1922.
Speaking of notable contributors, it is perhaps more interesting to see who didn’t make it to the front page. The inner cover as a total list of contributors, and though that image is not depicted here, on that list is another recognizable name. And though it seems utterly crazy to imagine, there was once a day where Earnest Hemmingway, one of the most celebrated American authors of the 20th century, had fourth billing in a literary journal (and as previously mentioned, didn’t even make it to the front page). Did anyone reading his work in his journal know how great he was going to be? Did anyone imagine greatness when reading through this magazine? None of them could have truly known the fame that would one day be attributed to that name, and it makes you wonder… who are the greats of our day? Who will go on to be remembered for decades to come? It is something to consider, the next time you read a literary journal, or a book of poems, or any other collection of writing.