Bidspirit auction | The Strand Magazine May 1928

The Strand Magazine May 1928 Issue Featuring W. W. Jacobs and Waterman Ideal Fountain Pen Advertisement - A single softbound issue of The Strand Magazine, dated May 1928 and identified as Vol. LXXV, No. 449 on the spine. The front cover features a large color illustration by Will Owen depicting a character in a wide-brimmed hat, alongside text promoting a New Night Watchman Story by W. W. Jacobs. A small yellow printed advertisement for Oxo is located in the upper left corner of the cover. The back cover carries a full-page color advertisement for Waterman's Ideal Fountain Pen, showcasing a display case of the No. 7 Ripple Rubber models with color-coded nib options (Pink, Blue, Red, Purple, Green, and Yellow), priced at 37/6 and distributed by L. G. Sloan, Ltd., The Pen Corner, Kingsway, London, W.C.2. The interior contains short fiction including Love-Letters by W. W. Jacobs with illustrations by Will Owen, The Female of the Species by Sapper, and By Her Brother. Period advertisements are interspersed throughout, featuring products and retailers such as Punkt Roller hand massagers, H. Samuel jewelry and watches, Irish Linen Frocks by Hutton's, Horlick's, and Hovis bread. The publication is bound with two metal staples and constructed from newsprint-grade interior paper with a heavier weight illustrated paper cover. The magazine is in fair condition with significant signs of age and handling. The front and back covers exhibit a prominent horizontal band of paper loss and white residue, likely resulting from the removal of an adhesive tape (photos 1, 3, and 4). The spine is heavily worn with paper loss at the head and foot, and the cover is partially detached from the binding (photo 5). The metal staples show heavy oxidation and rust, which has migrated to cause brown staining on the surrounding paper of the cover and interior pages (photos 6, 12, and 13). Edge wear, creasing, and small chips are visible along the perimeter of the covers (photos 1 and 2). Interior pages show uniform age-related toning and minor foxing, though the text and illustrations remain legible.