I found these in an Illinois junk store a while back, and couldn't resist the cheesy novelettes inside — which all have the tone of the line illustration shown — or the two thrilling columns featured every month: "The Lariat of Love" (romantic astrological advice for the 4-H set), and especially "Let's Play Checkers," a strategy piece written by Millard Hopper, who was at the time World Checker Champion. I really don't see how the game of checkers could ever be interesting enough to deserve its own column, but then I also think the same thing about more convoluted mind games like Chess and Bridge. (I'm sure Millard Hopper would never be able to understand why I buy entire magazines devoted to knitting.) I have quite a few issues of Romantic Range (they only cost 25¢ each), and the back cover is always a full color whiskey advertisement. For the hard-riding, hard-loving, hard-drinking Ranch Girl!
2 comments:
Oh, how cool is that!!! I love old books, I do. They are so cheesily wonderful when read. I have a whole bookcase of them, and I read some of 'em over and over.
My favorite is a sentimental romance from 1898 called Junie's Love Test.
Ahahahaaa....It is written so badly, and I enjoy each word ever so much.
I'm sorry, but I was a little shocked by the illustrations of a woman and a bull, then a woman with a sheep, and finally two women - all under the heading of Romantic Range. Shocked because it all seems mighty progressive for the period. Those are wonderful!
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