Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 edition. Excerpt: ...his insect powder will not kill human individuals, but will kill insects. The line of his argument would seem to be the exhibition of a picture of the skull of a person killed by his insect powder. He then confidentially assures you that his pow der is "non-poisonous to human." Most people who notice the advertisement see the picture of the skull, but fail to see the "non-poisonous to human." The "ad.-smith" of No. 3 is trying to convince the public that his fountain pen will not blot. He shows us a cut of his pen doing just what he wants us to believe it will not do. If we could look at the cut, then forget it entirely and read the text without being biased by the cut, this form of argumentation might be successful, but that is not the way in which we think. Advertisement No. 4 apparently illustrates the proprietor of the rug company as an escaped convict. The text makes no reference to this fact, but tries to impress upon us the idea that this is the gentleman with whom we should deal. Advertisement No. 5 is the advertisement of a sweet-smelling cigar. The way the designer of the advertisement goes about it to convince us that his cigars are sweet smelling is to show us Uncle Sam smoking a cigar which evidently has a very bad odor. In small type he asserts that his cigars are not so bad, but I would not have read that part of the advertisement unless I had had an abnormal interest in poor advertisements. Advertisement No. 6 represents the "restful racycle," and does so by displaying a lady on such a wheel being chased by an infuriated bulldog. One of the most unpleasant things that can happen to a bicycle rider, and one of the things which might deter some ladies from buying a bicycle, is this...
