Hasta La Ideas

The civilized guide to mid-century manliness

Compiled from the 22 issues and six years that constituted the life of “Gentry” magazine, “The Gentry Man” aims to highlight the best of the culturally impactful magazine’s lifespan. The collection is billed as “A Guide for the Civilized Male”, much of its content applicable to men then and now. Moreover, the book is a snapshot of mid-century manliness, showing the perceived ideals of a generation of post-war men searching for guidance in peacetime. Uniting the content is Gentry’s phenomenally creative layout, which changes vastly with from page to page.

The basis for Gentry’s invented persona can be attributed to William Segal, the self-made millionaire who started the publication in 1951. Building off of his success in industry publications “American Fabrics” and “Men’s Reporter”, Segal began Gentry for a very specific kind of man.

Editor Hal Rubenstein describes “The Gentry Man” in the book’s intro: “On the weekends, playing host at his spruced-up to the manor born country house, he’d sport tea dust-colored (that’s green, by the way) Japanese linen Bermuda shorts, mix a shakerful of cocktails with his secret ingredient (applejack), whip up a beef goulash, and regale guests about driving the family up for a stay at the stately and still-popular Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York, in his sleek new 1953 Ford Sunliner convertible. He openly lusted for a painting by Paul Klee, had unapologetic fantasies about bull-fighting, confessed to yearning to learn more about Eastern philosophy—especially after reading an excerpt of Hesse’s Siddhartha.”

The fashion advocated in the publication has everything to do with “intelligently executed affluence.” Bold sartorial choices are categorized under “new approaches”, which introduce changing tastes and looks for social circumstances from resort beaches to formal engagements. Advice focuses on cut and appearance as much as it does on patterns and textiles, which were enjoying a rare revolution at the time. Among the stranger spreads is one dedicated entirely to straw hats, which were popularized by beach-bound gents of the era.

Tidbits from the book range from instructions on cooking particular cuts of meat, a guide to spirits of the world and how to achieve checkmate in seven moves. Mixologists can appreciate some of the vintage drinks, from the aggressive “The Exterminator” to the daintier “Buckingham” and “Champagne Fraisette Savoy Plaza” cocktails. An “Alphabet of Uncommon Sense” doles out advice compiled from aphorisms by Oscar Wilde while a simple list of “Do’s and Dont’s” keeps you from committing social faux pas.

Seen as a historical document, the magazine lends insight into the aspirations of the age. One article asks six designers to envision their car of the future. Many of the proposals have been realized today—including combination and key-less locks, rubberized interiors for washing and adjustable seats—while others have not: the ambitious designer Howard Ketcham adamantly called for a nuclear sports car.

While aspects of “The Gentry Man” will come off as stodgy to a contemporary audience, the magazine was meant to be a “thoroughly subversive manifesto.” Men of adventure and self-improvement were the intended audience, and Gentry counted presidents and diplomats among its dedicated readers.

The Gentry Man is available from Harper Design through Amazon. Find more images of the book in our slideshow .

“Before microphones and television were invented, a leader had to stand in front of a crowd and bellow,” notes Rick Stengel, managing editor of TIME. “Now [one] can tweet a phrase that reaches millions in a flash. Influence was never ­easier—or more ephemeral.” Which makes the task of selecting TIME‘s list of the 100 most influential people in the world all the trickier. This year’s list, announced today and on newsstands tomorrow in the magazine’s April 30 issue, includes those who have wielded influence through fashion design (Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen), exquisite gadgets (Apple CEO Tim Cook), political cartoons (Ali Ferzat), Nordic cuisine (René Redzepi of Noma), and spandex underthings (Spanx founder Sara Blakely).

Then there’s the influencer who is lauded for his way with time itself: Christian Marclay, creator of the 24-hour cinematic odyssey known as “The Clock.” Geoff Dyer was up to the task of composing a concise yet evocative summary of the video piece, which he describes as stemming from an idea “audacious in its simplicity and herculean in execution.” As for the writer’s own experience of the work—well, it’s something of a chrono-cautionary tale. “During the film’s opening run in London, I had intended to stay long enough to get the gag—10 minutes?—before hurrying on to a lunch date,” writes Dyer. “It was so hypnotic, so thrilling, that I ended up watching 20 hours over a month, arranging life and appointments (for which I was invariably late) in such a way as to catch previously unseen segments of that celluloid epic called a day.”

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Fellow periodical fiends, take note: the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) has announced the finalists for the 2012 National Magazine Awards. Vice and the visual crack that is the overhauled Bloomberg Businessweek are up against the big boys (The New Yorker, New York, and GQ) for general excellence in the general interest category (how general!), and we’re pleased to see Aperture and House Beautiful also in the general excellence hunt, in the “thought-leader” and lifestyle categories, respectively. Below are the nominees in the design and photo categories, including nods for the Fabien Baron-helmed Interview and Steven Klein‘s Vogue portfolio of a hauntingly retro-chic Amber Valletta and son. Notably absent from the photography fimalists is Martha Stewart Living, which has frequently made the cut in years past. We’ve denoted 2011 winners (if re-nominated in that category) with an asterisk. The winners will be announced and receive their elephantine Alexander Calder-designed statuettes on May 3 in New York City.
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The end of an era is at hand. Yesterday it was announced the New Yorker‘s longtime architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, will be leaving the magazine he’s called home for the past 15 years for greener, more ad-heavy pastures, to become a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The two magazines are, of course, both owned by Conde Nast, meaning the move isn’t a tremendous hike, and Goldberger has a history with VF, having contributed pieces here and there over the years. Still, it’s something of a major in-house coup, which the Observer has plenty of juicy details on, including that the critic hadn’t been getting along with New Yorker editor David Remnick, who he claims made getting stories into the magazine much more difficult, and that his decision to leave was in part related to a biography of Frank Gehry he’s in the middle of working on. On the Vanity Fair side, here’s what the magazine’s triumphant editor Graydon Carter had to say:

“This is an appointment that thrills me profoundly,” Carter said. “Paul is about as gifted a commentator on architecture, urban planning, and design as anyone you’re going to find these days—in other words, he’s just a brilliant writer.”

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The Society of Publication Designers has announced the finalists in its annual design competition, now in its 47th year. On the print side—chaired by Luke Hayman (Pentagram), Jeremy Leslie (MagCulture), and Richard Turley (Bloomberg Businessweek)—the hotly anticipated “Magazine of the Year” category is dominated by men’s titles, including last year’s big winner, GQ, along with three chiseled faces from abroad: IL – Intelligence in Lifestyle (a magazine of Italian business daily Il Sole 24 ORE), Lotus, and Port. They’ll duke it out against a trio of nimble weeklies: fresh-faced Bloomberg Businessweek, TIME, and ever-snappy New York. Also among the well-deserved finalists in various print categories: The New York Times Magazine‘s inspired “Can the Bulldog Be Saved?” cover, the terrific “Forever Kate” issue of Elle Collections (UK), September W portfolios by the unstoppable Stevens (Meisel and Klein), and the “United States of Design” feature in Fast Company, which is also a contender for best redesign. And over in the digital category, co-chairs Scher Ford (Time Inc.) and Joe Zeff (Joe Zeff Design) virtually sifted through a record number of entries. Among the tablet apps that emerged at the top are those of Bloomberg Businessweek, GQ, and SPIN. Click here to download the full list of SPD finalists. The gold and silver medal winners in each category will be announced on May 11 at a gala in New York.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.