Item #122428 Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934. 'Pandemonium', Mervyn SKIPPER.
Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934
Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934
Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934
Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934
Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934
Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934

Pandemonium. A Critical Australian Monthly. Volume 1, Number 7, August 1934 to Volume 1, Number 11, December 1934

Melbourne, The Pandemonium Press, 1934.

Large quarto, five numbers, 20, 24, 24, 20, and 20 pages respectively, with numerous cartoon illustrations in the text and a centrefold of plates in Number 9, plus some text and advertisements on the inside surface of the wrappers.

Saddle-stapled pictorial wrappers in black and monochrome (varying from issue to issue); spines rubbed and beginning to split in places; minor signs of use and age, with light stains to three numbers; previous owner's name (Miss Taylor) in pencil on the cover of three numbers; overall, in very good condition.

This short-lived magazine (only 12 numbers were published) was edited by Mervyn Skipper (1886-1959), critic and Melbourne editor for the 'Bulletin'. He 'seems to have been so disturbed by the trend of world affairs, and so frustrated by his uncreative existence at the time as to invest most of his savings in two ventures - the journal "Pandemonium" and the artists' colony "Montsalvat" at Eltham, presided over by the former Meldrum pupil Justus Jorgensen ... In "Pandemonium" Skipper was prepared to publish satirical attacks on everything he believed to be specious - capitalism in general, the jargon, bias and propaganda of the large commercial papers, imperialism, evangelical missionary activities in the colonies, sexual prudery, Australian censorship, local repertory theatre standards, the Australian penal system and legal code, armaments firms, and communist "peace" movements. These subjects come in for repeated attack in avant-garde publications from the thirties on, but the distinction of this magazine was the lively wit and well-informed character of its articles ... Yet although it was one of the most impressive little magazines to be published in the period under review, for Skipper, "Pandemonium" was a financial disaster' (John Tregenza: 'Australian Little Magazines', pages 31-36). [5 items].

Item #122428

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