The Front Page quote from the August 1940 issue of the Socialist Standard
“What man has done, the little triumphs of his present state, and all this history we have told, form but the prelude to the things that man has yet to do".
H. G. Wells ("A Short History of the World,” 1924, Page 262)
Starting in January 1939, and continuing on until December 1941, every issue of the Socialist Standard carried a quotation on its front cover.
ReplyDeleteMore often than not the quoted person was someone famous in their respective field and it's interesting to note the range of individuals selected for inclusion in this exclusive and rarefied company. IYou know I'm joking, right?)
As mentioned above the practice was discontinued in 1942, and my guess it was when wartime paper rationing kicked in and the Editorial Committee for the Standard realised that they no longer had the luxury of being able to have a standalone front cover. It was now the case that every inch of the magazine had to have (socialist) text crammed into it.
A shame, really, because the inclusion of these quotes month-on-month gave a wee window into the SPGB that hitherto was unavailable. This is all the more true for the reader and/or transcriber 75 plus years on.