Page:1954 Juvenile Delinquency Testimony.pdf/202

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190
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

er's Digest digested, He lived with them and they accepted him, al- though he is “the son of a distinguished unive ersity professor.

Mr. Beasex. The reason you were asked ta come here today was not becanse you published comic books, but because you are a publisher and you do adyertise in comic books.

Mr. Segal. Yes.

Mr. Beaser. What kind of material do you publish and under what names?

Mr. Segal. Only one name, Stravon.

Here is a children's book that we publish. We do advertise it in the comics. It is Birdman. It is the story of Leonardo da Vinci.

In view of the discussion that went on regarding Cones, it is in- teresting to note some of the remarks made that the children do not buy the hetter- =) ade comics, because here is an example of a very high-grade children's book on Da Vinci, in beautiful color, which we have adyertised in the comics, and they have not responded to if in the manner you think. Now this is just one.

Mr. Beaser. What are the other publications?

Mr. Segal. I will show you all of them.

Here is a book called Mike and the Giant, the story of Michelangelo.

Mr. Beaser. Children's and adults' books?

Mr. Segal. No, these are children's books.

Senator Hennings. Mr. Segal, I notice in the first book you had that there are a number of reproductions of Leonardo's works.

Mr. Segal. Yes.

Senator Hennings. Now what does that book sell for?

Mr. Segal. This book sells for a dollar, We advertise it. We selected the name of "The Birdman" because Leonardo was known as a birdman at the time and this is a drawing, a drawing of his flying machine. That is after his own skeich. We del liherately selected it, hoping that the children who buy "The Batman" and biry the others would buy this. They do buy if in quantities of a few thousand a year, not 20 million a year,

Senator Hennings. You suggested in the advertising I presume that that was educational?

Mr. Segal. Yes, we did. We said they would enjoy it.

Now we have different kinds of ads on this book, I] will go through all of the fifles. Tiere is a tithe Mike and the Giant, the story of Michelangelo. Here is the story of the man who painted the sun, which is a children's story of Vincent van Gogh.

Here is u hook, The Magic Painter, the story of Rembrandt, These are all for children bet ween the ages of Sand 14.

If I may, T should like to divert, before continuing to show all the other books. Tlere ig an issue of the Library Journal. This is out just now, 2 days ago. You will notice an advertisement of Dr. Wertham's book, and I take no exception to the book as I did not read it, but in view of many things said here, it is interesting how the publisher or somebody selected that title, "The Seduction of the Innocent." Half the people will buy this book not because they think it is an expose of comics. I don't know what they will buy it for.

Senator Hennings. You do not, Mr. Segal?

Mr. Segal. Mind you, I am not taking sides in this issue; really, I am not.