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Esquire (magazine)

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Esquire is a prominent American men's magazine with a long history of cultural influence.

Esquire cover Feb 1961
Esquire cover Feb 1961

Currently, the publication is managed by Hearst in the United States. It has expanded far beyond American borders with more than 20 international editions. The magazine serves as a platform for fashion, news, and literature. It has survived many decades by constantly changing its focus and style. Its journey from a small trade offshoot to a major lifestyle brand is quite remarkable.

The magazine was founded in October 1933. It originally began as an offshoot of a trade magazine called Apparel Arts. Three men led the initial launch: Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart, and Henry L. Jackson. Each founder managed a specific part of the operation to ensure success. Gingrich focused on the publishing aspects of the magazine. Smart handled the business side to keep the company running. Jackson led the fashion section, which dominated the content for the first fifteen years.

Esquire logo (2017)
Esquire logo (2017)

This division of labor helped the magazine thrive during the Great Depression and World War II.

As the magazine grew, it developed unique personality traits and visual identities. One famous element was a character named "Esky." Created by cartoonists E. Simms Campbell and Sam Berman, Esky was a blond, mustachioed man. He appeared on almost every front page for over twenty-five years. In 1962, a stylized version of his face even became the dot on the "I" in the magazine's logo. This character helped define the refined image of the magazine and its readers. Esky was occasionally brought back in later decades as a symbol of the brand.

In the 1960s, Esquire became a leader in a literary movement called New Journalism. Under the leadership of Harold Hayes, who ran the magazine from 1961 to 1973, the publication became highly distinctive. This movement involved writers using new techniques to report on real-life events. Famous authors like Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, and Gay Talese contributed to this era. The magazine also used its platform to report on significant global events. In August 1969, it published one of the first reports regarding American atrocities against Vietnamese civilians. This period cemented Esquire's reputation as a serious and influential publication.

The magazine's history also includes legal and financial challenges. In the 1940s, the popularity of illustrators like Petty and Vargas provided a circulation boost. However, their work led to a legal battle in 1943. The United States Postmaster General brought charges alleging the magazine used lewd images. The case eventually reached the United States Supreme Court. In the 1946 case Hannegan v. Esquire, Inc., the Court ruled that the magazine's use of the Postal Service was protected by the First Amendment. Later, in the late 1970s, a failed experiment with a fortnightly format caused the magazine to lose US$5 million.

Esquire has also been a vital home for many famous writers and creative projects. From 1969 to 1976, Gordon Lish served as the fiction editor. He was known as "Captain Fiction" because he helped launch the careers of many authors. He published the work of Raymond Carver and Richard Ford, helping to establish their styles. In 1977, the magazine even published an unsigned story that many believed was written by J. D. Salinger. In 2007, the magazine launched the Napkin Fiction Project. They mailed 250 cocktail napkins to writers to encourage short fiction. This project resulted in nearly one hundred stories from various authors.

Today, the magazine continues to evolve through different leadership eras. After a period of decline in the 1990s, David M. Granger became editor-in-chief in 1997. He moved the magazine away from a heavy fashion focus toward a lifestyle-heavy approach. This change helped the publication win several National Magazine Awards. Following Granger, Jay Fielden took over in 2016 and moved toward a more classical, up-market style. The magazine has also embraced digital spaces, such as the Daily Endorsement Blog. These shifts show how Esquire attempts to stay relevant to changing tastes in modern culture.

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File:Esquire logo (2017).svg
Esquire logo (2017).svg
File:Esquire cover Feb 1961.jpg
Esquire cover Feb 1961.jpg
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