Charley Jones Laugh Book
Encyclopedia
Charley Jones' Laugh Book Magazine, aka Charley Jones' Laugh Book and Laugh Book, was a monthly digest-size
cartoon and joke magazine published by Charley E. Jones at 438 North Main Street in Wichita, Kansas
. Edited by Charley Jones, Ceora K. Raymond and Ken Berglund, it ran from 1943 into the mid-1960s. An earlier version was known as Laugh Book Magazine. Offering "something for everyone", it sometimes displayed the subtitle America's Foremost Humor Magazine.
Jones began publishing in 1933 with Downtown Wichita, which he called a "tattle-tale sheet'". With World War II
underway, his distribution of Latrine Gazette to Army bases was so successful that he recycled the material into yet another publication, HEADliners, aimed at Navy men.
After Jones hired the former sales manager for Autopoint Pencil Company, the two made a deal with Otto Stoll of Chicago's Stoll Distribution Company (which handled Captain Billy's Whiz Bang
), and they launched Charley Jones' Laugh Book in 1943 with an order of 20,000 copies to be distributed by Stoll. Initially published by Wichita's Jayhawk Press in Wichita, the publisher in 1944 was given as Joste Publishing Company in Wichita.
Soon it was national, reaching a peak of 54,000 and making a switch to distribution by Hearst, which delivered the magazine to newsstands throughout small-town America. During the 1950s, it continued to be widely circulated to military bases where a single copy was passed around, and thus the readership increased well beyond the print run.
The magazine had a staff of 11 employees, but as sales and his health diminished, Jones moved the operation into his own home (with a staff of two). In 1964, when Jones moved to New Mexico for his health, he continued to publish a monthly magazine, Picturesque New Mexico. On May 27, 1966, he died during open heart surgery in Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
's column, and Wilson occasionally reprinted Laugh Book jokes in his column.
. Bob Miller and Dennis the Menace
comic book illustrator Al Wiseman
created the spicy cartoon covers.
Digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
cartoon and joke magazine published by Charley E. Jones at 438 North Main Street in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. Edited by Charley Jones, Ceora K. Raymond and Ken Berglund, it ran from 1943 into the mid-1960s. An earlier version was known as Laugh Book Magazine. Offering "something for everyone", it sometimes displayed the subtitle America's Foremost Humor Magazine.
Jones began publishing in 1933 with Downtown Wichita, which he called a "tattle-tale sheet'". With World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
underway, his distribution of Latrine Gazette to Army bases was so successful that he recycled the material into yet another publication, HEADliners, aimed at Navy men.
After Jones hired the former sales manager for Autopoint Pencil Company, the two made a deal with Otto Stoll of Chicago's Stoll Distribution Company (which handled Captain Billy's Whiz Bang
Fawcett Publications
Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett . At the age of 16, Fawcett ran away from home to join the Army, and the Spanish-American War took him to the Philippines. Back in Minnesota, he became a...
), and they launched Charley Jones' Laugh Book in 1943 with an order of 20,000 copies to be distributed by Stoll. Initially published by Wichita's Jayhawk Press in Wichita, the publisher in 1944 was given as Joste Publishing Company in Wichita.
Soon it was national, reaching a peak of 54,000 and making a switch to distribution by Hearst, which delivered the magazine to newsstands throughout small-town America. During the 1950s, it continued to be widely circulated to military bases where a single copy was passed around, and thus the readership increased well beyond the print run.
The magazine had a staff of 11 employees, but as sales and his health diminished, Jones moved the operation into his own home (with a staff of two). In 1964, when Jones moved to New Mexico for his health, he continued to publish a monthly magazine, Picturesque New Mexico. On May 27, 1966, he died during open heart surgery in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
Jokes
Many jokes were contributed by readers. The magazine paid $25 for a cartoon, 50 cents for a joke and 25 cents a line for light verse. Longer material paid two cents a word. A typical joke: "Many people call a doctor when all they want is an audience." In addition to the jokes and cartoons, the format included letters from readers, pen pal notices and a "Letter from Charley". In an apparent trade-off, the magazine ran photos from Earl WilsonEarl Wilson (columnist)
Earl Wilson , born Harvey Earl Wilson, was an American journalist, gossip columnist and author, perhaps best known for his nationally syndicated column, It Happened Last Night....
's column, and Wilson occasionally reprinted Laugh Book jokes in his column.
Cartoonists
The magazine's cartoonists included Jack Lohr, Bill Power, Dick Smolinski and Bill WardBill Ward (comics)
William Hess Ward , known as Bill Ward, was an American cartoonist notable as a good girl artist and creator of the risqué comics character Torchy.-Early life and career:...
. Bob Miller and Dennis the Menace
Dennis the Menace (U.S.)
Dennis the Menace is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written and illustrated by Hank Ketcham. It debuted on March 12, 1951 in 16 newspapers and was originally distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate...
comic book illustrator Al Wiseman
Al Wiseman
Al Wiseman was an American cartoonist who worked on both comic strips and comic books, notably his long stint on the Dennis the Menace comic books....
created the spicy cartoon covers.