AVANT GARDE Nos. 1-14

Ralph Ginzberg [Editor]
Herb Lubalin [Art Director/Designer]

[14] 11 x 11 perfect-bound magazine with approximately 60 pages of premium editorial and self-referential advertising content, assembled by editor Ginzberg and designed by Lubalin. If you enjoy the freedom of the Internet, thank Ralph Ginzberg and his tireless quest to express his First Amendment rights and find out where exactly where the cutting edge of American Sexuality was located during the 1960s.

AVANT GARDE was first published in 1968 and was immediately as smart and stylish as it was confrontational, operating with the agenda of making sex political and politics sexy. AVANT GARDE was stunningly designed by the legendary Herb Lubalin, who created the seminal '60s type face for the logo. (According to Tony DiSpigna, who was one of Lubalin's partners, the much-used and imitated Avant Garde has become "one of the most abused typefaces in the world.") The Font was originally intended primarily for use in logos: the first version consisted solely of 26 capital letters. It was inspired by Ginzburg and his wife, designed by Lubalin, and realized by Lubalin's assistants and Tom Carnese, one of Lubalin's partners. It is characterized by geometrically perfect round strokes; short, straight lines; and an extremely large number of ligatures and negative kerning. The International Typefont Corporation(ITC) (of which Lubalin was a founder) released a full version in 1970.

AVANT GARDE ceased publication in 1971 when Ginzburg was finally sent to prison.

AVANT GARDE No. 1: January 1968 Contents

• Cover painting "Ice" by Richard Lindner
• What Makes a Nixon Run? by Warren Boroson
• Galahad's Pad by Julio Mitchel
• The Hate Mail of Captain Levy
• Let's Retire Our Most Overworked Four-Letter Word by Professor L. Eric Hotaling
• Richard Lindner: The Rubens of the Love Generation: 8 pages of color reproductions
• The Slaughter of Civilians for Sport by U.S. Pilots by First Lieutenant Thomas F. Loflin III
• An Obscenity Bust In--Would You Believe?--India by Malay Roy Choudhury
• Drawings by Muhammad Ali: 6 b/w line drawings
• Believe in God: You Have Teeth! by S.H. Margalith
• The Fugs: Nextness is Godlier Thank Cleanliness by Martin Cohen
• Metamorphic Jewelry: Last Word in Found-Object Art: Photographs by Ryszard Horowitz: 10 illustrations of jewelry by sculptress Chrystya Olenska
• God/Love Poem by Lenore Kandel

AVANT GARDE No. 2: March 1968 Contents

• Cover photograph of Marilyn Monroe by Bert Stern
• The Marilyn Monroe Trip: A Portfolio of Serigraphs by Bert Stern: 11 psychedelic silkscreens
• Walter Bowart: Mild-Mannered Editor by Tom Hyman
• Prof. Einstein to Dr. Freud: "Can We Eliminate War?"
• The Passion of Norman F. Dacey by Norman F. Dacey
• Orphan of the Flood by Mitchell Wojtycki
• The Erotic Tomb Sculptures of Madagascar: Photographs by Sarajane Archdeacon
• Avant-Garde's "No More War" Poster Contest
• Peace Movement by Gary Youree
• Picasso: The Artist as an Eternally Young Man by brian Fitzherbert
• The Visitor by Roald Dahl

AVANT GARDE No. 3: May 1968 Contents

• Cover: redesign of the dollar bill by Tom Carnese, Gerry Gersten, and Herb Lubalin
• Revaluation of the Dollar: 19 Artists Design a New One-Dollar Bill: includes work by Jerome Snyder, Seymour Chwast, James Spanfeller, John Alcorn, Lionel Kalish, Edward Gorey, Ernie Smith, Etienne Delessert, Bob Blechman, Roger Hane, Francois Dallegret, Isadore Seltzer, Bob Sullivan, Eugene Karlin, and Tom Allen
• Paul Krassner: Apostle of the Put-On by Fred Powledge
• Andy's Girls: Photographs by Lee Kraft of Viva, Katrina, Joy Nicholson, Naional Velvet, and Ultra Violet
• "Was It Good For You Too?" by Dan Greenburg
• The Future of Criminal Law by Karl Menninger, M.D.
• The First Church of Love
• The Taming of Denise Gondelman by Norman Mailer
• Astrological Automobiles: Drawings by Francois Dallegret
• Prolegomena to a Study of the Erotic Film by Frank A. Hoffmann
• Mr. and Mrs. Brown Walking: Photographs by Julio Mitchel
• The Prison Poems of Ho Chi Minh: Introduction and Translation by Kenneth Rexroth
• Avant-Garde's "No More War!" Poster Contest

AVANT GARDE No. 4: September 1968 Contents

• Cover painting by George Tooker
• Front Lines
• Letters to the Editor
• Amnesty Now!
• Playhouse of the Ridiculous: Photographs by Eliot Eliosofon
• WBAI: Switched-On Radio by Fred Powledge
• Poetry by Computer
• Leroi Jones: Poet Laureate of the Black Revolt by Peter Schjeldahl
• The Strange World of George Tooker: 9 pages of color reproductions
• Voodoo Lives: Photographs by Lee Kraft
• Please Don't Kill Anything by Arthur Miller
• The Battle Hymn of Jeffrey Weinper by Pfc. Jeffrey Weinper
• I Remember Superman by Francesca Milano
• '69: A Great year Any Way You Look At It: Photographs by Horn/Griner

AVANT GARDE No. 5: November 1968 Contents

• Cover "Seascape #17" by Tom Wesselman
• Front Lines
• Letters to the Editor
• "No More War!" Posters: includes work by Lou Myers, Ron and Karen Bowen, James Grashow, Billy Apple and Robert Coburn, Harvey Stewart and Lawrence Corby, Daniel Schwartz, Hirokatsu Hijikata, Keiichi Tanaami, and Hans Butler
• In the Whitehouse Doghouse by Ralph Schoenstein
• On the Psychology of World Order by Jerome D. Frank, M.D.
• Tom Wesselman: Pleasure Painter: 4 pages of color reproductions
• The New Sears Catalogue: A Book Review by L. Eric Hotaling
• Son of "Hair": Photographs by Roger Denim
• Ron Cobb: Daumier of the New Left
• The Honorable Discharge of Pvt. Sam by Gary Youree
• Living High on the Hog Farm: Photographs by Julian Wasser
• Brain Damage: Sorcery as Art: Photographs by Ira Cohen and Bill Devore

AVANT GARDE No. 6: January 1969 Contents

• Cover photograph "In Full Bloom" by Dewayne Dalrymple
• Front Lines
• Letters to the Editor
• And Now: The Evolution Revolution by R. Michael Davidson
• Melle's Melees: 10 pages of color reproductions from the Dutch painter
• Breaking Out: A Black Manifesto by Dick Gregory, Photograph by Art Kane
• Tomorrow's Classics by Leslie M. Pockell: Fascinating list of books destined to become classics‹some did and some didn't!
• Phil Ochs: Kipling of the New Left by Peter Schjeldahl
• The President's Golden Zipper by Fred Rayfield
• The Sexual Revolution: A Running Commentary: Two Photographs by Ralph M. Hattersley, Jr.
• Sylvan Hart is Alive and Well in the Wilderness by J. Randal
• My Father-To-Be-Ness and You by Robert Joe Stout
• The Last Act by Roald Dahl
• Gas Over Madison Avenue by Gordon Carlson

AVANT GARDE No. 7: March 1969 Contents

• The Spirit Of 1976. Photograph By Carl Fischer
• Front Lines
• Toward A New Spirit Of '76 Compiled By Leslie M. Pockell
• The Decline And Fall Of The Female Breast By Warren Boronson
• Appeal Of Folk Singing: A Landmark Opinion By Justice William O. Douglas
• The Black Power Failure By James R. Scofield
• Paul Wunderlich's Painted Women
• Thoughts Of Chairman Jerry By Peter Schjeldahl
• The Satyricon Of Petronius: A New Take By Edgar Bunning
• Sculpture A La Rorschach. Photographs By William Watkins
• Pennebaker: Truth At 24 Frames Per Second By Hal J. Seldes
• O Precious Balls, Farewell! By Jean Genet
• The Demise of Death By R. Michael Davidson
• Pussy Galore! Cat Drawings Of Guy Bourdin

AVANT GARDE No. 8: September 1969 Contents

• Special Issue devoted to Picasso's Erotic Gravures with 46 reproductions of the artist's work: "Avant-Garde is proud to have been chosen as the medium through which these engravings are to be shown to the world." All of the works were created between March 16 and October 5, 1968. Simultaneous exhibitions of the engravings occurred at the Galerie Louise Leiris in Paris and at the Art Institute of Chicago. Exhibits were also scheduled for Toronto, Berlin, and Zurich.
• Introduction
• The Artist and His Model
• The Circus
• The Brothel
• The Voyeur
• The Muses
• The Orgy

AVANT GARDE No. 9: November 1969 Contents

• Cover illustration "Samson and the Harlot in Gaza" by Ernst Fuchs
• Letters to the Editor
• America in Distress by Nobel Laureate George Wald
• Fuch's Femme Fatales
• In Defense of Adolescents by Warren Boroson
• Deserted Island: Photographs by Wilton S. Tifft: haunting photos of a deserted Ellis Island
• Convention: A Play by Dan Greenburg
• John & Yoko in Concert: At Home With the Lennons by Irma Kurtz
• She Stoops to Conquer: Photographs by Gunter Rambow
• Is the Red Cross Pro-Nazi? by Warren Boroson
• Beasts in Love: Three Poems by D.H. Lawrence
• Jews, Catholics, and Protestants Compared by Warner Brown
• Ultra-Violet in Infra-Red by Eliot Elisofon

AVANT GARDE No. 10: January 1970 Contents

• Cover photo by Thomas Weir
• Letters to the Editor
• The Dr. Who Called the A.M.A. the "American Murder Assn." by Warner Brown
• The Most Hated Man in America compiled by Leslie M. Pockell: lumiaries including John Cheever, Melvin Belli, Herbie Mann, Andy Warhol, Reinhold Niebuhr, Kurt Vonnegut, George Gallup and Noam Chomsky among others say who they hate
• The Virgin Forest: Photographs by Thomas Weir
• The Handwriting on the Wall by Warren Boronson
• Democracy by Telephone by Vincent Campbell
• Israel Captured: Photographs compiled by Cornell Capa: includes work by Leonard Freed, Izis, Paul Schutzer, Moshe Lapidot, Cornell Capa, David Seymour, Robert Capa, and David Pearlmutter
• Hundertwasser: Postcards from Pandemonimum: 4 pages of color reproductions
• The Bigger They Are, The Harder I Fall by Max Hess

AVANT GARDE No. 11: March 1970 Contents

• Cover lithographic image by John Lennon
• Letters to the Editor
• Wedded Bliss: A Portfolio Of Lithographs by John Lennon
• The Sins Of Their Fathers Compiled by Diane E. Bent
• The Case For Extending The School Year by Warren Boroson
• Gustav Klimt: Lost And Found
• Coming: Molecular Mastery Of The Brain by David Rorvick
• A Day For A Lay by W. H Auden
• The World's Most Powerful Critic by Ted Townsend
• Oragenitalism: A Book Review by Anatole Lerer
• The Silent Majority. Photographs by Julio Mitchel
• Wasted Yen by Ralph Schoenstein
• Thalidomide, Cyclamates, And Now . . . Caffeine? by Warner Brown
• Behind The Lines by Jeanne Devries

AVANT GARDE No. 12: May 1970 Contents

• Cover illustration by Jorgen Boberg
• Dial-A-Hawk: A Ringing New Form of Anti-War Protest
• Laid on Fire Island by Gary Youree
• The Mystery of Jorgen Boberg
• The Second Most Hated Johnson on America by Warren Boroson
• Bell's Belles: Photographs by Hugh Bell
• The Gang-Bang on the Underground Press
• Why "Hair" has Become a Four-Letter Word by Warner Brown
• Jack the Raper: Third in a Series Entitled "The Lust Battalion"
• Letters to the Editor

AVANT GARDE No. 13: Spring 1971 Contents

• Portraits of the American People. A Monumental Portfolio of Photographs Photographs. Alwyn Scott Turner: 56 pages of full-page black and white photographs.

AVANT GARDE No. 14: Summer 1971 Contents

• Cover illustration "Hommage a L'Ecole de Fontainebleau" by Lambert Wintersberger
• Letters to the Editor
• The Sexual Symbolism of the American Flag by Warner Brown
• High Time: Photographs by Mary Ellen Mark: 23 b/w photos of junkies on 7 pages. Mary Ellen Mark makes the most horrific subjects look elegiac.
• "The Machine I Hate the Most" compiled by Dorothy Bates: the opinion of luminaries such as David Frost, Clive Barnes, Saul Steinberg, Christopher Isherwood, Rod Sering, Allen Ginsberg, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Roy Lichtenstein and Al Capp among others
• Madness to his Method: Paintings by Dieter Schwertberger
• Strong Medicine by Warren Boroson
• Concerning the Maids of Brobdingnag by Lemuel Gulliver (as told to M.S. Winecoff)
• Way-Out Westbeth: Photographs by Leonard Freed
• On the Septuaquibquennial of Psychoanalysis by Frederick L. Boyle
• Belles-Lettres by Anna and Anthon Beeke, Peter Brattinga, Ed Van Der Elsken, and Geert Kooiman: a photo-alphabet composed of nude women
• Unwinding in London by Seymour Krim

Herb Lubalin's (1918 -1981) unique contribution to our times goes well beyond design in much the same way that his typographic innovations go beyond the twenty-six letters, ten numerals and the handful of punctuation marks that comprise our visual, literal vocabulary. Lubalin's imagination, sight and insight have erased boundaries and pushed back frontiers.

As an agency art director, he pushed beyond the established norm of copy-driven advertising and added a new dimension. As a publication designer, he pushed beyond the boundaries that constrained existing magazines‹both in form and content. In fact, some said he had pushed beyond the boundaries of "good taste," though in retrospect that work is more notable today for its graphic excellence than for its purported prurience. Lubalin helped push back the boundaries of the impact and perception of design‹from an ill-defined, narrowly recognized craft to a powerful communication medium that could put big, important ideas smack in the public eye.

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