Esquire: Men’s Style, Literature, and Classic Eras

Esquire collecting works the foundational American men's magazine that Arnold Gingrich, David A. Smart, and Henry Jackson founded in 1933 with Alberto Vargas and George Petty pin-up illustrations, and that became the defining home of the New Journalism under Harold Hayes' 1960s editorship. The George Lois cover era from 1962-1972 produced specific iconic covers (the 1968 Muhammad Ali as Saint Sebastian cover, the 1966 Andy Warhol drowning in Campbell's soup cover, the 1971 Sonny Liston Santa Claus cover) that collectors pursue as singular artifacts. Subsequent eras include the Tom Junod, David Granger, and Jay Fielden editorships, each producing specific cover traditions and long-form-journalism archives.

Esquire matters because the magazine's specific intersection of literary journalism (Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese, Norman Mailer, David Foster Wallace's long features), George Lois cover design, and fashion-and-culture coverage created a cultural artifact that specific mid-century issues are considered genuinely historically significant beyond typical magazine-collecting. The original Vargas and Petty gatefold illustrations from the 1940s carry additional collector weight as pin-up-art history.

Two practical habits. Track the George Lois cover archive specifically, because the 1962-1972 run of Lois-designed covers functions as a discrete cultural artifact with specific high-value issues and the run is bounded and documented. And store mid-century issues (1940s-1970s) with particular care for the Vargas and Petty gatefolds that are frequently torn or missing from surviving copies - complete gatefolds multiply the issue's value for that collector specialty. This community runs on generosity and careful gatefold preservation.

Slow-collecting in men's-magazine journalism

Learn the Magazines fundamentals - Esquire Lois-era cover identification, Vargas/Petty gatefold preservation, which dealers actually handle Esquire back-issues reliably - and keep a simple log of what you paid and why.

Find the other Esquire collectors

Niches like Esquire grow sharper when collectors who know the editorial eras can compare issues. Amassable lets you log issues, covers, and gatefold completeness, show the shelf like a gallery, and meet others chasing the same editorial eras. Early members help shape how a specialty grows.

Your turn

Show the Lois era, check the Vargas gatefolds, keep the covers archival. Amassable is built for Esquire collectors - catalog what you own, refine the want list, and start conversations. Download Amassable from the official store links on our homepage, and help bring the Esquire community together, one cover at a time.