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Bennett CerfBennett Cerf
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Session:         Page of 1029

than I got from “Cerfboard” readers. Heaven knows how many million people never open that supplement. They use it to put milk bottles on. But the Saturday Review audience at that time was a very special one and a letter writing one.

It was then called the Saturday Review of Literature. They have sacrificed I think a lot of their character since they have dropped the “of Literature” and began reaching out over the map with music and poetry and economics and science sections. Of course it has become a very successful magazine; and since it has been bought by McCall's, it has gotten a lot of advertising. But in the days when they were living from one issue to another it was wonderful. I think that it's lost a lot of its character. With its large circulation, it's getting into the New Yorker class; it isn't nearly as interesting to me as it used to be--certainly not to anybody in the book business. Books have just become one part of Saturday Review. Their advertising rates have gone up so high that publishers can't afford to advertise in it like they used to. There used to be a very low rate because of the small circulation. But it was a very special one! I don't blame the publishers because there was not much money in the Saturday Review of Literature and it's become a very successful magazine by widening its appeal.

Q:

Maybe you want to put in here about the Readers Digest.

Cerf:

At that time, since I was doing “Trade Winds” and





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