A forty-four-year career with Esquire magazine led to Arnold Gingrich's reputation for being among the nation's "most imaginative editors" and a "headhunter of famous authors." His editorial exuberance and willingness to take risks gave the Depression-born men's magazine a brash, sophisticated sauciness that showcased full-page color pinups of girls alongside stories by twentieth-century America's major writers. The magazine's penchant for elegance and fashion coupled with a flippant style--a prototype for Playboy magazine years later--sometimes disguised the remarkable ability of Esquire to mix commercial success with literary distinction.

Born 5 December 1903 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Arnold Gingrich was a son of John Hembling and Clara Alice Speare Gingrich. He attended public schools in his hometown, then earned a bachelor's degree and Phi Beta Kappa key from the University of Michigan in 1925. After graduation Gingrich became an advertising copywriter and acting advertising manager for the Chicago-based men's clothing manufacturer B. Kuppenheimer...