What's Here?
Linda was the owner/publisher of Lame Johnny Press from 1971 to 1984, during which time she edited and published 23 books. She also published
Sunday Clothes: A Magazine of the Fine Arts, quarterly, from 1972 through 1976.
Note: Lame Johnny Press shut down in 1984 and Sunday Clothes is no longer being published.
Please do not send any submissions to the press or the magazine. Thank you.
Lame Johnny Press
A bit about the press and how it got its name. Coming soon . . .
Sunday Clothes: A Magazine of the Fine Arts
Includes photos of cover art with notes on a sampling of issues.
Read about what happened to the very first issue during the 1972 Rapid City flood on June 9th.
A Dialogue on Art: Sculptor vs. Editor
Linda, as editor of
Sunday Clothes, rejected a sculpture piece as not being suitable for the magazine.
Read some of the discussion that followed.
"The Death of an Independent Press"
In April, 1985,
The Bloomsbury Review published an essay by Linda about shutting down Lame Johnny Press.
Read it here soon . . .
Lame Johnny Press Book List
A bare bones list of books edited by Linda and published by LJP. We'll flesh out this list later.
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Lame Johnny Press
As owner/publisher of Lame Johnny Press from 1971 to 1985, Linda edited and published 23 books and the quarterly arts magazine
Sunday Clothes.
In 1984, with two books of her own published and a fellowship in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts, Linda suspended operation of the press to devote her time to her own writing.
Neither Lame Johnny Press nor
Sunday Clothes are currently in operation and none of the LJP books are in print, but Linda still edits books upon occasion, as with the
Wind Anthologies or with the
Journal of a Mountain Man.
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The title page of issue number one
Sunday Clothes: A Magazine of the Fine Arts
Sunday Clothes was published quarterly by Lame Johnny Press, Associates, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, from 1972 through 1976.
Sunday Clothes put out an open call for submissions of paintings, poetry, sculpture, plays, photographs, fiction, sketches, book and movie reviews.
There were no limitations in subject matter or length, nor did the writer or artist have to be a professional to enter the pages. In fact, the publishers prefered to recognize talent that had not appeared widely.
Work accepted for
Sunday Clothes was "paid for" by three copies of the magazine and a year’s subscription.
The cover price started at $1.25 for the first issue but rose by the second issue once printing costs were figured. Meeting the printing bill was an ongoing concern since subscriptions never matched the number of issues printed. Unsold copies of
Sunday Clothes were made available to schools at a reduced rate for use in creative writing, art, or art appreciation classes.
The magazine was published in two formats:
Magazine format
8.5 x 11 inches with a heavy card-stock cover.
Newspaper format
11 x 17 inches on newsprint.
Each newspaper was folded in half for distribution so the front covers shown below are 8.5 x 11 inches.
Below are a sampling of issues, with some brief information about the cover art and artists.
The excerpted notes from the publisher from each issue give you an idea of the travails faced during the years this arts magazine was in publication-- a massive flood, problems with the Postal Service, ongoing money-troubles, and discussions with artists as to the nature of art and what the readers of the magazine wanted to see.
The cover of volume 1, number 1
Sunday Clothes
Spring/Summer 1972 --- Volume 1, Number 1
Published in magazine format, 48 pages.
Cover price $1.25, subscription $5
Cover: Lithograph by R. C. Gorman, “Walking Women,” black on buff Arches paper, 30x22.
Pages 7 through 11 showed other lithographs by R.C. Gorman, who was born on the Navaho reservation at Chinle, Arizona. A short article about the artist included a few photos of him at work.
Excerpt of a note from the publisher:
This issue of SUNDAY CLOTHES was intended to reach newsstands by June 15 [1972]. Those plans were drastically altered when we were informed that all original copy, and all negatives for printing, had been lost in the June 9 flood which devastated Rapid City. It was even more frustrating to learn that the magazine had already been printed, and that 1,000 copies floated away down Rapid Creek. If you find a copy of that first issue, you have a treasure; only one copy survived at Nauman Printing.
On the other hand, while cleaning up the wreckage, Nauman employees were able to salvage most of the flats necessary for reconstructing this issue -- some damaged photos were eliminated or replaced, so it is unavoidably not quite what we had originally done.
The flood rather sharply demonstrated the reasons we advise artists not to send us [the] only copies of any material; disaster doesn’t take long.
The cover of volume 1, number 2
Sunday Clothes
Autumn 1972 --- Volume 1, Number 2
Published in magazine format, 48 pages.
Cover price $2, subscription $5
Cover: photograph by Caroline McAllister, a freelance photographer, Costa Mesa, California.
The photo appeared in a California show with the work of Southern California potter Bob Daniells.
Excerpt of a note from the publisher:
This project originally received a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council; however, the bulk of contributions for the first issue and this, the second, comes from individuals interested in supporting the cultural life of their community and the midwest.
The magazine’s staff consists of two persons, who do everything except the actual printing.
Printing cost per copy of Volume 1, Number 1, was $1.24-2/3, or 1/3-cent less than the retail price of the magazine. . . . These costs were exclusive of postage, telephone bills, gasoline, and other operating expenses.
The cover of volume 1, number 3
Sunday Clothes
Winter 1972 --- Volume 1, Number 3
Published in magazine format, 48 pages.
Cover price $2, subscription $5
Cover: detail, Fringed Jacket, etching, by Frank Stack, Columbia, Missouri.
The entire Fringed Jacket etching and two others by the same artist (House with Trellis and Two Story House) appear in the issue.
Excerpt of a note from the publisher:
Though our subscription list increased by nearly 100 per cent after the publication of our initial issue, and though those checks coming nearly every day pay the cost of supplies (paper, envelopes, stamps, copying, telephone, etc.), our major expenses for printing costs and distribution threaten to overwhelm us.
As if that weren’t enough, the Postal Service, after denying our initial application for a third-class bulk mailing permit, has taken six months on our appeal and still has not acted. So we pay 28-cents postage for each 7-ounce copy of Sunday Clothes mailed (third class bulk rate would be 11 cents a pound).
The cover of volume 2, number 2
Sunday Clothes
Summer 1973 --- Volume 2, Number 2
Bicentennial Issue
Published in magazine format, 48 pages plus inside back cover.
Cover price $2, subscription $5
Cover: Special Bicentennial cover designed by Judy Gill, Rapid City.
Excerpt of a note from the publisher:
This Summer, 1973, issue marks the first full year of production of
Sunday Clothes: A Magazine of the Fine Arts, by Lame Johnny Press, Associates.
To mark our first year, we wished to make a particular effort to display the artistic talent of South Dakotans, and residents of this midwestern region.
This is a special issue, too, in that it is part of a celebration of the nation’s past, present and future which will culminate in the summer of 1976, the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We feel it is fitting that the Bicentennial Committee has chosen to help us in financing this special issue, emphasizing the cultural present and future South Dakotans may expect -- for our state’s horizons in the arts are as wide as her prairies.
The cover of volume 2, number 3
Sunday Clothes
Autumn 1973 --- Volume 2, Number 3
The Pied Piper Issue: Artists in South Dakota Schools
Published in magazine format, 48 pages plus inside front and back covers.
No cover price or subscription price listed.
Cover: Lion by Julie Langenfeld, Spearfish, South Dakota.
Artwork in color in this issue is all from the 1972 HAPPY program. (Hometown Art Project Planned for Youth)
Excerpt of a note from the publisher:
The Pied Piper, autumn issue, of
Sunday Clothes, contains a selection of poetry written by children in South Dakota’s elementary and secondary schools through the Poetry-in-the-School program, sponsored by the South Dakota Arts Council through the National Endowment for the Arts and the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
It is hoped the Pied Piper will extend the effect of the poetry-in-the-schools projects beyond the visits of poets to the classrooms of South Dakota, and help teachers continue or begin such teaching to broaden the scope of the arts for our children.
Because this is an anthology of children’s work, spelling, punctuation and grammar have been carefully preserved as written by the children.
The cover of volume 2, number 4
Sunday Clothes
Winter 1973 --- Volume 2, Number 4
Published in magazine format, 48 pages plus inside front and back covers.
Cover price $2, subscription $5
Cover: by Kathy Merrick, Montana.
Excerpt of a note from the publisher:
It would be a cliche to say the arts face a crisis; the arts are always facing a crisis. To be more specific,
Sunday Clothes is -- well, broke. The continuing flow of subscriptions and contributions, which has been most gratifying, pays daily expenses -- postage, bookkeeping fees, purchase of paper, telephone bills, rent -- but is not enough to keep up with our single greatest expense, printing the magazine.
Approximately ten staff members, all unpaid, donated over 6,060 hours of their time to the production of the magazine last year. . . . But the arts are so important to them that they donated their time -- all they had to give -- so that others might have an opportunity to benefit by having an arts magazine in their area.
Often we hear the comment, “Well, it’s a nice magazine, but I don’t (understand) (like) your art.”
If you don’t like our art, send us yours. Never have we felt there was too much to choose from. We know there are many fine artists in the state and area we haven’t heard from -- not professionals, necessarily, but people who care about their work, who take it seriously and do it well. You should be seen in these pages; it’s your magazine.
The cover of volume 4, number 1
Sunday Clothes
Summer 1975 --- Volume 4, Number 1
Published in newspaper format, 36 pages.
Cover price $1, subscription $5
Cover: ink drawing by Dave Huebner, Brookings, South Dakota.
This issue includes a short fiction piece by Dan O’Brien entitled
Eminent Domain: A Love Story.
The cover of volume 5, number 3
Sunday Clothes
Autumn 1976 --- Volume 5, Number 3
Published in newspaper format, 36 pages.
No cover price listed, subscription $5.25
Cover: lithograph “Girl on the Hill, by RaVae Marsh, Piedmont, South Dakota.
Pages 12 through 16 showed other lithographs by RaVae Marsh. A lengthy article about the artist, with a few photos of her, included her discussion of various pieces and an explanation of what makes an "original print."
A Dialogue on Art: Sculptor vs. Editor
The following exchange, which appeared on pages 7 and 8 of the Summer, 1975 Issue (volume 4, number 1) came about when Linda, as editor of
Sunday Clothes, rejected a sculpture piece as not being suitable for the magazine.
Below are some excerpts of the printed correspondence. Due to copyright concerns no photo of the inner-tube maquette appears on this website and the artist's text that accompanied it has been paraphrased.
Sculptor Don Boyd wrote:
People like you, who draw narrow restrictions and definitions as to what art is and is not and what is good for people and what is not are exactly the type of people I have been “fighting” for years! But why fight? I think we are really after the same thing . . . understanding and enjoyment of art.
Only artists can say with finality what is art and what is not. If artists choose to make something and call it art, then certainly it is a candidate to be considered art by someone and I find your kind of censorship . . . that protective, mothering, shielding; “I know what my people like” kind of censorship to be the very worst kind.
Linda replied:
If you were familiar with the history of
Sunday Clothes, you would know that we began life as a high-quality, quite avant-garde publication, and were asked by our readers to get off our high horse and print something people could read and identify with. We have attempted to do that; so what you call my “mothering” kind of censorship is really a response to a demand-- which is, after all, the only way a publication or a business can survive.
You are correct in saying that we are after the same thing: understanding and enjoyment of art. Since I pay the bills, and through me my readers, it is up to them, and up to me, to select work that I believe will appeal to a wide variety of readers. “Only artists can say with finality what is art and what is not”-- but artists don’t always know what the public wants to see and read about well enough to buy.
So-- let us not divide on this. . . . Send me your innertube, and we’ll ask the readers to flood us with commentary . . . I am still unable to respond to it; but perhaps others will find it appealing, or tell us why they do not find it appealing.
* * *
Don Boyd sent the photo of his piece and replied, in part, that he wanted Linda to print photos of his “inner-tubes” plus at least an abbreviated version of the lengthy article that usually accompanied them.
The piece was entitled “Maquette for an Environment” and was described as a “black tube in a natural pine box, glass front and back, 14.5-inches wide by 11-inches tall by 15.25-inches deep. 1973. By Donald E. Boyd, Brookings, SD.”
The photo in
Sunday Clothes shows what looks like a partially-deflated bicycle inner-tube folded into a glass and wooden box.
The accompanying text asked, in part, if an inner-tube can be a fit subject for art; if it can be worked and manipulated just as well as can marble, bronze, wood, steel, plastic, and other materials more commonly associated with sculpture.
The artist pointed out the pleasurable sensation of using an inner-tube in cool water on a hot day, and asked if such an experience could be a fit subject for art. His intention was to create a large inner-tube (4 feet in diameter, sixty feet around) that could be touched and jumped on. He asked if art is only images or if it can be sensations that recall an experience.
* * *
Don Boyd wrote:
I know exactly what most of your readers would say without any accompanying text. “What does it mean?” “You call that art?”
Speaking for myself, I know what the public wants to buy, all too well. But my purpose is not to create what the public wants to buy, but to create a public that wants to buy what I create. That will take a long time.
I do not think I have to apologize for art credentials for my inner-tubes. I am sorry you felt you had to apologize for the level of taste of your readers.
Linda responded:
In reply, only two thing:
-- I do not apologize for the taste of my readers. I may disagree with it at times. But their taste is their own, grown from their heritage and culture, and as legitimate as any other taste of any other heritage and culture.
-- I find it strange that artists such as yourself feel compelled to discuss (defend?) your art in words. It has been my belief that a piece of art should speak for itself. If it does not, the fault may be that of the piece of art, or it may be that of the viewer. But I have never believed that at that point the artist should scurry out from behind his creation and explain it.
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The Death of an Independent Press
The Decision to Kill My Independent Press Was My New Year's Present to Myself
by Linda M. Hasselstrom
originally published in Bloomsbury Review
April, 1985
essay coming soon . . .
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Lame Johnny Press Book List
Books edited by Linda M. Hasselstrom and published by Lame Johnny Press, later known as Independent Publishing Services.
These books are currently out of print. The best way to find copies is through an internet book search.
Annie Tallent: The Mystery of the First White Woman in the Black Hills. Nancy N. Kovats. l983. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-26-2). History
The Book Book: A Publishing Handbook. Linda M. Hasselstrom. LC 78- 78385. l979. cloth (ISBN 0-9l7624-l3-0); pap. (ISBN 0-
9l7624-ll-4). How to publish
Buffalo Gap: A French Ranch in Dakota. Edmond De Mandat-Grancey. Ed. by Keith Cochran & Dave Strain. Tr. by Phyllis Gorum from Fr. (Illus). l98l. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-23-8). History
A Country for Old Men & Other Stories. E.R. Zietlow. LC 76-58238.
l977. cloth (ISBN 0-9l7624-05-X); pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-02-5).
Short fiction, South Dakota
Delivery. Carolyn Bell. (Outlaws Series: Vol. 3). l980. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-l9-X). Poetry
Heart of the Country (See Indian Maiden's Captivity)
The Hills Aren't Black: Poetry of the Black Hills. Larry C. Nelson
(Illus.). 48 p. l980. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-20-3). Poetry
The Indian Maiden's Captivity. E.R.Zietlow. Bound with
Heart of the Country. LC 78-6l093. l979. (ISBN 0-9l7624-l0-6). Fiction
Mato, Come Heal Me. Craig Volk. (Outlaws Series: Vol. 4). l980
paper (ISBN 0-9l7624-l5-7). Poetry
Next-Year Country: One Woman's View. ed. Linda M. Hasselstrom.
LC 77-91463. l978. cloth (ISBN 0-9l7624-09-2); pap.
(ISBN 0-9l7624-07-6). Photos, commentary, history of Nebraska
Soft Voices: Poetry of the Black Hills. Larry C. Nelson. (Illus.). 49 p. l980. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-2l-l). Poetry
Teaching the Door to Close. Phillip McCaffrey. (Grasslands Series: Vol. l). 24 p. l983. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-24-6).
Poetry.
Topographics. Margaret Condon. (Outlaws Series: Vol. l). l977. some signed, numbered; pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-06-8). Poetry
When Hot Springs Was a Pup. 3rd ed. Badger Clark. (Illus.) 96 p. l983. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-25-4). History, humor
Where is Dancer's Hill? Robert Schuler. (Outlaws Series; Vol. 2). l979. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-l8-l); pap.
White River Pete Sez. Byron Bradfield. l978. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624- 08-4).
A Bird Begins to Sing: Northwest Poetry & Prose. ed. by Linda M. Hasselstrom. l979. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-l2-2).
Homemade Poems. Daniel Lusk. (Illus.) l974. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-00-9).
Horizons: The South Dakota Writers' Anthology. Ed. by Linda M. Hasselstrom and Nancy Iversen. 1983. pap. (ISBN 0-917624-27- 0. Also study guide for Horizons.
Sculpture by Tuma. Michael R. Tuma. Vol. I. 0-9l7624-04-l).
Sculpture by Tuma. Michael R. Tuma. Vol. II. 0-9l7624-03-3).
When Hot Springs Was a Pup. Charles Badger Clark. (Illus.) l976. pap. (ISBN 0-9l7624-0l-7). First LJP edition
Titles distributed:
Caught By One Wing. Linda M. Hasselstrom. letterpress, pap., (ISBN 0-9l7624-29-7) published by Julie D. Holcomb., dist. by Lame Johnny Press
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