Published February 27, 2025
Katie Alexander, the former librarian at John Hersey High School, secured an original copy of The New Yorker magazine from August 31, 1946. This special edition was entirely devoted to John Hersey’s investigative masterpiece, Hiroshima.
What makes this copy particularly unique is that it still has the white band alerting readers to the magazine's content. This “obi” band was only placed on copies distributed at newsstands in New York City, and only a few thousand of these editions were ever produced.
In 2021, author Lesley M. M. Blume appeared on our ARCLight Podcast to discuss John Hersey and her book Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World. When presented with this copy of The New Yorker, she was astonished. “I’ve never seen the band,” she exclaimed. For years, she had contacted rare ephemera and book dealers in search of a copy with the elusive white band.
As it turns out, John Hersey High School holds the only known copy.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of The New Yorker magazine. The New York Public Library, which houses The New Yorker archives, is celebrating this milestone with an exhibition titled A Century of The New Yorker.
Thanks to Lesley Blume’s keen interest, the school's rare copy is now on loan to the New York Public Library. It is featured in this prestigious exhibit at the historic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, where it will remain until February 2026.
More information about the exhibit can be found at https://www.nypl.org/
