Printers' Ink, Dec 17, 1925 (Vol. 133, No. 12): "How Changes in Distribution Affect the Practice of Advertising" by Stanley Resor
The pattern
This still is filed under Lettered cover hook.
Define
The cover is the hook, and the hook is lettering: a title treated as an image.
Mechanism
Type as bait. The words are drawn so they stop the hand before the contents are known.
Verdict
A journal, book, or issue must sell itself on a rack or a feed
Why it works
The cover ad uses the metaphor of a 'dark horse' winning a race to explain how the agency helped launch a successful new product (The Personal Protectograph) alongside established ones.
Steal this when
You want to highlight a surprising success story or the launch of a new product line.