He perceived that his work along these lines seemed to give
satisfaction to his employers, since they placed more of it in his
hands to do; and he sought in every way to become proficient in the art.
To publishers whose advertisements he secured for the periodicals in
his charge, he made suggestions for the improvement of their
announcements, and found his suggestions accepted. He early saw the
value of white space as one of the most effective factors in
advertising; but this was a difficult argument, he soon found, to
convey successfully to others. A white space in an advertisement was
to the average publisher something to fill up; Bok saw in it something
to cherish for its effectiveness. But he never got very far with his
idea: he could not convince (perhaps because he failed to express his
ideas convincingly) his advertisers of what he felt and believed so
strongly.
An occasion came in which he was permitted to prove his contention.
The Scribners had published Andrew Carnegie's volume, _Triumphant
Democracy_, and the author desired that some special advertising should
be done in addition to that allowed by the appropriation made by the
house.
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