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Dr. Leslie at his desk ca. 1940's
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After Dr. Sarah suggested
one doctor in the family was enough, he moved back to New York and
in 1920 Leslie became the first industrial doctor in the city. He
was hired by McGraw Hill Company and eventually left medicine permanently
when he decided that printing was in his blood. It was here at McGraw
Hill that he first met Sol Cantor, who worked for the Carey Printing
Company, located in the same building. The two men formed a partnership
and created the Enmore Linotype Company. A few years later the business
was bought out by Louis Statenstein and Leslie was under contract
with him for four years. In 1927, he and Cantor partnered again
and formed The Composing Room, Inc.
In the early thirties, Leslie served as the American editor of Gebrauchsgraphik,
the German art and design periodical. When the magazine folded he
decided to create his own version - PM magazine. With co-editor,
Percy Seitlin, the magazine became a collaborative effort in that
the typesetting was done at The Composing Room, paper was donated
and the presswork was done at a reduced rate.
"That magazine
became the means by which I could take care of all the emigres
who were flocking here from France, Italy , Germany and even England. My office
was turned into a complete bureau for helping the dispossessed,
not only financially and morally but wherever possible aiding
them to locate jobs." -
Dr. Leslie, 1981
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Video interview
with Dr. Leslie
Dr. Leslie partners with Sol Cantor [2.2mb]
Dr. Leslie talks about the Gebrauschgraphik magazine [2.7mb]
The New Company [4.01mb]
Dr. Robert L. Leslie discusses the beginning of
PM Magazine, with Professor Herbert Johnson, RIT.
Interview conducted at Rochester Institute of
Technology, Sept. 23, 1981
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