Clik here to view.
The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #90
For its 90th contest, Cartoon Collections continues its recent practice of explaining the caption contest cartoon scenario while abandoning its former practice of proofreading: "This week’s cartoon of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dr. Seuss: A First Edition of The Lorax
Today Tom Bloom provides us with a scan of a first edition of The Lorax (1971), Dr. Seuss'sinfluential children's book warning of the dangers of plundering our environment. The Lorax, as Tom likes to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hugh and John's Copy of Big George by Virgil Partch
A Friend of the Blog continues to point out unique books from the world of cartooning and illustration. Big George is a 1962 collection of newspaper panels by Virgil Partch, or Vip as he liked to call...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Patrick McDonnell: Twin Dedications
Today Stephen Kroninger shares with us two Mutts books each dedicated by comic strip artist Patrick McDonnell to Stephen's twin daughters. The first book is The Gift of Nothing (2005).The second book...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Josephine Kimball's Copy of Dr. Seuss's The Seven Lady Godivas
What could be better than a first edition of The Seven Lady Godivas (1939) by Dr. Seuss? How about a signed first edition, one with a Seussian inscription that reveals the long-suppressed identity of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #723
Take five for my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #723 dated September 7, 2020. The drawing of animals in a recording studio is by Tim Hamilton."It's as if they never learned how to play...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Vip Digs Searle: A Cartoon Blurb
Who says blurbs in books have to be written? It would seem the most natural thing in the world for one cartoonist, say, to draw rather than write a blurb for another cartoonist's book, as Virgil...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #91
The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #91 comes with its own helpful explanation: "This week’s cartoon of a man amongst his trash heap comes from Kendra Allenby."Amongst? Trash heap is singular. Why...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Helen E. Hokinson's When Were You Built?
Last month one eBay seller concurrently listed five books by Helen E. Hokinson, two of which were signed copies associated with James Reid Parker, her collaborator and caption writer. One can only...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Helen E. Hokinson's The Ladies, God Bless 'em!
The Ladies, God Bless 'em! was published in 1950, the year after cartoonist Helen E. Hokinson died in a plane crash. She had published three cartoon collections in her lifetime; this is the first of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Groucho Marx's Copy of The Hokinson Festival
Responding to some of my recent posts about Helen E. Hokinson (1893-1949) and her cartoons, Stephen Kroninger sent along an old press photo showing Groucho Marx (1890-1977) at home in his study. On one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dr. Seuss: Starve the Squander Bug
During the Second World War, British illustrator Phillip Boydell created the Squander Bug character intended to discourage wasteful spending at home."The first of Boydell's six original Squander Bug...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #724
It's best to arrive early for my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #724 dated September 14, 2020. The drawing of a prehistoric creature in line at a book signing is by Mick Stevens."Any...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hendrik Willem van Loon's Portrait of Franz von Papen
A century ago Hendrik Willem van Loon 1882-1944) was a bestselling author who illustrated his own works. In his lifetime, he was the subject of two "Profiles" in The New Yorker. From Argosy Book Store...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #92
The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #92 comes with words of explanation that demonstrate editors can misread cartoons as well as the rest of us:"This week’s cartoon of a wizard waiting for an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
At the Piano: Stan's Sketchbook Page by William Hamilton
A young woman at the piano is the subject of a sketchbook page by New Yorker cartoonist William Hamilton. The piano has to be taken on faith; it is left out of the drawing. The sketch is inscribed "For...
View ArticleClik here to view.
William Hamilton: Like the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Men sure do love to talk about their cars. Still, not every automotive feature is always what it seems, as cartoonist William Hamilton duly notes in his New Yorker cartoon of July 2, 1973. The original...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Roger Angell at 100
Today is the one-hundredth birthday of author and editor Roger Angell, one of the great baseball writers of our time. Much of his work over the years has appeared in The New Yorker; indeed he worked...
View ArticleClik here to view.
William Hamilton: The Tautology of Their Symbolism
A 1971 New Yorker cartoon by William Hamiltonwas deemed good enough to be included in The New Yorker Album of Drawings 1925-1975. The setting is a college seminar; the Harvard seal is prominent in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #725
I always aim high with my entries in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest. Contest #725 for September 21, 2020 is the exception. The drawing is by Lars Kenseth."I'm not Walter. Are you sure you're...
View Article