Caricature Books

I bought this from an Amazon vendor as a Christmas gift for a dear old aunt who is both an art snob and a cat fancier. Once she opened this gift on Christmas Eve, she could not seem to concentrate on anything else! She kept looking at the pictures and laughing out loud, really enjoying herself. It was useless trying to distract her with any other presents - she was hooked!

This book is basically a sort of highbrow art parody with a number of famous works of art (from ancient Greek to the Impressionists) re-done by Susan Herbert. Instead of the regular human figures in the paintings, Herbert has substituted cats. And so you get two cats as God and Adam on Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling (this was shown on the book cover of the edition I received), cats populating a Breugel village scene, a Rembrandt cat, a Van Gogh cat, and so on. It sounds like it would get boring, like a one-trick pony, but actually it doesn't. The combination of familiar art pieces from different periods, together with kitty faces offers enough variety to keep this picture-book interesting, even when you know where it's going.

The text which accompanies the paintings supposes a strange fiction - that all these great Western Artists had somehow needed to do "first drafts" of their famous works using cats as models instead of humans. The dead-pan prose is quite funny, if you know how incredibly unlikely it is that any cat would sit still for long enough to be painted (in costume, no less!)

I'm so sorry that this wonderful little book is out of print, but it was worth paying the money to an Amazon used-book vendor to see the delighted smile on my dear aunt's face!

Two paws up!

This is the best single overview of 20th Century American caricature I have ever seen. The quality of the reproductions is outstanding and a good many of the items herein are not available in other books. The book's cutoff point appears to be the Fifties; it would have been nice to have had some more recent examples by artists such as Edward Sorel, but perhaps the newer people are adequately covered in other books. Anyone interested in caricature cannot do without this book.

After working all day, and sometimes all night, at the university, I like to read humorous works to help me put it all in perspective. Whether it be academia, science, business, law, etc., Harris find the humor in these professions. I figure if I can still laugh at the end of the day, I am doing well. Harris helps me laugh.

Jim Tweedy has hit another homer with his latest on Charlie the RedCat. The paintings and writings are hilarious, and the book is beautiful. If you have a cat, or any pet with a spicy and unique personality, you'll identify with Charlie and love this book. This guy obviously has a great sense of humor and a real gift for conveying it. END

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have quite a few of Chester Comix with Content and love them all. This is a definate must have for the entire family.

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have acquired the entire set of Chester Comix with Content Series and love them all. These make a GREAT gift for anyone of any age or even for teachers as they are an awesome learning tool. This is a definate must have for the entire family. ENJOY!

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have acquired the entire set of Chester Comix with Content Series and love them all. These make a GREAT gift for anyone of any age or even for teachers as they are an awesome learning tool. A gift that keeps giving. This is a definate must have for the entire family. ENJOY!

I just happened to see this book sitting by the register at a bookstore, and I picked it up, not expecting to buy it. The very first comic I turned to was of a car driving down the highway, with two kids in the backseat, looking hopefully at the car they were passing. Mom and Dad were in the front driving, and the kids had a sign hanging out the back window that said (roughly paraphrased), "Please help. Our dad won't stop and ask for directions!"

This small book is stuffed full of comics in a similar vein. All of the comics are from the hilarious, slightly Far Side-esque but much less eccentric (but just as funny) Close to Home. The book is probably 98% comics and 2% quotations. Various quotations, also usually fun, about Dads and Children are sprinkled through the book.

It's just a cute, fun book. I haven't read any of the other Chicken Soup for the Soul books, so I can't compare it to that, but as a mini-treasury for "Close to Home," this book is well worth it.

This is a well done cartooning book. As an amatuer with only a hint of talent at drawing, I gained a great deal fromt this book. It helps you to see the simple shapes that most cartoons start from and how to build upon it. It is more geared toward the teen audience, but adults and even young children could gain much from it. The directions are simple to follow and there are tons of examples and illustrations. Even a non-artist like me was able to turn out some impressive cartoons. This would be a great book for anyone interested in drawing and/or cartooning.

These comics are enjoyed by our entire family. Our 10 year old son can't seem to put them down as the illustrations and content are clever and entertaining. We love how Bently Boyd brings history to life in a fun, creative and easy reading style for all reading levels. After my son is finished reading he can't wait to share what he read with the entire family. We have acquired the entire set of Chester Comix with Content Series and love them all. These make a GREAT gift for anyone of any age or even for teachers as they are an awesome learning tool. A gift that keeps giving. This is a definate must have for the entire family. ENJOY!