Caricature Books

This book provides a wonderful look at the past three centuries of Anglo-Irish relations. It is essentially a well-edited compilation of political cartoons from both the English and the Irish press. The use of political cartoons to illustrate this area of history provides unique insight into the often troubled relations between these two nations. Unlike other collections of political cartoons, however, this book does not leave its readers to guess at either the topical content nor at the context of the cartoons. Caricatures are explained in detail, allowing the reader to understand the cartoons in the same context in which they would originally have been read. The text between chapters is succinct and useful. This is an excellent book for readers new to the study of Anglo-Irish relations as well as for students of the field.

Earle Bowden: Drawing From an Editor's Life. More than Forty Years of Editorial Cartoons, Caricatures and Illustrations, Pensacola News Journal, 1950s-1990s

Art and text by Jesse Earle Bowden
Father & Son Publishing, Inc., November 1996 publication
8x11, 472 pages, softback, $19.95
1,250 drawings

It's rare for a newspaper editor to draw his own editorial cartoons. But Editor Emeritus Jesse Earle Bowden of the Pensacola News Journal has been his own cartoonist for 55 years.
The politics, personalities and many editorial page crusades of the News Journal Editor and vice president, chairman of the editorial board and cartoonist--more than 1,250 cartoons and caricatures from more forty years at the drawing board--spill over 472 pages of this historic graphic treasure. The journalist/illustrator presents drawings from his sportswriting /cartooning years of 1950s to more than thirty years of his editorial-page cartoon commentary from the early 1960s to the 1990s.
Among the many humorous and satirical images are the strong symbolism of the American heritage and patriotism and the native Floridian's devotion to the region of his birth. Here are graphic symbolism of Bowden's many editorial dreams and two-barreled approach to his editorial persuasiveness. His editorials and editorial cartoons demonstrate his convictions about Gulf Islands National Seashore, Pensacola's historical preservation movement, the Pensacola bayfront and downtown redevelopment, preservation of Scenic Highway, University of West Florida and quality education, the cultural arts and the many emotion-charged battles to reform Escambia County government.
Bowden's cartoons demonstrates his love of history; he has opened his many scrapbooks of pen-and-ink memories--some drawings never before published--from the presidency of John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton, from the Florida governorship of Haydon Burns to Lawton Chiles. The cartoon images chronicle the history of the people in the public arena of political change in Florida's First Place City, the western Panhandle, Tallahassee and in Washington.
Along the way, meet many Pensacolians, Floridians and national figures--ably caricatured--from Bowden's sketchbooks who peopled the cartoons that have appeared on News Journal sports, news and editorial pages since 1953.
Bowden includes many News Journal personalities from the eras of Publisher Braden Ball and Editor Marion T. Gaines in the 1950s to Publisher Denise Bannister's years of the 1990s.
Besides his text for a historic timeline of the four decades--the books show the busy left hand of Bowden--the other serious interest of the journalist, author of eleven books and teacher of writing at the University of West Florida. Partially retired in 1998, Bowden continues as a News Journal editorial page columnist and cartoonist.

This book is great even for people that don't really enjoy golf. To get all of Schillerstrom's comics in one book is like a dream for me, since that was the most exciting part about reading Golfweek.

Maybe that's why Springer-Verlag published these cartoons. Springer (parent company of Copernicus) is generally known for highly technical books, and clearly felt that Harris' comics are a valued contribution.

Science is just another human endeavor, so it's full of humans. That means it's basically irrational at the bottom, just like the people that work in science. It looks as if Harris has devoted his life to reminding us that clear, consistent results come from silly, self-contradictory people. His cartoons tease scientists, but always with affection. That's why so many people in the sciences like his work, and even make it their own.

If you already know Harris' work, you're sure to like this. If you're not already a Harris fan, this book will fix that for you.

you should know about the truth about the mit of this uknown virgin,as the painter and its history about the juan diego indian that accordingly to the history his real name was not juan.

After enjoying THE MOSTLY UNFABULOUS SOCIAL LIFE OF ETHAN GREEN comic strip for quite some time in my local gay newspaper, I took the plunge and invested in Eric Orner's book, THE ETHAN GREEN CHRONICLES. And what an excellent investment it was! Orner's cartoon interpretations of contemporary gay life are so insightful, so delightful, and so outrageously funny. The nuances of Orner's humor within each cartoon frame require careful inspection, but not to worry. You're always rewarded with a laugh.

Not to sell Ethan Green short, it's important to note that Orner often tackles issues relevant to the current cultural scene. But never without his tongue firmly in his cheek!

Buy this book! You won't be sorry.

A sure way to keep the campsite on each side of you vacant: Place a tuba in the middle of the picnic table.

It gets better! Get it, borrow it, steal it, buy it, you have to read it!

This coloring book for grown-ups is a forgotten spoof of the "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit" generation. Published in 1961, it became a best-seller, and was so popular that it was parodied in Playboy Magazine and talked about on the Tonight Show. If Jack Paar had a copy, you know it was cool! There is a potentially vast audience of martini-drinking lounge devotees out there who would love this book's tongue-in-cheek approach. If you can find a copy of The Executive Coloring Book, buy it!

As a teacher of language arts and interdisciplinary studies, I recommend Bentley Boyd's work to kids 10 and up. He developed a strong graphic sense over his years as a long-time political and educational cartoonist (full disclosure: I have known Bentley for many years, and saw early versions of many of the narratives that ended up in the Chester the Crab series). This makes his work visually stimulating for readers of all ages.

This series started as an educational tool aligned with Virginia's content-focused "Standards of Learning". The current educational environment promotes a focus on real content; a school that wants its students to learn plenty of real content could do no better than to connect with this author/artist's work. Each page is a stand-alone piece of history that addresses a clear content objective, and each book tells a handful of stories that put years of history in context. The color is great, the layout engaging, and the subtle references add layers of information and humor.

One note: even though this is a series for students, Bentley is unafraid to address sensitive issues and unwilling to gloss over the unpleasant aspects of history. "Heroic figures" are not larger-than-life, and their flaws are not airbrushed away. This is history and art from someone who loves and respects both.

"Hanoch Piven has taken the art of caricature to a whole new level. With a minimalist stroke of his deft hand, combined with an object related to what the subject is noted for--along with his sharp wit--Piven presents his vision of the celebrities he portrays.

"The stories Piven tells about each face are enlivened by elemental puns, developed from the three-step creative process. As Piven is sketching the subject in pencil, he is coming up with a word or two to describe the person: 'Americana' for Bruce Springsteen, 'media' for Jesse Jackson. Now he goes out 'to the field' to find the appropriate object, the field being anything from a toy store to a hardware store. Then he lays out all the stuff he has found and combines the objects, adding or culling as necessary, until he achieves the minimum amount of information the viewer needs to recognize the person.

"Thus we have Steven Spielberg's beard and moustache expressed with strips of film; Jesse Jackson's mouth is a speaker. Within the seven categories of TV, film, music, American politics, the world, finance, and miscellaneous, Faces by Hanoch Piven presents 78 deliciously wicked takes on the likes of such diverse folk as Sigmund Freud, Marilyn Monroe, and the Unabomber.

"Piven's work has appeared in such publications as Time, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, and The Village Voice. Introduction by Steve Brodner. 88 pages, 78 full-color portraits, size: 6 3/4 x 9". Casebound book, with dust-jacket. ISBN: 0-7649-2131-2."--© Pomegranate