Caricature Books

I'm new to opera, and this book was recommended by a family member as a good introduction. It's very thorough, and written in an accesible tone. The best thing about this book is that David, while clearly expressing which operas are his favorites, gives details on all different kinds of Opera so that the reader may decide where to start. I appreciated the descriptions of different voices (although a more thorough description of current singers would have been appreciated) and the discography was very helpful. David also provides the story lines of several operas at the end of the book, with comments on famous arias. I appreciated the descriptions of how opera styles have evolved, and the comparisons between them. David is good at providing short, humorous anecdotes about singers, performances and composers. My favorite anecdote is the one that tells of Toscanini at a performance of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. In the middle of a very long duet, Toscanini turned to the person next to him and said "If they were Italian, they'd have seven children by now." These types of quips are not only a humorous addition to David's book, but he places them well as to accentuate the points that he is trying to make (in this case, the difference between Italian and German opera.) If you are looking for a quick, informative introduction to opera, this book is for you. I give it four stars instead of five, because I feel that some of the cartoonish side-comments are superfluous, and became a little annoying after awhile.

Opera for Beginners is, as the title says, for people who know nothing about the subject. But the book is really for folks who want to learn one guy's opinion of it (Ron David). Mr. David gives a concise and entertaining history of the form, a review of 20th century opera singers, and synopses of his 30 favorite operas. The book is about half text, half cartoons. Always amusing, Mr. David tries to link opera to gospel, rock and roll, and rhythm and blues. You may not agree with his view that Mozart is an "overrated" composer --I happen to think his operas are among the finest ever written. But, he gives you something to think about. And, a fine place to begin your exploration of opera. Just don't think you're getting an exhaustive tome here--you can read Opera for Beginners in an hour or two.

This is an absolutely delightful little book. Much is covered in a highly readable and enjoyable style. Those who know nothing about opera, but would like to learn, will find this a fun and interesting introduction. Those, like myself, who love opera with a passion will also find Ron David's book to be a fun and interesting read -- not to mention "reference". I find that I turn to it often just to check on something. Mr. David's irreverent style is refreshing since I, too, believe that opera is for everyone. True soul music.

Even though some are over the top, this collection of jokes about hicks and their ways are funny. The illustrations add to it by exaggerating the jokes. Some examples are:

*) You wonder how service stations keep their restrooms so clean.
*) You rip a loud one and blame your date.
*) You pick your nose in line at the bank.
*) Going to the bathroom in the middle of the night requires shoes and a flashlight.
*) Your wife owns a camouflage nightie.
*) Your dog can smoke a cigarette.
*) Your muffler is held on by a coat hanger.

I laughed my way through them and must confess that the last one on the list applied to me in my younger days. Read this book and enjoy yourself.

I really laugh my butt of when i read this book! Jeff Foxwrthy is the funniest comedian alive today! If you like laughing at or about red-necks you'l love this book! Buy it because it's the BEST of Jeff FOxworthy!

I think this is a very funny book, although some of the jokes are too gross. It has clips from many of Foxworthy's various redneck books, like "You Might Be A Redneck If", "Games Rednecks Play", & "Hick is Chic". Overall, it's a pretty good book. I'm getting it for my dad for Father's Day. I'm sure he'll love it. :)

this is a great collection of pictures.before Rolling Stone sold out this was a very important magazine.many great Artists are featured here.i like to remember what made the Magazine great in the first place&this is one of them.

I don't know if Rolling Stone didn't use any art in their early days, or if the editors of this book just figured that they had to concentrate on appealing to their contemporary audience. Anyway, these very entertaining caricatures are mostly from the late Eighties through the Nineties. Risko and Burke account for a large percentage of the total. Risko especially is good, practically the second coming of Miguel Covarrubias. There's too much Madonna and not enough Sixties, but overall this is a fine compilation.

This book has everyone from Elvis to Marilyn Manson included. The illustrations in this book are phenomenal. It is a pretty large book, all pictures for all ages. It is the perfect gift book to anyone who has lived in the 70's, 80's or 90's. I have a copy sitting on my coffee table and everyone who comes over picks it up and cannot put it down until they have seen every picture. :-)

This book by Sparky Schulz is simply a DELIGHT

It is a wonderful example of Sparky's creativity -- before and beyond his creation of the successful Peanuts Cartoon Strip.

This book is amazing and is so much fun. Every page is like looking in a window back in time at the youth of the past. The simple and happy nature. The common expectations. It is adorable and while enjoying, the reader can also learn a few lessons without even trying. This is a treasure for anyone who has or does work with youth in any way. It is also enjoyed by teens who can see themselves, their friends, and sometimes their grandparents in each cartoon.
Great buy and a treasure to share.

This volume reprints Charles Schulz' "Young Pillars" panels for the Worldwide Church of God youth magazine. Perhaps to distance himself just a bit from his concurrent work on PEANUTS, Schulz typically signed these works with a lowercase cursive "cms." Schulz' gags here, many of which involve (no surprise) Biblical and church-related references, are very much in the spirit of his PEANUTS gags, calculated to produce smiles and chuckles rather than guffaws. Schulz does make efforts to generate running gags involving such topics as bowling dates, rattletrap jalopies, and teens awkwardly trying to teach Sunday School lessons to seated children who look very much like well-dressed members of the PEANUTS gang, but he's usually content to make a gag with a single point and get off the stage. The earliest panels are comparatively realistic-looking, as if Schulz (just as in his syndicated panel IT'S ONLY A GAME) were consciously trying to make them so, but the familiar Schulz abstraction soon takes over. By the end of the run, the characters resemble nothing so much as contemporary PEANUTS participants stretched on a rack. In one unusual stylistic quirk, the faces of certain female characters -- especially good-looking ones -- are drawn so that there is a gap between the tip of the nose and the mouth. The closest thing the feature has to a recurring character is a skinny male skyscraper with a face like Charlie Brown's and a shock of hair resembling that of a ruffled rooster, but he doesn't ever develop a distinct personality. The message was clearly "the thing" in this enterprise, a sharp departure from the character dynamics that fueled PEANUTS. The book also includes Schulz' illustrations from another WCOG publication, "Two-by-Fours", which feature neatly-coiffed preschool kids carrying off mildly amusing religious-themed gags. Obviously essential for a Schulz completist, but whether this collection will interest anyone else is very much an open question.

Finally a book that begins to bridge the gap between parents and children! Grownups will roar, children will laugh, have fun and learn. There are a couple of exceptions (for parents only) but the drawings are universally appealing and the verses, based on history, pop culture, and literature are, in a word..... sophisticated!

Whether it is Oprah Winfrey, Alligator Commentator or Lorena Bobbitt, Penile Amputator, Noel Miller gives the reader much more value than the minimal cost of this amusing book. This publication will amuse your friends, family, and dinner party guests for years to come. It is a classic! I am sure that the author's work will far surpass the fame of the Blue Dog. Louisiana should be proud of this great combination of art and poetry

I like the drawings very much--they are fresh, clever, and amusing caricatures of more or less famous people seen as alligators. The poems are wonderful--original works of wit, which complement the drawings but go beyond them in subtlety and humor. Good book!

So glad I bought and read this book. It is amazing. Shows Hispanic culture in a fun way.

Cartoons have always been very underrated when it comes to education. They are in fact invaluable when dealing with recall since they combine words and pictures which helps with retention and context.

This little book is filled with cartoons from all over the Spanish speaking world. Some you may find funny, others maybe not. You will learn some good Spanish words in a cultural context as well as learn a modicum of that culture.

Each cartoon is presented in its original form at the top of the page. Below this are the key words for understanding the cartoon, along with translations of these keywords. This makes it very easy to comprehend and learn the words you do not know in the cartoon.

This is probably not a good beginner's book. It does not go into great detail about grammar and verbs. It is designed more for the Spanish learner who already has a basic background and wants to expand their vocabulary.

Lastly, a brief biography of each cartoonist is presented. The cartoons are labeled by Cartoonist and their country.

Overall, the book will help someone already somewhat basically proficient in Spanish (you do not need to be an expert by any means) improve their Spanish. It may also make you laugh, but it will definitely provide you with some juicy Spanish right out of Spanish speaking culture.

If you're willing to really THINK about what's being said in each cartoon, and your students are motivated to use the words presented as vocabulary for each page, this can be a GREAT way to jump start a lesson. I made transparencies and showed these at the beginning of weekly classes for my teenage students. They helped new words to stick. I then would add a little speaking activity or something to go with each one to further the absorption.

For younger children, who need lots of activities and hands on learning, try Flip Flop Spanish, which comes with a CD!

Sra. Gose
Author of Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 & Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 2

I was fond of reading air force magazine before and this article is always at the last part of the magazine,so when I found out its available I decided to buy one, this book is full of humor from the aeronautics point of view,it comes on a compilation of all the articles in the air force magazines and binded into a book.It good if you comes from the aviation industry just like me.

Having read Bob Stevens' cartoons and views on his life in the USAF, I can honestly say that he has humorously captured the whole emotional range of the American pilot in the military. With anecdotes, first hand knowledge, and a whole lot of personal sources, Mr. Stevens has created a classic style that will endure the ages of military history.

Bob Stevens -- Lt. Col. Bob Stevens, USAF (Ret.) -- puts his sights on the Air Force and lets fly with some of the funniest ink-slinging in the history of cartooning. This is a collection of his cartoons for AIR FORCE Magazine, from January 1964 to January 1989, but it's also a light-hearted history of aviation from the early days (Operation of Aircraft, 1920; November 1976) to the Persian Gulf (KC-135 "reflagged tanker," October 1988).

Bob started his cartooning where he started his own "there I was," during World War II (he was commissioned into the Air Corps in 1943). Along the way, he's poked fun at everything from the newest cadets ("Me ... solo ... TODAY?") to the chain of command ("And today (the monkey) is my wing commander!"); from the forward bases ("And then you said 'We'll transfer to the Air Corps & get away from all the mud!'") to the home front ("Roger's looking for the character who welded a lunch bucket in the outer wing panel of his plane ..."); from the World War II days of P-47 ("But I'll bet you my Jug can outFALL you!") to the multiple-crewed C-5 ("Don't we have any LANDING pilots aboard!?")

No matter how outrageous the punch line might seem, the stories ring true and the illustrations are correct in every detail. After all, much of the time, it's Bob himself saying "There *I* Was...!"

"Tune In Tomorrow," published in 1994 collects Tom Tomorrow's comic strips from 1991-1994. During this period, Tom continues to skewer his favorite targets (in true, hilarious fashion) including the American political machine, mass media, and blind consumerism. The highlight of this book is the 10 pages or so of a travelogue to Paris that Sparky (the Penguin) undertakes - a refreshing and brilliant examination of international travel and cultural differences across the Pond.

Last week I read 'Tune in Tomorrow' by Tom Tomorrow. It is a remarkable book; funny, provoking, engaging. All the right elements needed for a timeless work. I would put it in the same stellar company of today's classics such as 'This Week I Married John Wayne Bobbitt' by Dottie Brewer, 'Nasty Snips' by Christopher Teague, 'Reconstructive Microsurgery' by Rollin K Daniel and 'A Thing So Small' by Silence X. Whittaker.

This political minded cartoon pretty much attacks everything with a humorous angle. The writing and the expressions on people's faces make the book funny. While doing that, he also makes valid points on the media, George Bush, Bill Clinton, and many other issues (from 1994).

The answer to the question is an emphatic, "A great deal, but only in the hands of the right person." Harris is without question one of the right people. In addition to being funny, his cartoons are topical, sometimes biting and send a clear message. He lampoons scientists, people who worship science, those who exploit science for their own ends and all who have no respect for the natural structure of the planet. My favorite is the man in a suit sitting at a desk at what is a research institution. The caption reads, "I think, therefore I am paid." A close second is the first cartoon in the book, which is a modification of the famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. That painting shows God reaching his index finger out to Adam, who is also reaching back. In this cartoon, a microorganism is at the end of God's finger. Funny and yet so very profound.

OK, so I'm a scientist, but it's one of the few cartoon
books that stands re-reading. And, it's not just
me. One of my daughter's 7 year old soccer buddies was
flipping through and giggling through the cartoons
she understood.

It's understated humor, and it often takes a leap to
get from the caption to the laugh, but every one is
different and fresh. The facial expressions are particularly
good.

This book contains the famous cartoon containing "then a miracle occurs".

My wife and I think both of Nick's Downes' books are terrific. His insight and ability to capture the essence and the humor a broad range of scientific activities are remarkable. We've loaned our copies to several friends and relatives who enjoyed both books immensely. After reading Nick's books, an eminent retired scientist from the National Institutes of Health was heard to say "These two cartoon books are fantastically good! He's a VERY talented fellow, that Nick Downes. Many thanks, the guy is a real talent". Regardless of your background in the sciences, you'll love these books. if you haven't read them yet, now's the time. You're in for a real treat.

Downes's cartoons have a New Yorker urbanity about them, with slope-shouldered people, uninflected linework, and a parsonage-party kind of cast. There are some good moments in these cartoons:
-- "They say with HDTV we'll be able to tell one show from the next."
-- "... but they're natural carcinogens."
-- "Take all six [dinosaur toys] and I'll throw in an asteroid."

Downes does a fair job. He captures the scientific angst of the average guy looking for a quiet evening at home.

Sidney Harris has the magical knack of standing inside the science, and projecting its humor outwards. I'm a scientist (or engineer, or something like that), and I can tell who's laughing with me or about me. Mr Downes, I'm sorry. I saw Harris's tribute to your work on the back page of this book. His noblesse oblige only heightens his status in my eyes. It doesn't elevate yours.

-- wiredweird

Nick Downes's science cartoons are in the tradition of the great European science cartoons going back to LaTondeau, Liegpaltz and Orovesky.