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At Wit's End: Cartoonists of The New Yorker
Win a free print copy of this book!
20 days and 19:50:26
25 copies available
U.S. only
An exclusive sneak peek inside the creative minds of more than 50 New Yorker cartoonists, celebrating legends and newcomers alike with stunning photography and engaging profiles.
For a century, The New Yorker has provided readers with hundreds of thousands of cartoons that humorously (and accurately) encapsulate the cultural happenings in our world. From politics to pop culture, New Yorker cartoonists have found a way to make complex topics digestible through lines, shades, and clever, witty captions.
In honor of the magazine’s 100th birthday, this celebratory collection captures the brilliantly quirky personalities behind some of The New Yorker’s most iconic cartoons. Filled with striking portraits by world-renowned photographer Alen MacWeeney, captivating profiles by long-time New Yorker contributor Michael Maslin, and a sampling of each artist’s work, these pages offer an exclusive peek inside the creative brains of over fifty prominent cartoonists, both seasoned and newly minted. From legends like Roz Chast and Jack Ziegler to contemporaries like Liana Finck and Jeremy Nguyen, this landmark volume is a beautiful homage to the artists who have long brought joy, humor, and satire to our lives.
For a century, The New Yorker has provided readers with hundreds of thousands of cartoons that humorously (and accurately) encapsulate the cultural happenings in our world. From politics to pop culture, New Yorker cartoonists have found a way to make complex topics digestible through lines, shades, and clever, witty captions.
In honor of the magazine’s 100th birthday, this celebratory collection captures the brilliantly quirky personalities behind some of The New Yorker’s most iconic cartoons. Filled with striking portraits by world-renowned photographer Alen MacWeeney, captivating profiles by long-time New Yorker contributor Michael Maslin, and a sampling of each artist’s work, these pages offer an exclusive peek inside the creative brains of over fifty prominent cartoonists, both seasoned and newly minted. From legends like Roz Chast and Jack Ziegler to contemporaries like Liana Finck and Jeremy Nguyen, this landmark volume is a beautiful homage to the artists who have long brought joy, humor, and satire to our lives.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published November 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 8, 2024
My thanks to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for an advance copy of this book that turns the camera eye to the the people who make us laugh, or leave us wondering what this series of doodles is supposed to be doing, along with ideas about creativity and loving what one does.
Two things that have always interested me are creativity and cartooning. I love to read how creators get there ideas, be it buying them wholesale from a store in Schenectady, as Harlan Ellison used to quip, a chance conversation, or just sitting at a table and sketching one's way to brilliance. As a person who can't draw a straight line with a ruler, I have always loved cartoons, especially single panel works. The idea that the story, the setup the punchline and a picture take place in one drawing is always astonishing to me. This love took awhile. I grew up with the funnies, Dick Tracy, Dondi, Broom Hilda, and loved the stories, the places the panels would take you. My father was subscriber to The New Yorker and started sharing the cartoons with me. I must admit I was a bit like a Seinfeld character in the beginning, not getting the one panel sketch, nor the jokes. Soon though I came to appreciate it, the work involved, and would pick up cues that told me who various illustrators were, and what I could expect. This is why I loved this book so much. At Wit's End: Cartoonists of The New Yorker features photographs by famed photographer Alen MacWeeney with words and commentary by cartoonist and historian Michael Maslin featuring over 50 cartoonists from The New Yorker, from the past, the present and future up-and-comers.
There have been about 700 cartoonists who have had work appear in the one hundred years that The New Yorker has been published. Many have been lost to time or produced works in anonymity. The cartoons were started as a way to fill in spaces in the magazine, as their was not much money in the beginning and articles could only be stretched so far. The book features 50 cartoonists, with photos taken by MacWeeney. Accompanying this photos are essays either featuring commentary on the art, interviews with the artist, or a bit of both. These are written by Michael Maslin, a cartoonist whose work has appeared in the magazine, and who also has a website about the history of The New Yorker's cartoons. These photos show the cartoonists at rest, at play, and sometimes at work. Along with the essays are panels of some of their works, so one gets an idea of the creative sparks these people have within them.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I loved putting names and faces to cartoons that I have enjoyed over the years. The writing I thought was quite good, knowledgeable and understanding about being a cartoonist, and full of interesting tidbits. The idea that there was a time when cartoonists would travel from magazine to magazine, selling single panel pictures, meeting for drinks, and going home to draw is seems like from a far distant world. Many cartoonists have five or six jobs to keep the lights on in their studio. What also becomes clear from the interview is the love they have for what they do, and the pride they take in their work.
I love to see people living their dream, and this book is full of that. There might be a lot of struggling to do so, but one can see they really love what they do. That is rare. A great book for burgeoning cartoonists, people who love portraits, as the photos are really quite good. And people like me who loved to read about creativity no matter where it comes from, or what it creates.
Two things that have always interested me are creativity and cartooning. I love to read how creators get there ideas, be it buying them wholesale from a store in Schenectady, as Harlan Ellison used to quip, a chance conversation, or just sitting at a table and sketching one's way to brilliance. As a person who can't draw a straight line with a ruler, I have always loved cartoons, especially single panel works. The idea that the story, the setup the punchline and a picture take place in one drawing is always astonishing to me. This love took awhile. I grew up with the funnies, Dick Tracy, Dondi, Broom Hilda, and loved the stories, the places the panels would take you. My father was subscriber to The New Yorker and started sharing the cartoons with me. I must admit I was a bit like a Seinfeld character in the beginning, not getting the one panel sketch, nor the jokes. Soon though I came to appreciate it, the work involved, and would pick up cues that told me who various illustrators were, and what I could expect. This is why I loved this book so much. At Wit's End: Cartoonists of The New Yorker features photographs by famed photographer Alen MacWeeney with words and commentary by cartoonist and historian Michael Maslin featuring over 50 cartoonists from The New Yorker, from the past, the present and future up-and-comers.
There have been about 700 cartoonists who have had work appear in the one hundred years that The New Yorker has been published. Many have been lost to time or produced works in anonymity. The cartoons were started as a way to fill in spaces in the magazine, as their was not much money in the beginning and articles could only be stretched so far. The book features 50 cartoonists, with photos taken by MacWeeney. Accompanying this photos are essays either featuring commentary on the art, interviews with the artist, or a bit of both. These are written by Michael Maslin, a cartoonist whose work has appeared in the magazine, and who also has a website about the history of The New Yorker's cartoons. These photos show the cartoonists at rest, at play, and sometimes at work. Along with the essays are panels of some of their works, so one gets an idea of the creative sparks these people have within them.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I loved putting names and faces to cartoons that I have enjoyed over the years. The writing I thought was quite good, knowledgeable and understanding about being a cartoonist, and full of interesting tidbits. The idea that there was a time when cartoonists would travel from magazine to magazine, selling single panel pictures, meeting for drinks, and going home to draw is seems like from a far distant world. Many cartoonists have five or six jobs to keep the lights on in their studio. What also becomes clear from the interview is the love they have for what they do, and the pride they take in their work.
I love to see people living their dream, and this book is full of that. There might be a lot of struggling to do so, but one can see they really love what they do. That is rare. A great book for burgeoning cartoonists, people who love portraits, as the photos are really quite good. And people like me who loved to read about creativity no matter where it comes from, or what it creates.
September 15, 2024
This is a fabulous book. First you've got Alen MacWeeney's delightful photos, taken over the past 40 or more years, of cartoonists for The New Yorker, then brief profiles by Michael Maslin (himself a New Yorker cartoonist), and finally representative cartoons for each artist. So, yes, I frequently laughed out loud, not just at the cartoons, but at the ways the cartoonists chose to present themselves: Robert Mankoff swaddled like a newborn from chin to toe in ... I don't know what ...a shower curtain? Roz Chast with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary overhead, Edward Koren in ... is he really a volunteer fireman? Highly recommended as a Christmas gift, and buy one for yourself as well.
October 3, 2024
I learned from this book that The New Yorker has had over 700 cartoonists, and they seem to be as funny in real life as in their cartoons. The chosen artists get a section where they pose in unique, funny ways, and we get to learn more about them, their inspirations, and other parts of their lives. Humor can be difficult, and each of these artists had such an interesting view of the world. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews