WONDERFULLY INSCRIBED WITH ORIGINAL CARTOONS BY FOUR OF THE FEATURED CARTOONISTS

(BOOTH, George) (GROSS, S.) (MARTIN, Henry) (MICHAUD, Roland) (MYERS, Lou) (TANNENBERG, Marvin) (WOODMAN, Bill) FISHER, Edwin, GERBERG, Mort and WOLIN, Ron, eds. The Art in Cartooning. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, (1975). Quarto, original black cloth, original dust jacket. $2500.

First edition of this celebration of American cartooning, seldom found inscribed with original sketches by its contributors. This copy boasts large, whimsical original art by notable magazine cartoonists Jack Ziegler, Gahan Wilson, Sam Gross and Bill Woodman.

Celebrating the work of American cartoonists from the late 19th century through 1975, The Art in Cartooning collects over 300 examples of the form at its finest, drawn from the pages of The New Yorker and other magazines. Artists represented include Charles Addams, Peter Arno, Gahan Wilson, James Thurber, Rube Goldberg and many more.

All of the four cartoonists who have inscribed this copy with delightful original work are represented in its pages, and most are best known for their contributions to The New Yorker. On the front pastedown, Jack Ziegler depicts an angel with a harp whispering in the ear of a bartender, "First you get a clean glass…" The front free endpaper features a cartoon by Gahan Wilson depicting a huddled man on a raft inside a bottle with the inscription "To Jack Herbert with all best wishes, Gahan Wilson." The rear free endpaper has a cartoon of a cat crouched outside a mousehole with the mouse inside saying "Sorry, I can't make it to Benchley's pub tonight, I'm all tied up at the moment," and the inscription "To Jack, Regards S. Gross." The rear pastedown shows a man with a martini on the floor next to a bar, with a bartender saying "The management says you've had enough sir" and the inscription "Best to Jack, Bill Woodman." Includes eight color plates.

Only a bit of creasing to dust jacket. A wonderfully inscribed copy.