I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead [Hardcover]

Sam Gross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2007

Finally back in print in its original form after 30 years Sam Gross's I Am Blind and My Dog Is Dead--perhaps his best known and most loved book--is being released in a lavish hardcover introducing a new generation of readers to his unforgettable and original brand of dark humor, little match girls, confused pets, bewildered children and blind men.

A long-time contributor to The New Yorker, Sam, a legendary pioneer of bad taste, has become one of America's best-loved cartoonists and inspired many to take up the art, including John Callahan.

His drawing style is relaxed and free, his use of gray washes is remarkable, his sense of composition, without a single extra element, is unmatched. Sam Gross is a master, and I Am Blind and My Dog Is Dead is him at his best. Whether it is already an old favorite or a new discovery, this book will delight readers and have them laughing for a long time to come.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 136 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585679895
• ISBN-13: 978-1585679898
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Sam's cartoons cause folks to snort, twitch, and make strange noises.", March 4, 2008

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead (Hardcover)

Sam Gross has contributed his offbeat cartoons for years to such publications as The New Yorker, Esquire, and Good Housekeeping. This collection, "I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead," dates back to 1977 and it is laugh-out-loud funny.

Gross looks at the world obliquely and this book reflects his unique vision. He is cheerfully tactless and politically incorrect: Three women sit in church while one of them is accidentally being strangled with her rosary beads; two researchers observe a group of blind men being dragged to and fro by high-jumping "seeing-eye kangaroos." He makes us see the world in a new way: An alien dog-like creature from another planet bays at the earth; a grumpy cleaning lady sweeps away severed heads that have collected near a guillotine. He defies our expectations: A woman beats her mattress outside her window and money flies out; two people visit the cemetery--a grieving widow leaves flowers for her dear departed, while a grumpy man throws worms on the grave of (presumably) his despised ex-wife.

These beautifully shaded black and white drawings, some of which have no captions, are expressive, imaginative, and original. As a librarian, I particularly liked the one of a studious toddler reading in a playpen with built-in bookshelves (what a great baby gift!). Some of the cartoons are subtle; others rely on screamingly obvious sight gags. With a few exceptions, they are entertaining and sometimes even thought-provoking. Although not everyone will appreciate "I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead," it is bound to amuse cartoon-lovers who enjoy comedy with a wry twist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful cartoons, appalling edition, March 6, 2008

By 

Susan Lockrey - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead (Hardcover)

It hardly needs to be said how wonderful Gross' cartoons are. Fabulously absurd, and so refreshingly undiplomatic in taste. And beautifully drawn. No-one ever bettered him at The New Yorker. But pleeeeeese ... what is this idiotic description of this edition as a "lavish" production?! The binding is the usual non-hardcover hardcover, i.e. wretched glue, the paper is not much better than cheap blotting paper, and the reproduction is scandalously poor. Blurred lines and washed out grey. Wonderful art, deplorable production. I'm just waiting for a monograph on Gross that covers all his work. Along with Addams, Steig, Arno and Steinberg, this guy is at the top of the tree. However all this being said, I'd rather have a dodgy copy of Gross than none at all.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful cartoons, March 31, 2008

By 

Elmore Hammes "Writer and Reader" (Anderson, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead (Hardcover)

Sam Gross had me with the title and cover cartoon - it perfectly captures the essence of this collection. Some of these are simply humorous, most of them carry a sharp edge to the simple looking but marvelous drawings.

Fans of more recent cartoonists such as Gary Larson's Far Side would be well served to read this collection that predates Larson by several decades. While sadly lacking in Cows, plenty of other animals (cats, slothes, snails and kangaroos) appear in similar off beat ways, and there is a disturbingly large number of ginger bread men!

My only quibble with this is the format - with the relatively few number of pages, some of the drawings were a little lost in the hardcover inner fold. I think a larger layout would have given the drawings a better presentation.

Wonderful collection.