Ballard Street [Paperback]

Jerry Van Amerongen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

The first Ballard Street cartoon collection, with cartoonist Jerry Van Amerongen (previously of The Neighborhood) creating an assortment of panels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836267494
• ISBN-13: 978-0836267495
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,881,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rut Bound Dullards and Their Soaring Fantasies, November 27, 1998

By 

Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm" (California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ballard Street (Paperback)

J Amerongen entertains us by divulging the home life, and inner musings of the folks who go through life being totally ignored. They have hum drum jobs, and share their boredom with a boring spouse. One man enjoys talking to his weeds, while Jocelyn posts household hints on her front window. Aaron sits stunned in his office as he realizes an original thought just passed through his brain. Others engage in a battle of wits with their dogs. They generally lose. Some find their world too stressful and drive up to the drive in therapy window for help.

Strange humor? You bet, but to me its the most hilarious stuff in the world. I was very disappointed when I bought the book, though, because at 144 pages I thought, "Oh no, I can read this at one sitting." My solution? I limited my reading of it to 6 pages a day. That way I could keep laughing for over three weeks.

I read JvA's Ballard Street daily newspaper cartoon in the LA Times for years, but then moved to humorless Atlanta. This book was a godsend, and I hope JvA comes out with a new one every other month. I'll buy them all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I hoped for, February 20, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Ballard Street (Paperback)

I have his previous books and believe them to be unique and worth having in any personal library. This new book is exactly like the others. If you liked his Neighborhood books, you'll like this one. Its more of the same, which is exactly what I was looking for.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jerry Van Amerongen is an Original Comic Genius, June 8, 2001

By 

givbatam3 "givbatam3" (REHOVOT Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ballard Street (Paperback)

In my humble opinion, Jerry Van Amerongen is a comic genius. His "The Neighborhood" and "Ballard Street" panels take everyday phrases and/or situations and he turns them into absurdity when combined with his detailed, exaggerated drawings. During my day-to-day activities I am constantly reminded of his cartoons and I can't say that about any other cartoonist. Jerry (along with Gary Larson) completely changed the nature of the comics because before them the drawing was secondary to the humor of the panel or strip whereas they made the picture an integral part of it. Today, there are many comic panels that are of this type, but Ballard Street is still unique. My only criticism is that Jerry now focuses almost exclusively on dumpy old people in his panels, whereas in his old "The Neighborhood" panels he frequently used animals (particulary chickens which are really absurd creatures!) or inanimate objects which would seem to allow more creative possiblities. Anyway, enjoy!