A Cartoon Guide to the Constitution of the United States (COS) [Paperback]

Eric Lurio (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble; 1st edition (July 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064604233
• ISBN-13: 978-0064604239
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,510,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Lurio was born on a cold February day in 1957 somewhere in Newark, New Jersey. He didn't grow up there though, rather it was in New York City and it's Westchester suburbs that he completed his primary, secondary and tertiary education before going to attend George Washington University, where he was cheated out of his degree by an evil professor.

Arriving home defeated yet defiant, he began his career as a freelance illustrator, and a number of childrens' books, including "Illustrated Guides for Young People" (Horseback Riding and Backpacking) hich came out in 1980 and 1981. In 1981, be took his first solo journey to Europe, and thus began an ever expanding number of journeys throughout the World, which to date has included approximately 100 countries.

After a grand tour of Europe and the Middle East in 1983, he decided to get that degree he was cheated out of, and from 1984 to '86 he attended the prestigious Pratt institute, where he earned a BFI in illustration.

The day after he was informed that he would indeed get his degree, Lurio walked into the offices of what was then called Harper and Row, and pitched the "Cartoon Guide to the US Constitution" to one of the editors there. He received a contract immediately. The book came out in 1987.

The tome sold poorly, and after a few month freelancing, he got a steady job as an art director for a small gambling magazine, where he earned enough money to take take a trip around the world in 1989. This took the better part of that year.

Changing directions on his return, he began writing for local magazines and newspapers, still selling the occasional drawing, and in 1991, with the unexpected help of the great Larry Gonick, got a contract to write another book, "The Fractured History of the Discovery of America," which should have been called the "Christopher Columbus Haffamillenial Funbook" (it would have sold far better that way) which was published by Dell three weeks after the Columbus Quincentennial was over. (methinks it was done on purpose for some reason).

In 1996, he joined the staff of the Greenwich Villiage Gazette, where he soon became their film critic and remained so until 2008.

He is now a blogger for the Huffington Post.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn about the Constitution without falling asleep, November 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Cartoon Guide to the Constitution of the United States (COS) (Paperback)

The entire text of the constitution is included in this book with a serious cartoon narrative explaining both what is written and the historical reasons each portion of text was put into the constitution and its amendments. That history (including how we almost had a President Burr in 1800 and a President Tilden in 1876) helps making the constitution come alive. This is a good book both for people of all ages that need to learn about the constitution and for people who enjoy reading about a serious subject written with a light-hearted perspective.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and painless way to learn about the Constitution, May 2, 2006

By 

Mark Cannon (Larchmont, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cartoon Guide to the Constitution of the United States (COS) (Paperback)

If only all learning were like this! This wonderful little book deserves to be a classic. If you're looking to learn about the Constitution or just brush up on it, "Cartoon Guide" is a hilarious and painless way to do it. (Or if you just want to have some fun.) The text is well-written and humorous, and the illustrations are uproarious. I believe the book would be appropriate as a text or at least a supplement for high school courses and basic college courses; if I were choosing a book on the Constitution for such a course, this would certainly be it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still going strong, January 13, 2008

By 

george (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Cartoon Guide to the Constitution of the United States (COS) (Paperback)

I bought and read this book all the way back in 1983.
At the time I was most struck by its willingness to allege
that various Supreme Court decisions had been outrageous
MISinterpretations of the constitution. One normally associates
that view point with conservative "originalist" or "strict
construction" doctrine, but this book made -- a decade or
two ahead of its time, apparently -- that it was conservatives
who were ignoring the 9th amendment (rights retained by the
people despite not being enumerated in the constitution) and
the privileges&immunities clause. Today, Daniel Farber is
making the same case in "Retained by the People", and
Randy Barnett has come close in "Restoring the Lost Constitution".
Lurio was ahead of the both and far more accessible.