Customer Reviews

Interlibrary Loan Sharks and Seedy Roms: Cartoons from Libraryland

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are many fine cartoons in this collection, but one sticks in my mind like an arrow in a bull's eye. It shows a librarian at an information counter, with two patrons waiting for service -- a chicken and an egg. The librarian asks, "Who's first?" A second later, the subtle, implied punchline strikes; a wonderful, somehow profound cartoon.

That same style of riddle might apply to the rest of the book -- which came first, the humor or the library themes? -- but the riddle is a simple one. I know the answer. With everything Epstein draws, the wit always comes first.

This is how good the book is: when I read my copy, I did so by flashlight, shivering in a house without heat (thanks to the ice storm that snapped New England into powerless pieces), and I laughed.

Along with the rest of your emergency provisions, that's a book to keep at hand.

Attention librarians and library lovers: Benita Epstein's cartoons exhibit true wit with a whimsical, good-natured tone. If you are turned off by the many cartoonists who are preoccupied with trite or gross subjects, check out this book!