The MAD Reader (Bk. 1) [Paperback]

Harvey Kurtzman (Author), Jack Davis (Illustrator), Bill Elder (Illustrator), Wallace Wood (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2002

First of the anniversary reprints, with material from 1954 paprback.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These are the first four of five scheduled facsimile editions of the original MAD paperbacks from the 1950s written by "the usual gang of idiots," as the publication professed. Love it or hate it, MAD has been read by everyone, and Alfred E. Newman is one of the 20th century's most unlikely cultural icons. Some of the material might be a tad dated (parodies of long-gone comic strips and TV shows like Howdy Doody), but funny is funny and this is. The MAD reprints are great pieces of Americana and essential for pop culture collections. If you don't buy these, then you're.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: IBooks; 50th Anniversary edition (March 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743434919
• ISBN-13: 978-0743434911
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,290,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Potrzebie, April 3, 2002

By 

Babytoxie (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The MAD Reader (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

I never thought I would see reprints of the original MAD paperback collections, but now, thanks to ibooks, I'm a happy man. This particular book reprints the first paperback, which itself was reprinted material from the early issues of the MAD comic book (yep, it used to be a comic, and much more comic-oriented). It includes classic work by Kurtzman, Davis, Elder, Wood, et al., that holds up surprisingly well today and is much funnier than MAD will ever be again. Enjoy the parodies of Dragnet, Archie, The Lone Ranger, and Superman vs. Captain Marvel, as well as goofs on the Comics Code, the HUAC hearings, and much more. Sure, some of the humor may be dated... sure, some of it may be over people's heads... but that's part of the appeal of classic MAD: the historical and cultural aspects of the humor. The average joe won't pick this book up and instantly understand everything within, but with a little studying, plus reading the excellent introductions to this edition, you'll get a good idea of the prevailing attitudes of the time, as well as the changing face of humor in the media. It looks like ibooks intends to reprint a significant number of the MAD paperbacks, which can only be a good thing in today's humor market.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good material, bad format, August 11, 2005

By 

Max Morresi (PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The MAD Reader (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

This book comprises the earliest issues of MAD, which were fantastic, and featured the work of comics legend, Wallace Wood among others. But be warned: The book is trade paperback sized, and THE ORIGINAL PAGES ARE ROTATED AND PRINTED ACROSS THE SPINE. The book should just be reprinted with a page per page layout, then I wouldn't have gotten the headache reading it that I did.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Warping Humor At It's Best!!!!!, November 1, 2003

By 

M. B. RENTZLER (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The MAD Reader (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

I had this paperback as a kid and loved it and still do. It makes me miss the days when Mad would advertise 100s of paperbacks by the letter pages.

The stuff looks best in black and white. The humor still rings true today even though the subject parodied may not be.

Part of the fun is that you can look for days at the art and still find new things hidden within.