More Things Like This [Hardcover]

McSweeney's (Author), Michael Kimmelman (Introduction), Dave Eggers (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2009

Curated by the editors of McSweeney's, this unconventional book explores the intersection of text, humor, and illustration in art created by cartoonists, writers, musicians, and fine artists. A refreshing mixture of high, low, and sideways, the selection features nearly 300 images from dozens of contributors, including David Shrigley, Kurt Vonnegut, Leonard Cohen, Chris Johanson, David Mamet, and many more. Insightful interviews with the artists further illuminate the shared and divergent approaches they take in creating this smart, funny, and engaging work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

McSweeney's was founded in 1998 as a San Francisco-based literary journal edited by Dave Eggers, and has since evolved into a celebrated and award-winning independent publishing company.

Michael Kimmelman is an art critic for the New York Times and a contributor to the New York Review of Books. He lives in Berlin.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811867161
• ISBN-13: 978-0811867160
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #192,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Conceptual

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For anyone who delights in whimsy, textual playfulness, and quirky imagery, March 6, 2010

By 

Paul Sas "Paul Whitmore Sas" (Berkeley) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: More Things Like This (Hardcover)

Very stimulating tour of the art of mostly low-fi creators who combine text with images in an explicitly funny way. The range of people included is quite eclectic, including Raymond Pettibon (whose work is at least as likely to disturb as it is to provoke laughter), the singer-Buddhist-deity Leonard Cohen, and a wide range of here-to-fore unknown artists. I enjoy a lot of this art, and it's a pleasure to page through. An early cartoon by Art Spiegelman draws his alter ego standing on a high wire roped between R. Crumb and Saul Steinberg. That suggests one axis of the work collected here, although it seems a shame that no Lynda Barry got included. A complexification of the mix is that very few of the artists could be considered cartoon artists. Two discoveries for me: Matthew Vescovo and Enrique Chagoya, but there are dozens of others who I'd never known about. My one critique of the book is that each interview seems to follow a set script, which recurrently asks what to me sounds like a dumb question, "How quickly does something develop into a methodology?" So, the interviews weren't a highlight. But if you enjoy whimsy, textual playfulness, and quirky imagery, this book is certain to expose you to work you have never before encountered.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Thought it would be a funny one, June 1, 2011

By 

Maria Murra "organized_kaos" (San Diego) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: More Things Like This (Hardcover)

I got the book because i thought it would be funny, all kinds of drawings with captions on them. But the drawings are vulgar and so are the captions. I've tried to read the interviews, but I lose interest really soon, for the subject is not even interesting to me.

I am still trying to find the interest in controversy, and trying to look at it from someone else's point of view, but still can't get past the bad drawings and just plain vulgar captions.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Things Like This, October 23, 2009

By 

Jenni BJ (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: More Things Like This (Hardcover)

Some great drawings. And interesting interviews. Fascinating to see what makes the artistic mind tick!