The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons [Paperback]

New Yorker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1992

The same 101 hilarious cartoons that appear in the original edition are now in a miniature edition. The works of William Steig, George Price, Sempe, and many others are included.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The same 101 hilarious cartoons that appear in the original edition are now in a miniature edition. The works of William Steig, George Price, Sempe, and many others are included.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (September 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067974276X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679742760
• Product Dimensions: 4 x 0.4 x 4.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cats Eyeing 'Catsup': "Makes You Wonder, Doesn't It?", July 15, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons (Paperback)

I rated this book based on the hardcover version, but I do want to put in a word against the miniature paperback version in the beginning. Avoid the miniature paperback: It is very tiny, reproduced poorly, the paper quality is not good, and some of the material cannot be seen without a magnifying glass.

The only drawback I saw to the hardcover version was the lack of a witty introduction. I graded it down one star for that lack. The New Yorker cartoon books on business and money have wonderful introductions, unlike this one.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I do not have a cat. Yet I have many friends who do, and I tried to view these cartoons through their eyes.

The main cartoonists of these 102 cartoons are Charles Addams, Tom Cheney, Helen Hokinson, Frank Modell, Mischa Richter, Danny Shanahan, William Steig, and Saul Steinberg.

The cartoons generally follow one of the following styles: juxtaposing cats for dogs; anthropomorphizing cats; and treating humans like cats. These formats were predictable enough that the humor worked best when one of the categories was not followed, such as in a cartoon with no words where a cat is seen scratching against an arm chair while a man sits in it reading the newspaper -- chair, man, and newspaper all bear the same scratch marks everywhere.

Here are a few of my favorites:

A woman letting a large number of cats out of the back door: "Everyone be home by two o'clock."

No words: A man sits in a chair reading with his feet on a bear skin run. Behind him, a cat lies in a bed with a mouseskin rug on the floor in front.

A man receiving a call at work: "Your wife feels that your cat needs to hear an authoritative male voice."

One mouse to another: "Miss Egan, bring me everything we have on cats."

Dog to cat: "Hey, pal, let's hear 'Doggie in the Window' again, and this time play it like you mean it!"

Cat to cat in bow tie: "I'm sorry, but I think it's uncatlike."

Cat in casts to another cat in casts in vet's office: "I tried to make it from the windowsill to the top of the refrigerator. How about you?"

Cat behind loan officer desk in bank to dog: "Beg."

Man to cat: "The fact that you cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt cuts no ice with me."

Person shouting through the window to a woman in a roomful of cats: "Glendora Hogan got another load of cats, Elinor honey. Can you take a couple?"

Let this good-natured look at one of our favorite animal friends liven up your day, and remind you of the humor behind everything. It's only our stalled thinking that denies us a good laugh at everything!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Style, elegance and grace, February 25, 2002

By 

Peter Mackay "surgeonsmate" (Campbell, ACT Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons (Paperback)

The New Yorker has all these things, and the combination of cats and The New Yorker is a felicitious one. These witty, wonderful cartoons are just the thing to bring a sparkle to even the most glazed of eyes.

Two ladies sipping tea, a cat strolling past tail in the air. "Whe she was little," one says "we had a very close relationship, but now we're just friends."

And a hundred others. A book is not as good as a cat, but this one is halfway there.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars New Yorker book of cat cartoons, February 24, 2009

By 

Jean M. Lucas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons (Paperback)

I had already seen a friend's hardback version of this book, so I ordered a paperback one.

I was very disappointed when it arrived and turned out to be a pocket-sized edition. There was no indication of this that I could see when I ordered it and I think it is over-priced.