Customer Reviews

Scotch & Toilet Water?: A Book of Dog Cartoons

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a wonderful gift book . It's a beautiful book besides being totally hilarious. It's more about life than it is about dogs and very, very funny!

Readers of THE NEW YORKER or even individuals who occasionally just peruse the magazine's wonderful cartoons will be familiar with the talent of Leo Cullum, who has had over five hundred of his cartoons published there since 1977. This collection of his dog cartoons, which in his words "seem to be a recurrent theme" in his work, will undoubtedly delight all dog lovers with their abiity to generate frequent broad smiles interspersed with many chuckles and occasional outright laughter. Some of them examine the often uneasy truce between dogs and cats, and several simply represent the humanizing of our companions often engaged in by all dog lovers. However, many of the most intriguing are (in the cartoonist's own words) "actually about something else cleverly disguised as a dog cartoon". In effect, many of these cartoons use dogs as a metaphor to illuminate aspects of the human condition.

While this book will appeal to almost everyone who has ever had the good fortune to have a dog as a family member, it will particularly resonate with those individuals for whom their canine companions have achieved the special place in their hearts and lives reserved for their closest friends and most loved family members. Those who often ask themselves the question "What if my dog were human?" or wonder about the secret life of their dogs will enjoy the best of these cartoons tremendously and recognize the truth encapsulated in many of them. My only reason for less than a five star rating for the book was my reaction that the collection included several less than top quality entries. While I recognize that such an evaluation is partially a reflection of my personal tastes, I think that it may also result from an attempt to assemble a collection of commercially acceptable length. Despite this one minor reservation, this is definitely a worthwhile addition to the library of any dog aficionado.

Tucker Andersen

Whether you are a fan of New Yorker cartoons or not, this collection should touch your funny bone. I will only say this: I kept this book at my bedside, allowing myself only three or four cartoons a night, and those cartoons always left me laughing out loud and feeling ready for a good night's sleep.

Oh, did I mention that I'm not one who normally laughs out loud?

Enjoy!

If someone were to redo the Farside comics from the perspective of animals - most notably dogs - Scotch& Toilet Water? would be the result. With witticisms that could make anyone wonder about the wisdom of our canine friends, the cartoons truly delve into what would roam through a dog's mind on a daily basis (if they were placed in human situations). How they put up with the ignorance of their mankind friends, how they torture cats physically and psychologically, and how the dog world effortlessly blends with the daily grind of the Average Joe businessman. It's not just the anthropomorphization; it's the fact that it's taken one step further and their given jobs about which they complain.

My favorite of all the comics shows a rigid dog, looking into the distance with a glazed, almost zombified look about him. Staring past his fence he utters, "Arf Arf Arf, Bow wow wow...Yaddah yaddah yaddah, Blah blah blah." Another dog replies, "His days as a great watchdog are behind him."

Great for a light read and a pick-me-up. Put this tidbit of Leo Cullum's works on your coffee table to visitors.

I find dogs to be some of the most interesting and affectionate creatures around. I am also a big fan of the New Yorker cartoons and their uncanny ability to make the funniest possible twist out of some of the most ordinary creatures and situations. This collection of New Yorker cartoons manages to entertain, and even if dogs are not close to the top of your favorite animals list, you'll find the cartoons in this book really amusing. Leo Cullum manages to tap into the various canine personalities with great insight and the result is some of the funniest cartoons that I have come across.

Bought this as a gift. Recommend buying used, condition was totally perfect and with shipping only paid apx 5 bucks.

Book is nice,not as funny as I thought, but guess you need to appreciate that kind of humor.Still nice, just not ROFL.

Already a New Yorker cartoon fan, I was excited to find this book in my vet's waiting room and had to get a copy for my husband. It's too funny. The facial expressions alone are worth the price.

...you'll love this book. Just flippin' hilarious. A great gift, too.

Smart, crisp cartoons - many followed by a chuckle or a good belly laugh. My older son and I spent a good part of a rainy afternoon laughing together. As a woman who lives with four dogs, Cullum really hit the spot on many of the witty quips.

Kate Nicoll, MSW of Soul Friends

I have been a Leo Cullum fan for years and this book is now one of my favorites in the cartooning realm.

Leo passed away past away recently and I wanted to add this book to my collection. I will miss his humor.

If you love dogs then this book is for you.