Customer Reviews

All the Art That's Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn't): Inside The New York Times Op-Ed Page

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This is a fascinating and exciting book about the power of editorial illustration and all the political events the art covers. Not only does this book allow readers to get an almost tactile experience with the process and creation of OpEd art, it also let's us in on the intrigue surrounding scenarios which unfolded once the art was delivered. The book is such fun to read--it's loaded with facts and anecdotes about world events as well as biographical information about artists we want to know about. Reading about the way in which art was perceived by editors at the New York Times is utterly the most enjoyable and humorous thing about the book because art was turned down for often such absurd reasons. The art in this book is incredible--and the book reveals how potent art and visual communication is in our society. Jerelle Kraus shows us how art takes us places and yet how misunderstood it can be. Reading this book, I feel I just took a great ride through art and culture. Jerelle Kraus has masterfully taken us on an amazing adventure and has written a beautiful and enormously important book!

Clearly, Op-Ed art became a way of visually expressing serious
thinking that forever changed the way we communicate. And for the
better. By airing the aesthetic and editorial debates that shaped this
synergy of art and commentary, and bringing to life the wildly
eccentric and idiosyncratic cast of characters behind it, Kraus does a
real service to anyone interested in the written word and its visual
interpretation. Her book -- like the art it examines -- absorbs,
excites, provokes, repels, inspires, entertains and, ultimately,
enlightens. And from my vantage point as a former managing editor of
of the Los Angeles Times and associate managing editor of The New
York Times, where I worked with the author, I think it deserves to
be on every journalist's required reading list.

Jerelle Kraus has assembled a tour de force volume that chronicles, illustrates, illuminates and entertains. This multi-talented woman is an artist in her own right, who shepherded the work of some of the foremost illustrators of our time through the minefield that is the editorial process at America's newspaper of record. For years, she was the den mother to some of our most talented and visually witty illustrators, as she worked from her ioffice as art director for the NY Times' Op Ed page.

Now she gives us the back story -- the biographies of artists, the Freudian obsessions of some editors, the wit and wisdom that it takes to pull off such an amazing job that is fraught with politics -- in every sense of the word -- day in and day out for years on end. That Kraus could perform this feat, maintain her senses of style, poise, and humor throughout, and then sit down and write this fascinating book is a testament to her own great talent. Bravo!

Nothing tops this for sheer beauty and outrageous insider anecdotes. I was so intrigued that I read it straight through last weekend. The writing is authoritative, humorous, and stylish; and the pictures on every page are compelling and gorgeous. This book will forever grace my coffee table.

I learned how the world's first Op-Ed page began and that Times Op-Ed art was exhibited in the Louvre but not the U.S. The author's 3 hours alone with Richard Nixon is hilarious, and the struggles between editors and artists are riveting.

As Bill Maher blurbs, "To discover what really goes on inside the belly of the media beast, read 'All the Art That's Fit to Print.' The 'Some That Wasn't' are never-published illustrations censored by Times poobahs and revealed here for the first time."

This classy, inexpensive, coffee-table book is my gift this year to each of my relatives and friends.

This book provides a unique, insider's view of the creation of the New York Times Op-Ed page and the editors, writers and artists who brought it to life. It provides eye-opening accounts of some of the Times' top editors, with descriptions of some very large egos as well as generous and visionary personalities. In addition, there are hundreds of intelligent, spot-on political illustrations that could be a book in themselves. The most moving sections to me were the descriptions of Eastern European illustrators who risked both personal freedom and safety with the publication of their drawings. There is much more to the Op-Ed page than meets the eye, and this important book brings you that story.

"All the Art That's Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn't)" is the smartest and most entertaining book about the intersection of art, journalism and politics.

Jerelle Kraus has always been an extraordinary inspiration to countless artists, art directors and designers. (A recent book-launch party for Jerelle was a star-studded event.) The creative choices she's made and the iconic images she's brought to life are hugely influential.

This behind-the-scenes and between-the-pages look at the creative and editorial processes offers a great education.

Worldly, witty and wise, Jerelle Kraus has produced a passionate promotion for the power of pictures.

Don't just scan through this book filled with provocative images. Enjoy the artist profiles packed with pithy first-hand anecdotes.

If you've ever wondered why the Old Gray Lady is so gray, read this wonderful book about the illustrations that have appeared in a prime spot on the pages of The New York Times. The images presented here are easily worth the price of the book by themselves, but the anecdotes and explanations raise the work to a higher level for what they reveal about the way the events of the day are processed into the News at America's foremost paper.

As an emerging illustrator, I really enjoyed reading Jerelle's book, All the Art That's Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn't):Inside the New York Times Op-Ed Page. There's a lot of great insight concerning the dynamic between the Art Director and the Editor behind closed doors at the world's most renown publication. I also found it exceedingly fascinating to learn what illustrations were deemed inappropriate for the Times and why.

All the Art is a must read for any artist looking to one day immerse themselves in the world of editorial art. To truly understand the future direction of the illustration industry, we must first educate ourselves about it's abundant past.

This book is very interesting to me, and I am slowly reading through it. It appears to cover its ground in a very through manner. It is beautifuly designed and of course many of the illustrations are knock outs! They communicate in many different ways---pushing the boundries of black and white. And the wit!