Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons, 1978-2006 [Hardcover]

Roz Chast (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

At last, the comprehensive book of cartoons from beloved New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Roz Chast was born in Brooklyn, New York and now lives in Connecticut. Her cartoons have appeared in magazines galore, and she is the author of many books.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158234423X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582344232
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding humor by Roz Chast, May 6, 2007

By 

B. Mann (Southwest United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons, 1978-2006 (Hardcover)

Mix the neurosis of the young Woody Allen, the sublime-but-unexpected logic of comedian Steven Wright, the macabre wink of Gahan Wilson, the grand guignol of Charles Addams, the cleverness of the Far Side -- with just a dash of the heart-strings and plaintive cuteness of Cathy Guisewhite -- and you may have something like the outstandingly amusing cartoons of Roz Chast. Penned in a manner that suggests hands trembling constantly from too much coffee or perhaps too little electroshock therapy, there is a pervasive nervous energy in this work that, frankly, makes you want to stop looking at them after a while, in the same way that a strong vinaigrette forces you to pause between bites. You go back, of course, because it's delicious. But you can't take too much at one time.

The targets of Ms. Chast's work include just about everything and everybody you will encounter in your life and it is very unlikely there is an interpersonal relationship you are suffering through that will not be present on these pages in a way that helps you laugh at your own small worries. She also nicely deals with the blither of modern life, from retail stores to the proliferation of award categories.

Roz Chast's work is jittery and completely on-target. I recommend this book highly to those who like off-beat visual humor.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun among the ruins, January 15, 2007

By 

F. Taylor (Cornwall, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons, 1978-2006 (Hardcover)

A genius overdose of Roz Chast, for old fans and new. This woman does, of course, know Everything, though like a good novelist or scriptwriter (or deity), she also knows how to wrap Everything in a few swathes of complication and irony to make the whole process more fun. If (or rather, when) future historians rummage among the rubble of our stab at civilization, I hope they find a pristine copy of THEORIES OF EVERYTHING (memo: buy extra copy and suitable-sized lead container to bury in garden), they will be able to piece together just about all they need to know about us. Worried, overweight men with small moustaches and clever small women with glasses were what we were about, and don't let anyone tell you any different, not now and certainly not in 3000 AD.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Giggles Galore!, March 9, 2007

By 

Gromer "Gromer" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Theories of Everything: Selected, Collected, and Health-Inspected Cartoons, 1978-2006 (Hardcover)

At last for fans of R. Chast. This book is so funny that you cannot put it down and will annoy everyone in the house by laughing out loud every 30 seconds to the exclusion of every other activity for the rest of the day.