Customer Reviews

The Da Vinci Cod and Other Illustrations for Unwritten Books

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This collection of cartoons is hilarious. Each page is a visual/wordplay on the titles of famous books. The title piece is a caption that looks like a painting and is a fish dressed in Mona Lisa like clothing with the caption, "The Da Vinci Cod." Another is a hound dog in female clothing including a bonnet, with the caption "Tess of the Baskervilles." However, without question my favorite that had me laughing out loud is one featuring an adolescent boy zipping up while walking away from a urinal. There is a tear running from his eye, his lips are pursed in pain and the caption is "The Catcher in the Fly." Humor just doesn't get any better than that.

Known for his political cartoons and book illustrations, artist Chris Riddell has assembled an entertaining collection of illustrations sure to please literature/English teachers everywhere. In THE DA VINCI COD: AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS FOR UNWRITTEN BOOKS, Riddell shares drawings that spoof famous book titles.

Besides "The Da Vinci Cod," there are drawings for "The Apes of Wrath," "The Water Adolescents," and "Oliver Bust." Sixty-six titles are spoofed, with the original publication dates ranging from 1776 to 2003, with the "apologies" to the authors at the back (in other words, Riddell provides a key in case a reader can't figure out the spoof).

This book is flat-out funny, and often irreverent. Literature teachers might get a kick out of assigning classes to figure out the title spoofs, as should the students (theoretically).

For anyone who likes to read or appreciates classic literature, this little book is a hoot. Take it home so you always have a few laughs available on an otherwise gloomy day.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
11/21/2006