The World of William Steig [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Lee Lorenz (Author), William Steig (Illustrator), John Updike (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

William Steig, the godfather of New Yorker cartoonists, began his career at the magazine in 1930. After achieving acclaim with his gang of street urchins, affectionately nicknamed the "Small Fry," he branched out, exploring through his drawings the psychological undercurrents in relationships between parent and child, husband and wife, self and society. In such groundbreaking collections as About People (1939), Persistent Faces (1945), and The Agony in the Kindergarten (1950), Steig laid bare the raw insecurities of childhood. In the process, he introduced symbolic art to mainstream audiences and permanently elevated the place of the cartoon in American culture.

Beginning in the 1960s, Steig demonstrated his understanding and awe of children in numerous award-winning picture books, including such classics as Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1970 Caldecott Medal), Dominic (1972), Gorky Rises (1980), Doctor De Soto (1982 Newberry Award), and Shrek! (1990)—now a major motion picture. His thirteenth book for children, Pete’s a Pizza, was published in 1998.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anyone who loves William Steig--dean of the New Yorker cartoonists and Caldecott-winning creator of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and dozens of other children's books--will adore Lee Lorenz's gorgeous, 207-page, oversized book The World of William Steig. Lorenz, art editor of the New Yorker from 1973 to 1993, and its cartoon editor until 1997, brings an insider's point of view and an engaging writing style to this fascinating, truly historical tribute to his colleague. Pulitzer Prize-winning John Updike contributes an introduction that's sure to spark the interest of even the most Steig-deprived among us:

Such a compilation serves to celebrate an original who has endured, who has taken his talent in one direction after another and found new territory deep into his old age. Steig's art is not just testimony to his love of life but robust evidence of the necessary interaction between art and life, reality and fantasy.

Featuring hundreds of color and black-and-white illustrations, including a portfolio of previously unpublished pieces selected by Steig himself, this rich book traces the life and artistic development of this funny, wise, talented man in the following chapters: A Family Album; At The New Yorker; Symbolic Art; The Years with Shawn; The Artist's Hand; and Through the Eyes of a Child. The book closes with Wordplay; Heroes, Villains, and Happy Endings; Epilogue; Acknowledgments; Bibliography; Featured Art; and an index. Contented browsers will find absorbing details of Steig's childhood in the Bronx, his cartooning days, his symbolist art, and his burgeoning, late-blooming interest in (and talent for) creating books for children. As Maurice Sendak says of the master, "Steig's infectious delight in rich, subtle storytelling, combined with a graphic style both simple and hilarious, has produced a body of work that remains astonishingly fresh and original. There is no school of Bill Steig. There is only Bill Steig." No Steig fan should be without this marvelous celebration of his life's work. --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal

A handsomely designed and illustrated overview of the artist's long career. In the first pages of the book, Steig tells of his childhood, his talented siblings, and his first earnings as an artist. In the chapters that follow, his art editor at The New Yorker for 20 years describes Steig's development as a symbolic artist and brilliant cartoonist, presenting and commenting on colorful examples of his most famous work for the magazine. The last chapter is devoted to Steig's creation of the children's books that have capped his career. Using full-color reproductions, Lorenz shows how Steig has brought to picture books the skills learned in a lifetime of artistic experimentation and sympathetic observation of the human comedy, writing "stories that combine moral gravity and a clowning irreverence, psychological insight, and a rapturous spirit of abandon." The stature of Steig as an artist makes the book fit comfortably on the art shelves, near works on Picasso and Paul Klee, to whom he is linked and compared in Lorenz's knowledgeable discussion. It's also a fine companion to Selma Lanes's The Art of Maurice Sendak (Abrams, 1984). The comprehensive coverage and thoughtful analysis make this volume an essential purchase for libraries supporting courses in children's literature, and important reading for all adults who love to use those wonderful stories with children.
Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: Artisan (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885183976
• ISBN-13: 978-1885183972
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 11.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #805,335 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to Steig, August 15, 2000

By 

Cujo (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World of William Steig (Hardcover)

This hefty chunk of book is a career spanning selection of cartoons and doodles from the bizarre pen of William Steig. Plenty of these illustrations and gag cartoons first appeared in the New Yorker. All of them are fantastic. Any individual page in this one should be enough to convince any sensible person that he is among the best of the New Yorker artists, his only competition is Saul Steinberg. Other good points: John Updike introduction and good biographical information by Lee Lorenz. Swooning lovers, expressive animals, fairy tales, anxiety. See also: Abel's Island, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, the Steig Album. Seth's It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken is a great comic book with deep influence from the New Yorker. Choice.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to Steig, August 15, 2000

By 

Cujo (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World of William Steig (Hardcover)

This hefty chunk of book is a career spanning selection of cartoons and doodles from the bizarre pen of William Steig. Plenty of these illustrations and gag cartoons first appeared in the New Yorker. All of them are fantastic. Any individual page in this one should be enough to convince any sensible person that he is among the best of the New Yorker artists, his only competition is Saul Steinberg. Other good points: John Updike introduction and good biographical information by Lee Lorenz. See also: Abel's Island, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, the Steig Album. Seth's It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken is a great comic book with deep influence from the New Yorker. Choice.