Playboy's Silverstein Around the World (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Mitch Myers (Introduction), Hugh M. Hefner (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Best known as a children's author but also a successful songwriter ("A Boy Named Sue") and playwright, Silverstein started out as a cartoonist. In the 1950s and 1960s, Playboy sent him around the world to draw a travel journal. His 23 dispatches hailed from such far-flung locales as Japan, Moscow, London, Paris, and Africa, as well as such closer-to-home precincts as Greenwich Village, Haight-Ashbury, White Sox training camp, and a nudist colony. Most of the cartoons' gags play against cultural stereotypes, with a befuddled Silverstein as the butt of the joke: in a gorgeously limned Swiss village, he complains, "I'll give them 15 more minutes and if nobody yodels, I'm going back to the hotel." Befitting their provenance, many depict Silverstein's efforts to score with the local damsels. They feature the same deceptively casual line work that makes his children's books so visually compelling, and since far too little of Silverstein's work for adults is currently available, this engaging document of the countries he visited and of its era is a welcome delight. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"I think everything begins here. It's impossible to separate Shel's later work from these drawings and these experiences. They are the beginning of it all, without question."

-- Hugh M. Hefner

"Shel Silverstein was a warm compassionate soul who put his art above all else. His illustrated work maintained a sharp social commentary and his devilish humor was always insightful. Shel's gifts were many -- and he joyfully passed those gifts on to the rest of us throughout his amazing life."

-- Bill Cosby

"Shel Silverstein was maybe the brightest, most intelligent, trustworthy, generous, human, humble, and lovable creative artist I've ever known. Awake and aware of everything, all the time, I think Shel go more out of life than most of us. Thank God he shared what he saw."

-- Kris Kristofferson

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (May 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743290240
• ISBN-13: 978-0743290241
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #214,312 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different side to a childhood icon, July 5, 2008

By	Hailey C. Shannon (Lexington, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews

Shel Silverstein to most people will always be remebered for his work for children, but tell them he was a songwriter and more surpisingly did cartoons for Playboy, they won't believe you. Through these works we see a side rarely seen or remembered by many. In these works we see a blossoming young artist, traveling exotic locales such as Mexico, London, Paris, Spain, Africa, even a nudist colony and Fire Island. In each of these places he takes his own spin on them though his drawings and writing and creates something very intriging.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardcore Silverstein fans need only apply, March 27, 2008

By	Michael J. Alessandro - See all my reviews

My father used to read me Shel Silverstein's books as a child. I now read them to my son, bits and peices at a time. So when I saw this book, I thought what more perfect gift could I give to my father. A reminder of our time long past, as well as a cheeky look at one of the most prolific man0child authors of the modern age. This book covers Silverstein's time wioth Playboy magazine, and it is a terrific insight to the slightly off kilter brilliance that was Shel Silverstein. If your a Playboy afficianado, this is a must. If your a Shel Silverstein enthusiast, don't hesitate. A dabbler with "Where the Sidewalk Ends" might not be an anthused, but this is great work from a great mind.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrate the origins of one of the twentieth century's greatest humorists, January 20, 2008

By	Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Hugh M. Hefner writes in the introduction to Playboy's Silverstein Around the World, "Everything begins here. It is impossible to separate Shel's later work from these drawings and these experiences. They are the beginning of it all, without question."

This 180-page art book is printed in glossy color on high quality stock. Silverstein's ten years of colorblock illustrated travel essays for Playboy magazine cover topics ranging from bull fighting to a nudist camp to life among Muslims. During the Cold War, Shel traveled to the heart of Moscow, the Red Square, posing undercover as a youth rally member in order to report on the event. Shel had no set intinerary as an explorer, rather, he followed his personal impulses and the whims of the world.

In total, Silverstein wrote 23 travelogues for Hugh Hefner's magazine during the 1950's and 1960's. Although he was later most renowned as a children's author, his work for Playboy continued well into the 1990's. This delightful collection commemorates the birth of one of the twentieth century's greatest humorists.