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Rehearsal's off!
Loaded with full page cartoons with captions. 1976, 8 1/2 By 11 1/2", Booth's 2nd Collection of New Yorker cartoons ~ Booth sold his first cartoon New Yorker in 1969 and 40 years later received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 from The National Cartoonists Society
100 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 26, 2023
Who doesn't love George Booth's nutty cartoons as published in The New Yorker?
He created a world of oddballs and whacky critters sharing life's chaos such as depicting the craziness of a pointy eared bull terrier that once barked a flower to death and a herd of cats that shredded couches and window shades between sweet naps.
In a typical Booth cartoon, a lot happens at once: such as portraying a moment when a stunned dog leaps three feet in the air, a shocked cat bounds for an open window knocking a newspaper from the hands of a shaken man - all as his frumpy wife stands in a kitchen doorway with blackened eyes, announcing "Eyeliner is back!"
Or, as a neighbor with a big nose appears over a backyard fence, ten cats bound out of a back door and scatter in all directions, as a woman at the open screen door shouts after them: "Everyone be home by two o'clock!"
Over a half-century, Booth drew hundreds of zany cartoons for The New Yorker, depicting scruffy dogs and cats, porch-sitters, mechanics, cave-dwellers, bath-takers, military brass, yokels and church goers. "Booth cartoons express the will to continue in the face of disaster."
He created a world of oddballs and whacky critters sharing life's chaos such as depicting the craziness of a pointy eared bull terrier that once barked a flower to death and a herd of cats that shredded couches and window shades between sweet naps.
In a typical Booth cartoon, a lot happens at once: such as portraying a moment when a stunned dog leaps three feet in the air, a shocked cat bounds for an open window knocking a newspaper from the hands of a shaken man - all as his frumpy wife stands in a kitchen doorway with blackened eyes, announcing "Eyeliner is back!"
Or, as a neighbor with a big nose appears over a backyard fence, ten cats bound out of a back door and scatter in all directions, as a woman at the open screen door shouts after them: "Everyone be home by two o'clock!"
Over a half-century, Booth drew hundreds of zany cartoons for The New Yorker, depicting scruffy dogs and cats, porch-sitters, mechanics, cave-dwellers, bath-takers, military brass, yokels and church goers. "Booth cartoons express the will to continue in the face of disaster."
January 16, 2012
No one draws cats and dogs and crazy old ladies like George Booth!
January 2, 2024
Big fun! Missing this fine funny cartoonist, and wish I had tuned in earlier.
Recommended.
Recommended.
Read
March 3, 2013Just got a copy of this book. Booth's work always reminds me of Geo Price, especially my favorite 'Man floating above bed' sequence. The lines and the spare backgrounds are what link them, to me.
Some of the panels are just drawings, others tell stories. In a few cases there are quite long captions (in the geneaeology of kittens, for example). Sometimes there's just one line, or none. The musical adventures of Mrs Ritterhouse and her combo would make an entire book unto themselves/
Some of the panels are just drawings, others tell stories. In a few cases there are quite long captions (in the geneaeology of kittens, for example). Sometimes there's just one line, or none. The musical adventures of Mrs Ritterhouse and her combo would make an entire book unto themselves/
July 25, 2015
You know those comics in the New Yorker that make you scratch your head, huff a mildly disappointed sigh, and turn the page without ever understanding them? Now, imagine an entire book filled with them. That book is this book. If you guffaw with laughter at old women, weird-looking dogs, and federal income taxes, this book will make you howl. If not, do yourself a favour and skip this one.
January 18, 2023
(I just read three collections by the same author. They were separately reviewed. The introduction is the same for each book. Following that are sample images and brief comments specific to each book. Thenk u veddy much—r.n.)
Something triggered in me (perhaps it was that alien probe appointment two Wednesdays ago?*) a renewed interest in longtime New Yorker cartoonist George Booth. Rather than sensibly spreading them out over time, I ordered everything my library has. Bring on the George! Three volumes of his cartoons showed up at once. I read them all in short order (not a difficult task), three sessions, multi-tasking on the elliptical bike. Many of these cartoons were familiar, as we were subscribers for maybe 15 years, plus many of these turn up on the web and/or were reprinted elsewhere (such as in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Brown & Dave King—a terrific and practical book, btw). Without question, the art is fantastic throughout; weird, and beautiful. Humor, of course, is so very, very subjective. Consequently, many of his cartoons sent me into hysterics, nearly causing me to tumble from the elliptical bike, while others drew mild chuckles, and assorted others a silent meh, and rarely, a mouth-whispered wtf?
The combination thereof was somewhat variable for each collection, hence the ratings range from 3.5 to 5 stars. Each is named after the title of the opening cartoon.
*Unlike conventional doctors, aliens don’t take Wednesdays off.
(What, you were expecting maybe details re how the appointment went? For that, you’ll have to read the book. Coming in 2037. Penguin, orange cover of course.)
…………………
First up: Rehearsal’s Off, named for the opening cartoon. Only a few others are along this theme. That’s no problem of course, I just mention it in case you’re a music aficionado expecting a music-themed collection. I quite liked this collection, sure, but not as much as the other two. 3.5 stars. It wasn’t easy finding samples on the web specific to this collection. Here are a few:
“Putty took a wife, Her name was Pussums...”:
“I’m sorry to interrupt the piu mosso...”:
Something triggered in me (perhaps it was that alien probe appointment two Wednesdays ago?*) a renewed interest in longtime New Yorker cartoonist George Booth. Rather than sensibly spreading them out over time, I ordered everything my library has. Bring on the George! Three volumes of his cartoons showed up at once. I read them all in short order (not a difficult task), three sessions, multi-tasking on the elliptical bike. Many of these cartoons were familiar, as we were subscribers for maybe 15 years, plus many of these turn up on the web and/or were reprinted elsewhere (such as in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Renni Brown & Dave King—a terrific and practical book, btw). Without question, the art is fantastic throughout; weird, and beautiful. Humor, of course, is so very, very subjective. Consequently, many of his cartoons sent me into hysterics, nearly causing me to tumble from the elliptical bike, while others drew mild chuckles, and assorted others a silent meh, and rarely, a mouth-whispered wtf?
The combination thereof was somewhat variable for each collection, hence the ratings range from 3.5 to 5 stars. Each is named after the title of the opening cartoon.
*Unlike conventional doctors, aliens don’t take Wednesdays off.
(What, you were expecting maybe details re how the appointment went? For that, you’ll have to read the book. Coming in 2037. Penguin, orange cover of course.)
…………………
First up: Rehearsal’s Off, named for the opening cartoon. Only a few others are along this theme. That’s no problem of course, I just mention it in case you’re a music aficionado expecting a music-themed collection. I quite liked this collection, sure, but not as much as the other two. 3.5 stars. It wasn’t easy finding samples on the web specific to this collection. Here are a few:
“Putty took a wife, Her name was Pussums...”:
“I’m sorry to interrupt the piu mosso...”:
February 17, 2019
George Booth is one of my favorite New Yorker cartoonists. He has a quirky sense of humor and frequently makes me laugh out loud.
March 7, 2020
A nice collection that includes some two-page spreads. Unfortunate that my copy was missing a couple of pages.
July 4, 2021
The shorter the caption, the funnier the cartoon. 4 1/2 stars
May 11, 2023
Booth, his animals, and their friends have long been my favorite NYer visitors. Har-di-harhar.
January 20, 2010
Always been a George Booth fan...
July 5, 2012
Another collection of George Booth's hilarious illustrations featuring dogs, cats and Mrs. Ritterhouse.
January 4, 2013
No big deal, but an enjoyable book of cartoons by George Booth. Perfect for toilet reading.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews