A History of the World (in Dingbats): Drawings & Words

by David Byrne, Alex Kalman (Designer)

As featured in The New York Times , T Magazine , and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon The phenomenally creative musician and filmmaker David Byrne presents new artwork that explores daily life in surprising ways, with unique reflections on shared human experiences - a book for our time from a highly influential artist Through striking and humorous figurative drawings, the iconic artist and musician David Byrne depicts daily life in intriguing ways. His illustrations, created while under quarantine, expand on the dingbat, a typographic ornament used to illuminate or break up blocks of text, to explore the nuances of life under lockdown and evoke the complex, global systems the pandemic cast in bright light. Edited and designed by Alex Kalman in close collaboration with Byrne, this unique book reflects on shared experiences and presents history as a story that is continually undergoing revision.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Philosophy, Music

160 pages, Hardcover

Published February 16, 2022

About the author

A cofounder of the musical group Talking Heads, David Byrne has also released several solo albums in addition to collaborating with such noted artists as Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Brian Eno. His art includes photography and installation works and has been published in five books. He lives in New York and he recently added some new bike racks of his own design around town, thanks to the Department of Transportation.

Photo © Catalina Kulczar-Marin

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent visual meditation on our collective here and now. David Byrne made these drawings during this time of COVID; a time in which so many of us have wondered if we will ever find words to describe what has happened to the world we thought we knew. One of the most thought provoking books I have read this year.

[Michael O'sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I think David Byrne spent his lockdown listening to "Once in a Lifetime" on repeat.

[darce vader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um.

[Charles Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiter, waiter more David Byrne illustration books please

[isa mather :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick yet thought provoking :) i 🫶 david byrne

[Creativemf · Rating 5 out of 5]

People forget David Byrne was an art school kid! (as I was/am) and that's an exclusive little club. I actually did freelance for his ol buddy Tibor Kalman's (d.1999) design firm when I was a youngster! Those guys were controlling the esthetics thruout the 80s in Design. And MUSIC of course ..! Gr8 compilation of sketches!

[E. Mercy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be more of an amusing, silly book just for fun.
However, to my disappointment, it was not.

Admittedly, some of the drawings were interesting. Some were funny.
Others were downright disturbing (which I usually appreciate, but gosh darn it.. I may have unfortunately stumbled upon an exception.) Few I would go so far as to say were borderline perverted. Seriously, there were lots of MOBA-worthy entries.
I felt ill after the viewing of several. Not the reaction I'm sure David wanted.

Was this supposed to be profound? Educational? Entertaining? Relatable?
Personally, I found the writings to be somewhat incoherent at times and mostly just "ramblings of a madman"-esque, interspliced with a series of images I can only describe as childish.. if said child was an up-and-coming serial offender of some sort.

I really wanted to like this. And to be fair, there were a few drawings that did offer pause for thought.
Alas, it still seemed more like a journal written by a lonely teenager desperate for attention.

I suppose I should've known it would be off-putting and surreal, as eccentric as the man who put it together. David Byrne is a celebrated "weirdo" in the most complimentary way after all.
So I really shouldn't expect anything less.

Running off the back of COVID really made the entire point seem dated, considering the overall message. At least in my opinion, a lot of the purpose and thoughts shared in the book aged like milk.. for the most part!

While I truly hate putting down someone else's wacky art, it just didn't click enough for me.
I would say It's because I'm a grown-man and everything seemed as if it was coming from a kid trying hard to appear creative and prophetic. I feel the need to offer up my best "Keep tryin', champ!" but this is a famous and successful 70-something rockstar we're talking about!

It's just uncomfortable. That's probably the best word I could give it. Uncomfortable.
With all due respect, stick to cycling and dancing in big suits.

[Juliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Isn’t a dingbat a stupid person? Yes, that’s the common usage.” David Byrne’s A History of the World (in Dingbats) starts with the “meaningless typographical element — nonsense elements” of dingbats, which “morphed into little drawings and icons that are often used to break up […] blocks of text”; initially conceived “as a library of drawings to be used by the editors of the *Reasons To Be Cheerful* web magazine”, and “all made during the time of Covid”, Byrne’s original, singular creations have been collected into a kind of narrative, moving through themes like ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Fermentation’, ‘Bridge to Mind’, ‘I Can See Beyond the Swamp’, ‘Cityhead’, and ‘Careful What You Wish For’. Weird, lively, and existential, his drawings are woven in with his reflections on life in such an odd and liminal time: “Have we all been going along in our lives without stopping to question anything?” “Here, from this slight rise, I can see where the swamp ends. The swamp is not the whole world! Dare I go there? […] I need a way to get there. To move who I thought I was.” His drawings intimate “The history of the world is a story we tell ourselves”, and his writing, as always, evokes something so familiar and strange at the same time: “It is the same in the realm of thought and feeling — emotional fizziness and intellectual disruption. Drunk on love and bubbling new insights.” I love David Byrne and this book only deepens that, with such drawings as ‘Read Me’, ‘Reading Each Other’, ‘Abandoning The Book’, and ‘Ms Internet’ occupying a special place in my heart.

[Shannon Dyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book and I appreciated the quality of the printing and binding. Pretty much everything David Byrne dabbles in I find interesting, he fondly reminds me of my high school years. In his own unique way, Byrne has taught me how to see things in a different way. I have also recently seen American Utopia on Broadway, which was fantastic. Thank you for your inspirational contributions to our society Mr. Bryne.

Noteworthy quotes:

"The titles of the drawings are, I believe, often integral to what they are. While calling an artwork "untitled" does generously open it up to wider interpretation, it also shows a lack of commitment. Give your child a name!"

"History is not what happened, but it is what we agree happened - shaped by our biases and self-serving interests."

[yana · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's quirky and cute, but there's not much there there, and I say that as a huge admirer of David Byrne. It mostly feels like a book of doodles. I wouldn't recommend seeking it out unless you're a real David Byrne completionist. That said, there were a few pages with interesting thoughts or drawings (and the overall aesthetic design is lovely), just not enough to carry the book. Go watch True Stories instead.

[Sonia Schoenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of us found our own way to deal with Covid, quarantine, and isolation. David Byrne drew. In his new book, he has collected some of his drawings and interspersed them with commentary, harkening back to the original meaning of "dingbats," which were symbols or illustrations that broke up a text. I enjoyed Byrne's drawings, some of them took me by surprise, and his words were thought provoking. If you're looking for a quirky, philosophical take on life, this is your book.

[Meesh · Rating 3 out of 5]

a wonderful collection of drawings from David Byrne inspired by Dingbats with brief poetry interludes all pieced together during covid of which you’ll see sprinklings of throughout the book especially near the end. I managed to get myself a signed copy with a legible signature. The book is brief and while i did enjoy it, it’s not really something for everyone.

[Faith Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were to ever get a tattoo, some of these drawings could def suffice. Some of my favorites were Read Me, Portrait, Reading Each Other, Introspection, and the first two drawings before chapter 1 begins.

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was okay but I didn't like the artwork.

[Blake Edward · Rating 2 out of 5]

A glorified chapbook.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, strange and interesting

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, provocative book of Byrne's drawings made during the pandemic.

[Alyson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the illustration of "socially distancing."

[Anetq · Rating 4 out of 5]

'David Byrne, like many others, enjoys drawing' it says under the last page - with a photo of none other than David Byrne doing just that. This is a book of drawings - each chapter with it's own introduction or meditation on a theme. While the drawings were made during covid, this is not just another introspective on daily life during covid. As much else, when it comes to Byrne's art, it may look banal, but it's usually about something bigger. Life, art, being human.