About Dogs

by George Booth

Cartoonist George Booth has spent four decades at the New Yorker constructing a universe so distinct, it would be immediately identifiable even without his signature on the bottom of the panel. In Booth’s world a bare lightbulb dangles precariously . . . a frayed carpet barely covers the living room floor . . . flies buzz . . . a couple speaks matter-of-factly . . . a man looks up from behind his newspaper. And somewhere, in the foreground or off to the side, a dog twitches involuntarily. In Booth’s cartoons dogs act as a Greek chorus, serving as a proxy for the reader by pointing out the mundane absurdity of life that is obviously lost on their owners. This 40th-anniversary collection highlights George Booth’s best and funniest dog cartoons—with a special introduction by Bill Cosby.

Genres: Humor, Dogs, Animals

128 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ray Nessly · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.)
…………………
Last, after Rehearsal's Off! & Think Good Thoughts About a Pussycat, I read About Dogs. My reaction was midway between the other two. Four stars.
It’s titled, as with all these, after the opening cartoon--a hilarious reminder of the sage advice, write what you know.
“Write about dogs!”:


Unlike the other two collections, there was no trouble filling this one with cartoons that feature dogs. (Or dogs AND cats. Plus always, of course, humanoids.) Quite a few depict a writer or a reader talking to a dog about what he/she is writing or reading about. Good stuff! A natural fit for Goodreads peeps.

“Remorse sits in my stomach like a piece of stale bread. How does that sound?”


“The dog ate my magnetic insoles.”

[Sarah Johnson Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really don’t know why the book is titled, About Dogs. Yes there are pictures of dogs but the book is not about dogs, at all. I knew I should have put it down after reading the opening from Bill Cosby which made no sense at all either. The book just gets worse as you go along. There are over 100 comics in the book, I laughed at two of them. 2 out of 100; really bad odds there. If your going to name a book, About Dogs, at least mention them in every comic not just have a picture and every comic mention the dog. Horrible title for a horrible book.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd little cartoons.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this collection, and the one on the cover is one of my favorites - makes me giggle every time I see it.

[Tavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Includes many Pit Bull and Great Dane classics.

[Christyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me be straight with you. I didn't like this book. In fact I have no idea what the heck I just read. I thought I was reading a book about dogs, or at least with funny dog comics, because of the title - 'About Dogs' not to mention the dog comic on the cover. This book is not about dogs. I have no idea what this book is about - and I read it. Yes there are dogs, each picture has a dog - but the picture/comic isn't about the dog. Usually the dog is just in the picture, sitting there. The few cartoons I found worthwhile featured just the animals (dog, dog + cat) or dog + person with no words. Maybe it's just me but I didn't "get" this at all (with the exception of the few panels actually focusing on dogs, well - sort of). I didn't find it funny or amusing, I was just puzzled and utterly bored. Maybe I'm just disappointed it wasn't actually about dogs. There is also an introduction by Bill Cosby. I didn't read it, I don't think I'm missing anything important.

If you're a dog lover and think this is a book actually About Dogs - give it a pass, the title is misleading and it's probably not for you (unless you happen to be a fan of George Booth).

[MirrorMouse · Rating 2 out of 5]

A more accurate title would be "About A Sweet Couple Who Own A Dog Who Appears In Every Comic". This isn't a bad thing since the couple are quite lovable, but the title had me expecting another cute dog graphic novel in the vein of My Dog The Paradox. Most of the gags didn't get much of a reaction out of me, but there were a few moments that had me smiling.

[Emilie]

I didn't enjoy this book at all, but it's the first thing I've ever read by George Booth and I think I just..don't really 'get' his style/humour at all? To me the cartoons all seemed rather pointless and the punchlines weren't funny. Also, although each of them features at least one dog, the majority aren't actually about dogs at all, and just have a dog that happens to be sitting in the room.

So, I picked up this book expecting comics about dogs, and I was disappointed. But it would probably be enjoyable to someone who likes George Booth...

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore George Booth. I would say that he is one of my big heroes as a cartoonist, but that would make it sound like I am totally making art all the time, when actually I am being a huge giant slacker about the making of cartoons, these days.

[Kevin Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! This is a collection of cartoons from one of the cartoonists at The New Yorker. With an intro by Bill Cosby.

[Dean Anderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of New Yorker cartoons, some funny, but most seem designed to make the reader say "huh" rather than laugh.