What do you think?
Rate this book
Books, Books, Books: A Hilarious Collection of Literary Cartoons
In Books, Books, Books, America's premier cartoonists pay uproarious tribute to the wonderful world of books and poke fun at the vagaries of the contemporary publishing scene. Blocked writers, finicky readers, fickle editors, and other timeless monuments of the literary landscape undergo fresh, hilarious scrutiny, as do more recent developments, from outlandish promotional stunts to fast-buck bookstores to the post-modern perils of desktop publishing.
122 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1988
About the author
Sam Gross
34 books3 followersSam Gross was an American cartoonist, specializing in single-panel cartoons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 29, 2022
This is a book that promises to explore the hilarious production of literary cartoons and to ensure that readers are brought a chuck to their lips. And yet why is it that this particular book didn't even bring one giggle from me and even had my non-literary husband looking just as puzzled as me.
The first red flag for me that this wasn't going to live up to its standard was the fact that I was really confused with the very first comic. After rounding my husband into going over the book I chose to go from the back of the book to the front but still didn't find one comic to get my funny book tickled.
And it definitely wasn't from a lack of trying either from some of the biggest names to sketch comics, especially as I could explain the joke to my husband. Out of all the comics the one I liked the most was the NYPL lion taking a break by reading the book on his book.
All in all if you are planning on trying to get a brief laugh from this book then you are are much more better off looking elsewhere. If you don't mind confusing comics, repetitive themes or even just a brief book of mediocrity than this book will do just fine to pass at least some time for the idle reader without their next book picked out.
The first red flag for me that this wasn't going to live up to its standard was the fact that I was really confused with the very first comic. After rounding my husband into going over the book I chose to go from the back of the book to the front but still didn't find one comic to get my funny book tickled.
And it definitely wasn't from a lack of trying either from some of the biggest names to sketch comics, especially as I could explain the joke to my husband. Out of all the comics the one I liked the most was the NYPL lion taking a break by reading the book on his book.
All in all if you are planning on trying to get a brief laugh from this book then you are are much more better off looking elsewhere. If you don't mind confusing comics, repetitive themes or even just a brief book of mediocrity than this book will do just fine to pass at least some time for the idle reader without their next book picked out.
February 14, 2020
Still funny! 😅😂😅
May 13, 2021
I was hoping for some good chuckles with these cartoons, and I did get a few, but most of them ran the gamut from mild commentary to slightly interesting to "I don't get it". Perhaps the fault lies with my sense of humor and others would find this book more humorous.
April 25, 2020
Fun little collection of literary cartoons compiled in the 80s mostly from The New Yorker. Not all the references land and funny to see h7e computers and typewriters but it was well worth the $1 I bought it for!
June 11, 2020
Reading this for a second time while reorganizing my library (this is why it’s taking so long!) A collection of about 100 New Yorker-style literary cartoons. A few are a bit dated, but overall a fun collection with a few gems.
February 1, 2022
Huh, who would ever have guessed I would like a book of cartoons about books? I had to reread it, when I accidentally pulled it off the shelf along with the cat humor, before I could reshelve it. Fortitude reading is one of my favorite cartoons ever.
Personal copy
Personal copy
February 6, 2018
Hilarious and nuanced -- a wonderful collection of cartoons that every writer, reader, editor (well, maybe not editors) will enjoy.
February 16, 2018
As an avid bibliophile, I laughed out loud.
March 14, 2017
Although some of the cartoons are a little dated, most are still quite funny and appropriate for anyone who likes reading and books.
July 30, 2014
A book filled with cartoons/comics about all things literary from writers to readers to publishers. It touches on popular books and stories like the "Dick and Jane" books, Peter Rabbit, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. One of my favorite cartoons was the one "On April, 1986, Arland T. Dufresne accidentally hits the 'Global Delete' button while typing the last paragraph of his 1026 page novel." It is so terrible for him to do that and yet so hilarious at the same time! I also like the cartoon with the Chicken as author at a Meet the Author event entitled, "Now the Story can be Told! Why I Crossed the Road." My favorite cartoon though, had to be the library lions. One roars as most library lions do and the other lays on his/her back reading a book. Clever!
December 14, 2016
Collection of bookish cartoons. Some were amusing, some I just sat there staring at it and thinking "I don't get it". Maybe some of the cartoons are a little dated? Or maybe I'm not as literarily smart as I think I am.
March 11, 2013
A fun collection of literary themed cartoons.
April 26, 2014
What's not to like about literary/books cartoons? Fun little collection. I didn't get all of them but several made me laugh out loud. in public.
April 29, 2022
Says it's hilarious but it isn't.
September 30, 2013
I'm a librarian, a bookseller and a reader...what's not to like?
May 9, 2017
Cute. Some of the cartoons are laugh out loud funny. Others not so much, but a fun collection that any bookworm will enjoy.
Read
April 22, 2018A cute little book with cartoons about books .
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews