George Booth: Two Jumping Chickens and One Coughing Hog

A copy of George Booth's cartoon collection Rehearsal's Off! is personalized for Kay Sexton, who was the manager of the first B. Dalton bookstore. Two jumping chickens and one coughing hog are illustrated, a play, it seems, on the Twelve Days of Christmas. It is inscribed as well with wishes for a Happy New Year. The book was published on January 1, 1976 but Ms. Sexton, a leading promotor of books,  may well have received an advance copy.

Note:  Another book from Kay Sexton's collection, this one signed and drawn upon by Edward Koren, was mentioned here last year. Simply click on the aqua link to see it.

I love sharing signed books with original drawings here on the old blog. Truth be told, the best source for drawings by George Booth found in cartoon books is Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Galleries. Visit his splendid page about George Booth to see them. Then if you should come across any more original Booth drawings in, say, cartoon books or anywhere else, please send them along and I just might include them in a future blog post. You will have made the world a better place.

Please don't go blabbing this to everyone, but George Booth will turn 90 tomorrow. Why not celebrate with some popcorn and my collected posts about the art of George Booth?

Then there's Michael Maslin's Ink Spill blog, your best source for news about New Yorker cartoonists including the man of the hour, George Booth.

But if you'd like to read Mr. Booth in his own words, be sure to check out Jane Mattimoe's recent interview with him at A Case for Pencils.

Semper Fi. Also don't miss Richard Gehr's 2013 interview with George Booth for the Comics Journal. 

I'll ask again:  What's so funny about chickens?

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