It would be hard to overstate the cartooning achievements of The New Yorker's Lee Lorenz (1932-2022), who passed away on Thursday at the age of 90. As a cartoonist, he was prolific, having had some 1800 cartoons published in the magazine over fifty-seven years—an astonishing feat in itself—and he created a number of great covers as well. Lorenz served as art editor from 1973-1993 and continued as cartoon editor from 1993 to 1997. Over those years he brought a new generation of talented artists into the magazine's fold.
An outstanding editor, he could also write. His book The Art of The New Yorker 1925-1995 is indispensable and a special favorite here; witness the many personalized copies in the blog archives. In fact, another unique copy of that book was sold earlier this month on eBay, the first we've found to have an association with Thurber House in Columbus. It is signed and inscribed by Mr. Lorenz.
On Monday, Joel Jacobus wrote and told the story of the sale:
In today's mail I received a signed copy of The Art of The New Yorker. I don't know why I've never picked up a signed copy before, but this one just seemed to insist that I buy it. And it turns out to be more interesting than I expected. My wife and I both puzzled over the inscription which looked like it said in part "and to all my friends at Thurber House," and wasn't explained in the sale. But when the book arrived it included a photocopy of a brief article about a 1995 fundraiser for the Columbus Ohio Metropolitan Library. The culmination of the fundraising gala was the yearly presentation of an award for the person who had contributed the most to lifelong learning for everyone. The book is personalized to the 1995 award winner, Donn Vickers, who was the executive Director of Thurber House. And Calvin Trillin was the main speaker at the ceremony. So James Thurber, Calvin Trillin, and Lee Lorenz all intersected at this Ohio library award ceremony (although Thurber and Lorenz were there in name only). An unexpected surprise.
And, I might add, not bad for $25!
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| "For Donn Vickers and all my friends at Thurber House Warmest best wishes. Lee Lorenz" |
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| The Art of The New Yorker 1925-1995 eBay listing ended December 1, 2022 |
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| The Art of The New Yorker 1925-1995 eBay item description |
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| Accepted best offer of $25.00 |
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| Press clipping October 13, 1995 Image courtesy of Joel Jacobus |
Note: My thanks to Joel Jacobus for recognizing the significance of this book. Joel spends much of his free time tracking down Charles Addams merchandise, so I am grateful that he spent some time on another New Yorker luminary.
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