Blair's Copy of The New Yorker Cartoon Album 1975-1985

The year 1985 was the sixtieth anniversary of The New Yorker. The 1975-1985 cartoon album collected cartoons that appeared in the pages of the magazine over a decade. Rare Book Cellar of Pomona has by far the best signed copy of this book we've yet to see here on this blog. It belonged to someone named Blair and the inscriptions tell us she worked for the British humo(u)r magazine Punch when she visited The New Yorker. She wasn't there alone, either.

The cartoonists who signed are an impressive group. Mick Stevens draws a cat's head. Sidney Harris seconds the motion but doesn't draw anything. Jack Ziegler serves up a cat of his own. Sam Gross chimes in, but he  doesn't draw anything himself. Roz Chast presents an amusing still life.

Then Edward Koren's drawing knocks it out of the park. It could very well be that the artists from The New Yorker had lunch with the contingent from Punch. That would make this probably a look day crowd rather than a public signing event. 

Cartoonist and art editor Lee Lorenz also signed Blair's book. His dedication sounds as if it is written to not just Blair, but other members of "the Punch Bunch."

"For the Punch Bunch
from Tilley's Toilers
with warmest best
regards————
Lee Lorenz"

Punch came to an end in 1992. It was revived in 1996 and came to an end again in 2002. 

Today the book is discounted by 20%. That means this beautiful signed volume is available for only $1,200.

The New Yorker Cartoon Album 1975-1985
Rare Book Cellar listing accessed July 9, 2024

https://www.rarebookcellar.com/pages/books/174063/new-yorker-magazine-staff/the-new-yorker-cartoon-album-1975-1985-signed

  

Note:  Do other members of the "Punch Bunch,"  whoever they are, have similarly signed books in their possession? Were there any public books signings for the 1985 collection? Attempted Bloggery's mission—well, one of them—is to document New Yorker books signed by one or more New Yorker artists. Not wishing to discriminate, I would also post Punch books signed by Punch artists, although they seem to be invisible on my side of the Atlantic. The bottom line is I'd love to hear from readers with New Yorker or Punch cartoon collections which, like Blair's book, have fine original drawings.

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