Best Copy: The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs was published in 2012, a year before the similarly-named feline collection also from Random House. The Brattle Book Shop in Massachusetts has a copy of both "big" books, each signed by several contributors. The cartoonists who signed the Dogs book are Lee Lorenz, Bob Mankoff, Roz Chast, Victoria Roberts and Jules Feiffer. A number of writers also signed alongside their contributions: Roddy Doyle, Ian Frazier, Malcolm Gladwell (who also penned the foreword), Adam Gopnik, Jonathan Lethem, and poet Charles Simic. There must have been a launch party or some in-house celebration for so many signatures to be readily obtained, one would think. The price: $200.

Spot drawing
Otto Soglow

Image added September 2, 2023

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs
Biblio listing accessed August 5, 2023

https://www.biblio.com/book/big-new-yorker-book-dogs-gladwell/d/1507328807?placement=search_results_list

Note:  "Best Copy" is a new designation for the blog, but I think this multiply-signed copy of The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs fits the bill. As with yesterday's post about The Big New Yorker Book of Cats, this is subjectively the best copy of the Dogs book I've seen, but I acknowledge that others may have seen even better. I hope readers with access to such copies, if materially different from this one, will pass along some images.

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Best Copy: The Big New Yorker Book of Cats

It's not a stretch to call the copy of The Big New Yorker Book of Cats currently listed on Biblio the best one available. Issued by Random House in 2013 with a foreword by Anthony Lane, the book collects New Yorker cartoons, covers, stories, and articles on the subject of cats. This copy is signed by five of the magazine's cartoonists at their cartoons. Bob Mankoff and Roz Chast each sign twice. Lee Lorenz and Edward Koren also add signatures below their respective drawings; Lorenz even adds a comment. Victoria Roberts doesn't technically sign, but she adds a distinctive drawing of a cat which is the highlight of the book.

Such books aren't terribly common. Obtaining the signatures on different pages usually requires a lot of diligence on the part of a collector. This copy possibly may have been brought from cartoonist to cartoonist individually at an event, or it may have been brought to a number of events. It doesn't look like the typical product of a book signing. It is hands down the best copy of the book on this blog. It is also the only copy on this blog. 

The Big New Yorker Book of Cats
Biblio listing accessed August 4, 2023

https://www.biblio.com/book/big-new-yorker-book-cats-lane/d/1507327790?placement=search_results_list

The Big New Yorker Book of Cats
Biblio item description

Note:  Today, this is the best copy of the book I know of, but that doesn't mean there isn't a better one somewhere. If you have access to such a copy, I would love to see some scans of it.

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