Edward Koren: Creature Appreciation

Enterprise Books of Chicago offers a copy of New Yorker cartoonist Edward Koren's (1935-2023) first collection, Do You Want to Talk About It? This 1976 book is signed with an original drawing of a bird-like creature with fangs.

Edward Koren
AbeBooks listing accessed October 13, 2023

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Want-Talk-Koren-Edward-Calvin-Trillin/31624218156/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook

A quick search through the blog archives reveals a comparable Koren drawing appearing in this same cartoon collection that sold in 2015 for $50.

And the blog has another one facing the other way that sold for $100 in 2012.

Such bird-like creatures were evidently fairly standard go-to presentation drawings for the artist, circa 1976. The current $175 asking price may reflect a premium that has been added since the artist's passing in April of this year.

Note:  Got a book with an original Edward Koren sketch? Please send photos or scans and your drawing could be added to the blog archive as well.

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Koren Creature

Cartoonist Edward Koren just celebrated fifty years of publishing drawings in The New Yorker, no mean feat. Here is a copy of his classic 1976 collection Do You Want To Talk About It? with an original signed drawing of a creature of some sort. Okay, I'm not sure exactly, but it appears to be in the shape of a bird. With fangs. And...um, pockets.

This book is from my own collection, acquired not too long ago on eBay.

Edward Koren, Drawing of a creature on endpapers
in Do You Want To Talk About It? (1976)

Do You Want To Talk About It? (1976) by Edward Koren

Do You Want To Talk About It? by Edward Koren
EBay Item Description

Note:  Edward Koren's charming, bookish print for Tri-Nip Press is one of four prints discussed in my milestone 300th blog post here.

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