June 2002 Non-Fiction and Biography Book Reviews

Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year: 2002 Edition
by Charles Brooks

Pelican Publishing Company

ISBN# 1-58980-017-6
Suggested Retail Price: $20.00 or as low as $4.98 from Amazon.com!

The major editorial page subjects in the year 1983 were President Regan and his administration, the budget, the Soviets and the Pro Football Strike. There was much more going on and it was all fodder for the artists who create editorial cartoons. In this issue, some 350 cartoons reflect the work of 140 cartoonists. They give us their unique perspective on the events and issues of that year.

This collection of yearly editorial cartoon was first published in 1972 and you can find that book in your local library, too! (ISBN# 0-88289-230-4) There are a few more cartoonists in this current edition that includes some 400 examples of their work and laser-sharp opinions. Some of the issues and politicians these pen-and-ink masterpieces lampoon are not much different from the older volumes, just throw in a different president, and it's still the economy, the Russians, the Chinese, and the Middle East that dominate the headlines. The events of 9/11 and the anthrax scare are new, of course, and it all makes delicious fodder for the political cartoonist.

Fantasy of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History
by Randy Broecker

Collectors Press

ISBN# 1-888054-52-2
Suggested Retail Price: $60.00 or as low as $2.77 from Amazon.com!

Author Randy Broecker is your guide through this history which stylishly stretches from the earliest myths of gods and mortals. The listing of some of the authors included here are legendary major creators of goose bump reading. If you have ever enjoyeed H.P. Lovecraft, who was a pillar of the Weird Tales pulp, this is a trip down Memory Lane. The first page you open might feature the colorful frot cover of an A. Merrit paperback called "The Ship of Istar" that was a wonderful read in my youth.