Product Description

"The Best of Punch Cartoons" is the biggest and best collection of cartoons ever published from the greatest humour magazine of them all. For over 160 years Punch cartoons amused, enlightened and annoyed its readers. Quintessentially British, Punch cartoons were famous the world over for their witty observation of the British character, their social commentary and their outstanding artistry. "The Best of Punch Cartoons" is packed with magnificent gags and beautiful artwork by some of the finest illustrators of the past two centuries.At more than 600 pages, this superbly produced book is an essential purchase for any fan of cartoons, humour or Punch magazine. Special features showcase major artists and an array of favourite themes from the Great Exhibition of 1851 and Early Motoring to the Space Race, from Psychiatry to Lemmings. This enormous selection, which must rank as one of the best British cartoon compilations ever, has been specially selected by Helen Walasek of Punch Cartoon Library and former curator of the Punch Collection.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5482 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 608 pages

About the Author
Text is provided by, and this enormous collection has been selected by Helen Walasek, of Punch Cartoon Library and former Curator of the Punch collection.

Customer Reviews

A real treasure
I started laughing at the first page I opened in this wonderful book - the cartoons are just as funny today as they were when first published in Punch. And if you're like me you could do with a laugh right now. There are 600 pages and 3 or 4 cartoons per page, spanning the decades from the mid-19th century to the end of the twentieth. The early cartoons are drawn with exquisite skill which we're perhaps not used to today, and are no less funny for that, but it's the more recent ones that I love most, with classics from Honeysett, Husband and Heath keeping company with names that are less familiar to us but whose work is still funny enough to have my father in stitches. I miss Punch but if you want a Christmas present for someone who could do with some cheering up, this mght be the answer.

A rapid and humourous scan of social history
For me cartoons provide a wonderful social and political commentary and they're funny as well.

It would be possible to list and describe each cartoonist, but I'd rather say that the drawing and punchlines from across the years tell you so much about the issue being lampooned and the period in question.

New to me, was that Tenniel was a cartoonist as well as having produced the best illustrations for Alice in Wonderland

The collection is well put together, it's well worth the Amazon price.

Absolutely Brilliant
This is a great book. It is large, heavy and imposing and great value for money for when you open it up there is a laugh on every page. All the cartoons seem as sharp now as they ever were. It is an absolute gem.