In the original dustsheet. White cloth binding with black title on the spine.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

The old adage that a picture paints a thousand words has never been more true than when applied to the cartoon. Acting as a form of pictorial shorthand, a few strokes of the pen have managed to encapsulate the great dramas of the war in a way impossible in prose. Whether producing strips, social comment in magazines like Punch or Lilliput, savage caricature of allies and enemies, or a daily chronicle of events at home or abroad, little has escaped the cartoonist’s pen. The cartoon has a special place in the history of World War II. During the London Blitz the British upper lip was kept resolutely stiff by the antics of Strube’s little man growing marrows and the red faced indignity of Low’s Colonel Blimp. Fougasse’s Underground posters, Lancaster’s pocket cartoons, Pont’s unique drawings and the work of Vicky have an immediacy that has been unaffected by the passage of time. Giles, Searle, Illingworth, Zec and many more portrayed the grim realities and humorous asides of the conflict for British Empire readers while across the Atlantic a discerning public alternately praised and attacked the artists of the New Yorker and the big regional dailies, from Peter Arno to Arthur Szyk and from Saul Steinberg to Daniel Fitzpatrick. Krokodil meanwhile produced its own brand of Soviet humour and satire, and cartoons were an important part of the Resistance movements in all occupied countries. The Axis powers’ view of the war has often been glossed over in pictorial histories, but considerable talent existed in Germany, Italy, Japan, and elsewhere between 1939 and 1945, drawing on the genius of such superb prewar publications as Simplicissimus. Also included is the work of cartoonists in Vichy France and other collaborationist regimes. World War II in Cartoons is divided into chapters covering the war year-by-year, each chapter prefaced with a concise introduction that provides a historical framework for the cartoons of that year. Altogether some 300 cartoons, in colour and black and white, have been skilfully blended by cartoon historian Dr Mark Bryant to produce a unique record of World War II, one which will appeal to a very wide audience.

Reviews:

• “A leading authority on cartoons.” — St. Ives Times. September 2005

• “This book is a delight and is extremely good value for money.” — The Bulletin of the Military Historical Society, August 2005

• “Offbeat and highly entertaining.” — Aviation News, September 2005

A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images intended for satire, caricature, or humor; or a motion picture that relies on a sequence of illustrations for its animation. Someone who creates cartoons in the first sense is called a cartoonist, and in the second sense they are usually called an animator.

The concept originated in the Middle Ages, and first described a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained glass window. In the 19th century, beginning in Punch magazine in 1843, cartoons came to refer – ironically at first – to humorous artworks in magazines and newspapers. Then it also was used for political cartoons and comic strips. When the medium developed, in the early 20th century, it began to refer to animated films that resembled print cartoons.