POLITICAL CARTOON BOOKS   Top Selection: THE FINEST INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL CARTOONS OF OUR TIME 1992 EDITION Edited by Joe Szabo Publisher: WittyWorld Books, a division of WittyWorld Publications Publication date: 10/1/1992 ISBN: 0-9631600-1-X Cover: Threadsewn case bound (hard cover: Saddam Hussein) Dimensions: 8 3/4" X 11 1/4" Number of pages: 176 Price: $19.95 The first in a series, this book is a unique collection of the wittiest, most imaginative, and best drawn contemporary political cartoons that grace the pages of the international media today. Culled from a search of cartoons from 48 countries, the selected works represent a diversity and superior quality unmatched in political cartoon anthologies. The perceptions of the featured eleven Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonists and their highly acclaimed international counterparts differ widely, and although some may be contrary to our own viewpoints, the genius of the works forcibly comes through allowing us to enjoy them anyway. These multiple talented visual journalists exhibit a remarkable ability to elevate even the layman reader to the heights of their philosophical sophistication and superb artistic talent. It is seldom that the reader may get to see cartoons from countries as diverse as Bahrain, Russia, Israel, Sweden, Peru, China, France, or Australia; in fact, before "The Finest International Political Cartoons of our Time" there was no such book available offering a global wealth of visual satire. 1993 EDITION Edited by Joe Szabo Publisher: WittyWorld Books, a division of WittyWorld Publications Publication date: 10/1/1993 ISBN: 0-9631600-6-8 Cover: Threadsewn case bound (hard cover: Bill Clinton) Dimensions: 8 3/4" X 11 1/4" Number of pages: 176 Price: $19.95 Fourteen Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonists (Auth, Benson, Borgman, Conrad, Feiffer, Locher, MacNelly, Marlette, Oliphant, Peters, Sargent, Szép, Wilkinson, and Wright), the world's top cartoonist, as voted by international cartoonists in a recent survey (Mikhail Zlatkovsky), and their highly acclaimed international counterparts from 44 countries, grace the pages of the 1993 volume of The Finest International Political Cartoons of our Time series. The cartoons, organized into 40 categories, offer an insightful and both visually and intellectually dramatic presentation of current politics. Thematically consistent with the major newsworthy events of our time, these fresh cartoons represent a comprehensive collection of superior artwork. Topics commented upon by the cartoonists include the U.S. elections, the war in the former Yugoslavia, pollution and deforestation, overpopulation, gay issues, the end of communism, European unity, while many works take a look at the state of various nations. As its sister volumes, this impressive hardcover book is presented in an unusually high quality format, suitable for home or office display, and is certain to become an object of thought provoking reflection and conversation. 1994 EDITION Edited by Joe Szabo Publisher: WittyWorld Books, a division of WittyWorld Publications Publication date: 10/1/1994 ISBN: 0-9631600-3-6 Cover: Threadsewn case bound (hard cover: Boris Yeltzin) Dimensions: 8 3/4" X 11 1/4" Number of pages: 176 Price: $24.95 Continuing in the tradition of the previous volumes, this 1994 compilation further examines the world and its main concerns. New topics, such as healthcare, gun control, religion, capital punishment, urban environment, the media, as well as some unusually provokative metaphors used by the world-renowned Portuguese António and Russian Zlatkovsky provide added excitement to this volume. Cartoons from two new countries, Costa Rica and Tatarstan, are also introduced, and the number of American works are sharply increased. With the introduction of cartoons by Jack Higgins and Michael Ramirez, the number of Pulitzer Prize winniers showcased in this series has reached sixteen. Few cartoon albums are as broadly based and diverse both stylistically and contentwise as The Finest International Political Cartoons of our Time - 1994. The design, permitting the most visually exciting cartoons to occupy deserving space, is a definite strength of the book. REVIEW Top Selection: The Finest International Political Cartoons of our Time. Edited by Joe Szabo. WittyWorld Books, P.O. Box 1458, North Wales, PA 19454. 1992. 166pp. ISBN 0-9631600-1-X. $19.95.   Cartoons of impact that transcends time This review, by Dennis Wepman, appeared in the Washington, D.C. based Capitol Comics Editorial cartoons are by their nature an ephemeral art form; they speak to their times and, like the people they pillory or praise and themes they address, they have their brief hour upon the stage and then become obscure footnotes to history. Future generations, God willing, may find AIDS and the hostage crisis as remote as we find the Tweed Ring and Teapot Dome. But among the spate of visual comments on current events, a few have an impact which transcends time and earns them a permanent place in the archives. Some by reason of their graphic artistry or originality and some for the universality of their themes find their way into the literature and history of their eras. Of the many collections which appear yearly, most are memorials to particular artists with their own followings or deal with specific topics in the news, and these have their place for the specialist. Few are as broadly based and diverse in both style and content as Joe Szabo's Top Selection, an assemblage which spans the world and examines most of its major concerns. What sets this elegantly produced volume apart from other collections of editorial cartoons, besides its usually handsome format and the high quality of its reproduction, is the extraordinary range of the viewpoint it reflects. True to the claim of its title, this is truly an international selection, its 124 artists representing 48 countries around the would. Most of the familiar cartoonists of America and Western Europe are here, and many who deserve to be better known, and it's good to have them in permanent form; but what is unique to this book is the opportunity it provides to see work from artists we would never see otherwise from Latin America, Africa, and the Near and Far East. The results are sometimes obscure--Oriental and Eastern European political cartoons are often rather surrealist illustrations than the visual puns we are used in the United States--but the pictorial commentaries in Top Selection are uniformly compelling and give us not only a rich sampler of visual ingenuity but a unique insight into foreign viewpoints on world affairs. The editor, himself a cartoonist from Hungary and the publisher of an international cartoon magazine which specializes in work from lesser-known sources, has brought together material from countries as far-flung as Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Estonia, Israel, Kuwait, and Iran, China, Japan, and Singapore, Honduras, El Salvador, and Peru. Although there are 22 American artists here (11 of them Pulitzer Prize winners), the bulk of the material is from places whose voices are seldom heard in this country. Organized by themes and indexed by national source, Szabo's volume provides a synoptic survey of world opinion, enabling us to see how citizens of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia see their situations, to compare Israeli and Arab views of the peace talks between their nations, and to glimpse how the Philippines react to the dangers of pollution. Not surprisingly, the Gulf War, the collapse of the Communist world, and the problems of the Middle East receive the largest amount of space, but nearly thirty other topics, timely and timeless, get their share. Cartoons range in size from half a page to full two-page spreads, and each is clearly identified by artist and country. Top Selection: The Finest International Political Cartoons of Our Time is an important addition to the literature of its medium. What constitutes "the finest" is a personal call, but the editor has given us a richly varied assortment which is not likely to be surpassed. If it maintains the high graphic and intellectual standard of its initial offering, Top Selection is sure to become the definitive series in the field.

CRITICAL ACCLAIMS The Baltimore Sun BALTIMORE, MD: "Beautifully produced" Die Welt GERMANY: "Intelligent compilation" Capitol Comics WASHINGTON, DC: "Extraordinary range of viewpoints... a richly varied assortment which is not likely to be surpassed" BigO SINGAPORE: "Even better than the 'Year in Review/ Pictures' issues of Time, Newsweek, and Life magazines" Nebelspalter SWITZERLAND: "It brings us smiles and some philosophical moments" Le Progres Egyptien EGYPT: "Serious, yet entertaining" Trinidad Guardian TRINIDAD: "This excellent book is a well-balanced mixture of humor and horror, social commentary and international idiocy" Expresso LISBON, PORTUGAL: "Take this book to work, to the pub, or to any place where people hang out, and the first thing they will ask is: 'Where can I get it?'" City Paper PHILADELPHIA, PA: "This book offers a chance to see our country as it is seen from different vantage points around the world" Middlesex News FRAMINGHAM, MA: "If you want some laughs, food for thought and a roundup of (current) world history, this is the book"