Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons in the United States [Hardcover]
Chris Lamb (Author)
Book Description
Publication Date: December 29, 2004 | ISBN-10: 023113066X | ISBN-13: 978-0231130660
In 2006, a cartoon in a Danish newspaper depicted the Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb in his turban. The cartoon created an international incident, with offended Muslims attacking Danish embassies and threatening the life of the cartoonist. Editorial cartoons have been called the most extreme form of criticism society will allow, but not all cartoons are tolerated. Unrestricted by journalistic standards of objectivity, editorial cartoonists wield ire and irony to reveal the naked truths about presidents, celebrities, business leaders, and other public figures. Indeed, since the founding of the republic, cartoonists have made important contributions to and offered critical commentary on our society. Today, however, many syndicated cartoons are relatively generic and gag-related, reflecting a weakening of the newspaper industry's traditional watchdog function. Chris Lamb offers a richly illustrated and engaging history of a still vibrant medium that "forces us to take a look at ourselves for what we are and not what we want to be." The 150 drawings in Drawn to Extremes have left readers howling-sometimes in laughter, but often in protest.
Editorial Reviews
Review
The insightfully selected cartoons alone are worth the book.
(Kathleen Hall Jamieson)
Lamb's research, however, pays off in his enlightening history of cartooning, loaded with entertaining incidents beyond the well-known.
(James Poniewozik Bookforum)
If political cartoonists were to draw Chris Lamb, it might be as their knight, charging into battle.
(Nina C. Ayoub Chronicle of Higher Education)
[Lamb's] book is passionately argued...and the dozens of reproductions are fantastic.
(Financial Times)
A book that will serve as a wake-up call to those who refuse to acknowledge the diminution of freedom of expression and democratic ideals in the U.S....Essential
(Choice)
A thoughtfully composed and well-illustrated investigation of the role of those who serve as society's watchdogs.
(ForeWord Magazine 1900-01-00)
An important step forward for scholarship concerning editorial cartooning.
(David W. Park Political Communication)
Lamb's book is a welcome look at a type of journalism that is given extraordinary latitude.
(H.J. Kirchhoff Globe and Mail)
Review
Judiciously balancing the mission of American editorial cartoonists with the restraints imposed by their editors and publishers, shrinking opportunities in print journalism, and public censorship in times of crisis, Professor Lamb has produced a volume rich in its insights and perspectives.
(Roger A. Fischer, author of Them Damned Pictures and professor emeritus of history, University of Minnesota-Duluth)
Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Columbia University Press (December 29, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 023113066X
ISBN-13: 978-0231130660
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
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