Products description
Alphabetically arranged essays cover every important strip in the history of newspaper comics, with information on years of publication, syndicate, artists and writers, and synopses of typical plots.
[100 Years of American Newspaper Comics is an extraordinary celebration of one of America's great popular art forms. In this definitive comics encyclopedia, the alphabetical sections include individual listings for every important strip in the history of newspaper comics. Hundreds of black-and-white illustrations accompany the entries, and a sixty-four-page full-color section is devoted to the finest Sunday color comics, highlighting many rare pages from the earliest days of the medium.
Editor Maurice Horn and other respected experts in the field have written comprehensive and insightful essays on every significant American strip, in each case providing information on years of publication, syndicate distributors, and all artists and writers to work on the strip, as well as synopses of typical adventure plots or gag sequences and critical evaluations of each strip's quality and place in comics history. The enthusiasm of the authors for their exhaustively researched subjects has resulted in entries that not only are informative but are great fun to read.
All the famous American comic characters that the world has grown to love over the last hundred years are here. Some are still with us, enjoyed in newspapers and in popular book collections: Blondie and Dagwood, Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, Hagar the Horrible, Calvin and Hobbes, Momma, Cathy, Prince Valiant, Dick Tracy, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, the Phantom, Doonesbury, Garfield, the Wizard of Id. Others have left our immediate experience but have been immortalized as cultural icons: Buck Rogers, Buster Brown, Li'l Abner, Barney Google, Pogo, Little Nemo, Jiggs and Maggie, Mutt and Jeff, Steve Canyon, Red Ryder, Krazy Kat. Still others have been gone for a while but fully deserve a reintroduction: the Rarebit Fiend, Little Jimmy, Polly, Brick Bradford, Skippy, the Newlyweds, Barnaby, Henry, Johnny Hazard, Abbie an' Slats and the guy who started it all, the Yellow Kid.
Not only are all these wonderful characters brought to life in this encyclopedia, but the exquisite artistry and storytelling of the strips' creators - Winsor McCay, George McManus, Walt Kelly, George Herriman, Alex Raymond, Hal Foster, Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, Cliff Sterrett, and Bill Watterson, among many others are revealingly spotlighted.
This superb illustrated encyclopedia is the ultimate reference book on newspaper comics. Edited by world-renowned comics authority Maurice Horn - who has also provided an introduction, a chronology, a bibliography, and a biographical index of cartoonists - 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics celebrates the second century of America's and the world's love affair with the comic strip.]
- PREFACE
- 100 YEARS OF COMICS: AN INTRODUCTION
- 100 YEARS OF COMICS: A CHRONOLOGY
- ENTRIES: A TO Z
- 100 YEARS OF COLOR COMICS
- THE AMERICAN NEWSPAPER STRIP: A BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS
- 100 YEARS, 100 CARTOONISTS: A BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX
Condition 0 (mint MT)
An exceptional example of a given book. Bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity. Corners are cut square and sharp. Spine is tight and flat. Paper is white, supple and fresh. No interior autographs or owner signatures.
Condition 0-1 (near mint NM)
Nearly perfect in every way with only minor imperfections that keep it from the next higher grade. Only subtle bindery or printing defects are allowed. Cover is flat with no surface wear. Inks are bright with high reflectivity and minimal fading. Corners are cut square and sharp. Small, inconspicuous, lightly penciled, stamped or inked arrival dates are acceptable as long as they are in an unobtrusive location. Spine is tight and flat. Paper is white, supple and fresh. Only the slightest interior tears are allowed.
Condition 1 (very fine VF)
An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with outstanding eye appeal. A small accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear beginning to show, possibly including minor creases. Corners may be blunted. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Paper is cream to tan. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present.
Condition 1-2 (fine FN)
An above-average copy that shows minor wear but is still relatively flat and clean with no significant creasing or other serious defects. Some accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases. Inks show a significant reduction in reflectivity. Blunted corners are more common, as is minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Paper is tan to brown and fairly supple with no signs of brittleness. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. Centerfold may be loose.
Condition 2 (very good/fine VG-FN)
An above-average but well used book. An accumulation of bindery/printing defects is allowed. Minor to moderate cover wear apparent, with minor to moderate creases and/or dimples. Inks have moderate to low reflectivity. Blunted corners are increasingly common, as is minor to moderate staining, discoloration, and/or foxing. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Paper is tan to brown with no signs of brittleness. Centerfold may be loose. Minor interior tears may also be present.
Condition 2-3 (very good VG)
The average used book. Cover shows moderate to significant wear, and may be loose but not completely detached. Cover reflectivity is low. Can have moderate creases or dimples. Corners may be blunted. Store stamps, name stamps, arrival dates, initials, etc. have no effect on this grade. Some discoloration, fading, foxing, and even minor soiling is allowed. As much as a 1/4" triangle can be missing out of the corner or edge; a missing 1/8" square is also acceptable. Moderate spine roll may be present and/or a 1" spine split. Paper is brown but not brittle. Minor to moderate interior tears may be present. Centerfold may be loose or detached at one staple.
Condition 3 (good GD)
Cover shows significant wear and may even be detached. Cover reflectivity is low and in some cases completely absent. Book-length creases and dimples may be present. Rounded corners are more common. Moderate soiling, staining, discoloration and foxing may be present. The largest piece allowed missing from the front or back cover is usually a 1/2" triangle or a 1/4" square. Tape and other forms of amateur repair are common in older books. Spine roll is likely. May have up to a 2" spine split. Paper is brown but not brittle. Centerfold may be loose or detached. Moderate interior tears may be present.
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