THE CARTOONIST COOKBOOK - A SAVORY COMPOUND OF CARTOONIST AND COOKBOOK BY 45 OF THE GREAT AMERICAN CARTOONISTS - EACH WITH HIS FAVORITE MENU AND RECIPES, A CAMERA PROFILE, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, AN ORIGINAL CARTOON,CAN CARTOONISTS - EACH WITH HIS FAVORITE MENU AND RECIPES, AND A CAMERA PROFILE, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH, AN ORIGINAL CARTOON, PLUS WARM AND AMUSING ANECDOTES. A MOST ASTON-ISHING COMIC ART AND CULINARY GUIDE - A Gathering By The Newspaper Comics Council, Edited by Theodora Ilenberger and Avonne Eyre Keller, with a Foreword by Stephen Becker, and an Introduction by James A. Beard, 1966 1st edition 1st printing, Gramercy Publishing Company (New York),, 8.25 x 5.7-inch linen-clad HB with embossed back lettering at spine, 189 pp. + 8-page unnumbered Index Of Recipes, paper stock is thicker-than-average, white and matte-finished, mylar protected DJ:near-excellent condition (book is clean and tightly bound with straight corners, bright covers and bright, unmarked pages; DJ is bright, clean and fully inttact with slight curling at upper front flap, ADJ at upper front flap corner which usually shows a price).
PLEASE NOTE: There's an intriguing inscription, signature and date in black ink on the front flyleaf ("Maybe you get a kick out of this bit of nostalgia and fun and find some good recipes, too! / I can't decipher the signature, but the first name starts with M and the last name starts with "C"- which features 2 dots represemning eyes, strongly suggesting it was a gift from a cartoonist / beneath the name is "X misses 1972").
*I checked the list of the 45 cartoonists featured in the book and was unable to find a likely match for the signature. iI acquired it at the L.A. estate sale of a female artist//sculptor and her spouse.
This is a unique cookbook and a look back at popular newspaper cartoonists of the post WW II era, including all-time greats Al Capp (LI"L ABNER) and a young Charles Schulz's (PEANUTS). Several other comic strip titles like JOE PALOOKA, B.C., MARY WORTH and MUTT AND JEFF.were national favorites.
There are a few matching copies on eBay with cover photos, none with mylar. The cheapest one has a lot of wear and is $5.99 + $5.48 shipping. The only copy better than good is a very good HB with accompanying photos for $18.99 + $4.63 shipping. none has an inscription, let alone one that isn't personalized. I wish I knew who signed it but am pretty certain it was another member of the Newspaper Comics Council.
The Buy-It-Now price of $14.99 includes shipping with cardboard backing in a padded envelope via media mail, which takes up to 7 days with tracking, less in California.