The best of PUNCH cartoons

Hurray, next weekend I'm going to London. The Cartoon Museum is on my list of places to visit. To prepare for the trip and to learn more about the British humour I bought the excellent and most British cartoon book: "The Best of Punch cartoons" (ISBN 978-1-85375-679-5, Prionbooks, 2008).

"The Best of Punch Cartoons" is the biggest and best collection of cartoons ever published from the greatest humour magazine of them all. For over 160 years Punch cartoons amused, enlightened and annoyed its readers. Quintessentially British, Punch cartoons were famous the world over for their witty observation of the British character, their social commentary and their outstanding artistry. "The Best of Punch Cartoons" is packed with magnificent gags and beautiful artwork by some of the finest illustrators of the past two centuries.At more than 600 pages, this superbly produced book is an essential purchase for any fan of cartoons, humour or Punch magazine. Special features showcase major artists and an array of favourite themes from the Great Exhibition of 1851 and Early Motoring to the Space Race, from Psychiatry to Lemmings. This enormous selection, which must rank as one of the best British cartoon compilations ever, has been specially selected by Helen Walasek of Punch Cartoon Library and former curator of the Punch Collection.

The cartoons are portrayed in chronological order, from 1841 to the end of the twentieth century, with special features on themes that inspired Punch's artists, the magazine's famed political cartoons - the 'Big Cuts' - and some of the magazine's most prominent cartoonists. Artists: John Leech; Charles Keene; George du Maurier; Phil May; HM Bateman; EH Shepard; Fougasse; Pont; Arthur Watts; Paul Crum; Sillince; Anton; Andre Francois; Gerard Hoffnung; Rowland Emett; Norman Thelwell; Michael ffolkes; Bud Handelsman; Mike Williams; Michael Heath; Peter Birkett; Tony Husband; Ronald Searle.; Special features: Railways; Photography; The Great Exhibition of 1851; Women's Rights; Early Cars; Big Cuts; WW2; The Space Race; New Technology; Holidays; Psychiatry; Lemmings; Caricatures."

Learn more about Punch:
Punch.co.uk
Punchcartoons.com
Punch magazine (Wikipedia)