by Art Chantry (art@artchantry.com)
this is the saddest book that ever was. it’s tiny (4 1/2″ square), thin (1/4 ” thick) and downright depressing. it’s illustrated by one of my favorite skritchy cartoon balloony-style illustrators of the late 1960′s, les taylor. it’s a gift book used as a greeting card published by “hi brow funny books” by american greeting card company. one look at this cover tells you what you are in for.
artchantry.com
one story inside: (i quote) Basil Spatch, research chemist who invented a cure for a disease that didn’t exist, finally was able not only to invent the disease, but to contract it… besides, the cure didn’t work.” the les taylor image is of a dead green guy collapsed face down on his desk in front of his microscope. (very very sad.)
another (i again quote): “Lucky” Phil Foresight had a feeling the plane he was scheduled to take was going to crash, so he took the train instead. sure enough, the plane crashed… right into phil’s train.” i’ll leave it to you imagination what sort of mayhem les taylor concocted for his image. (much sadder.)
back in the 1960′s, things were so fucked up that we thought this type of stuff was funny. so, corporations sold us this little booklet which was supposed to cheer us up. there was a real reason why so many young people ate so many drugs back then.
thank you, les taylor.
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