Thurber Illustrates In A Word…Three Ads
This fun book by Margaret Ernst, originally published in 1939, contained sixty-three Thurber drawings (drawn specifically for Ernst’s book). In other words (no pun) it’s essential for any Thurber library.
To promote the book, the publisher ran ads in three consecutive issues of The New Yorker, beginning with the issue of September 16, 1939. Here they are, in order of their appearance:
James Thurber’s A-Z Entry…
James Thurber Born, Columbus, Ohio, December 8, 1894. Died 1961, New York City. New Yorker work: 1927 -1961, with several pieces run posthumously. According to the New Yorker’s legendary editor, William Shawn, “In the early days, a small company of writers, artists, and editors — E.B. White, James Thurber, Peter Arno, and Katharine White among them — did more to make the magazine what it is than can be measured.”
Key cartoon collection: The Seal in the Bedroom and Other Predicaments (Harper & Bros., 1932). Key anthology (writings & drawings): The Thurber Carnival (Harper & Row, 1945). There have been a number of Thurber biographies. Burton Bernstein’s Thurber (Dodd, Mead, 1975) and Harrison Kinney’s James Thurber: His Life and Times (Henry Holt & Co., 1995) are essential. Website
_______________________________________________________________
Liza Donnelly Appears On WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show
Ms. Donnelly, who began contributing to The New Yorker in 1979, was a guest on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show this morning (March 20, 2025). They discussed New Yorker cartoon history, including James Thurber’s Seal in the Bedroom, and Peter Steiner’s famous cartoon, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Also discussed: The Society Of Illustrators exhibit, Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration, curated by Ms. Donnelly,
Ms. Donnelly’s conversation with Mr. Lehrer has been archived. You can hear it here.
Liza Donnelly’s A-Z Entry…
Liza Donnelly (pictured above) Born, Washington, D.C. New Yorker work: June 21, 1982 -. Key book: Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons (Prometheus, 2005). A new edition, Very Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Women Cartoonists, was published in 2022 by Prometheus. Edited: Sex & Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love…in 200 Cartoons (Twelve, 2008). Co-authored with Michael Maslin: Husbands & Wives (Ballantine 1995), Call Me When You Reach Nirvana (Andrew & McMeel, 1995), Cartoon Marriage (with Michael Maslin) (Random House, 2009), When Do They Serve the Wine? (Chronicle, 2010). Women On Men (Narrative Library, 2013). Donnelly also wrote and illustrated a popular series of dinosaur books for children (Dinosaur Day, Dinosaur Beach, Dinosaur Halloween, etc.) all published by Scholastic. Website: lizadonnelly.com