Latest Addition To The Spill Library: A New Yorker Bound Volume, February – April 1978
Until this week, I’d never come across a New Yorker bound volume containing my first cartoon for the magazine (I found a volume sometime back containing Whitney Darrow, Jr.’s cartoon based on my idea — that drawing appeared in the issue of December 26, 1977).
Sitting with the Feb-April ’78 volume is very much like looking through a family album. Among the many high points: Jack Ziegler’s one-and-only cover (April 3, 1978), as well as my all-time favorite Steinberg cover (March 13, 1978). And then there’s Arnie Levin’s truly delightful Easter cover (rabbits arranging an Easter basket photo shoot), a lovely Pierre Le-Tan cover, and a great early Spring Gretchen Dow Simpson cover (Ms. Simpson passed away last week).
As with any cartoonist whose work is about to appear in the magazine for the first time — and then does! — there’ll always be a bit more of an aura about the issue and the issues surrounding “the event.” In my case, a lot of it has to do with disbelief. Disbelief that I entered into such company.
Below, left: Arnie Levin’s March 27, ’78 cover; to the right is Gretchen Dow Simpson’s April 24, ’78 cover
