A good many books anchoring the Spill‘s library — books heavily favoring text over cartoons that is — are books by and about the White and Angell family. After hearing of Roger Angell’s passing yesterday, I spent some time looking over these books. I keep them on the shelf together — a never ending family reunion. You can’t really think of the family without Thurber entering in; Burton Bernstein’s bio of Thurber can be seen above nudging Is Sex Necessary, which, of course was co-written by E.B. White and Thurber (the Thurber books here at the Spill are an anchor onto themselves).
You see just two books by Roger Angell on the shelf — his last two. Not an Angell baseball collection in sight. The reason: I preferred reading his baseball pieces in The New Yorker print magazine. For me, they were the cherry on top of whatever issue they appeared. Something to sit back and enjoy after the cartoons were dissected, and after whatever else needed reading was read. Reading Angell’s baseball pieces was somehow like watching or listening to a baseball game. I have a feeling, though, that the next time I’m in my favorite used bookstore and I spy one of Roger Angell’s baseball collections, I’ll buy it.
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The Tilley Watch Online: The Week OF May 16- 20, 2022
An end of the week listing of New Yorker artists contributing to newyorker.com features
The Daily Cartoon: E.S. Glenn (with Colin Nissan), Leise Hook, Luke Kruger-Howard, Ali Solomon, Paul Noth.
Daily Shouts: Ellie Black, J.A.K. (with Julia Edelman, and Ginny Hogan).
…and Barry Blitt’s Kvetchbook: “Putin’s Last McMeal”