Cartoonists are finally getting their due. Compiled and edited by Lee Lorenz, former art editor ofThe New Yorkerand an acclaimed cartoonist in his own right,The Essential Cartoonistslibrary is a celebration of this unique visual art form. Each volume focuses on one truly outstanding artist and features approximately 150 of the artist's best cartoons, as well as insight into background, influences, inspirations, working habits, and more. Launching the series:The Essential George Booth andThe Essential Charles Barsotti. In Booth, Lorenz traces the career of thisNew Yorkericon. Known primarily for his unmistakable characters--Mr. Ferguson, the violin-playing Mrs. Rittenhouse, curmudgeons with their crazed dogs and unruly profusion of cats--Booth combines warmth, energy, quirkiness, and amazing detail. Like another famous Missourian, Mark Twain, Booth has never lost that flavor of small-town eccentricity--or the laugh-out-loud humor that defines his work.