Product Description
The author of The Grapes of Ralph has produced an irresistible combination of words and images that bring Jones the cat vividly to life. In The Book of Jones, Steadman captures special grace of cats and the strange power that they possess to enchant us. Line art throughout. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Awesome book
This book is great. It is so beautiful. I think this book is sweet. I am fond of the author/artist.

A great cat, a great artist
Jones was the cat of Hunter S. Thompson. Ralph Steadman, the artist for many of Thompson's books, was at his house on numorous occasions and made various scetches of the cat. After jones had been dead for some time and Ralph famous, this slim volume was published as a tribute.

What can I say? I like cats and I like Ralph Steadman's art. It works for me.

Appeal lost on me
As one who loves good literature and cats, I was eager to own this book after reading the reviews.I was disappointed with each and every page!I found the story and the 'characters' lacking both depth and interest.I amnot familiar with the author, but closed the book wishing he had allowedsomeone else to put his sketches to word.

It was a very enjoyable and easy book to read.
This was a very enjoyable book, especially for cat lovers. As a person who has nine inside cats, I really understand the personality of Jones and can see how he got under Ralph's skin. The drawings are wonderful, and eventhough I personally didn't know Jones, I felt like I did. I give this book5 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes cats.

"JONES IS DEAD!!!" - Hunter S Thompson on his cat's death
This book was given to me for my birthday by my wife after we had seen it in a bookstore.I've always found Steadman's work to be amazing, and he doesn't disappoint this time.From all accounts, Jones was a typical cat:supremely disdainful of everyone around him, and yet more than willing to take advantage of Hunter, et. al., when necessary.The bond between a cat and a person is never easy to describe, and yet Ralph does so with surprising ease.Those of us who are familiar with Dr Thompson and his works can easily see how he and Jones were perfect for each other. A must read for cat lovers and Hunter fans alike. ... Read more

Product Description
A beautiful restoration of Steadman's 1968 edition.

The force of social satire and fantasy in the original text of Alice in Wonderland is as relevant today as when the novel was first published in 1865. This version of Carroll's classic tale is a startling departure from the traditional Victorian or Disney approaches. In his introduction, Ralph Steadman describes how a fresh illustrative perspective created an original, modern vision.

The irony and satire of Alice in Wonderland acquires new life with Steadman's audacious and dynamic illustrations. The 47 pen and ink illustrations from the critically acclaimed 1968 British edition are faithfully restored and reformatted. The energy, imagination and power of Steadman's pen introduces the wit and wisdom of Alice to a new generation of readers.Amazon.com Review
Source of legend and lyric, reference and conjecture,Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is for most children purepleasure in prose. While adults try to decipher Lewis Carroll'sputative use of complex mathematical codes in the text, or debate hisalleged use of opium, young readers simply dive with Alice through therabbit hole, pursuing "The dream-child moving through a land / Ofwonders wild and new." There they encounter the White Rabbit, theQueen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle, and the Mad Hatter, among amultitude of other characters--extinct, fantastical, and commonplacecreatures. Alice journeys through this Wonderland, trying to fathomthe meaning of her strange experiences. But they turn out to be"curiouser and curiouser," seemingly without moral orsense.

For more than 130 years, children have reveled in the delightfullynon-moralistic, non-educational virtues of thisclassic. In fact, at every turn, Alice's new companions scoff at hertraditional education. The Mock Turtle, for example, remarks that hetook the "regular course" in school: Reeling, Writhing, andbranches of Arithmetic-Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, andDerision. Carroll believed John Tenniel's illustrations were asimportant as his text. Naturally, Carroll's instincts were good; themasterful drawings are inextricably tied to the well-loved story. (Allages) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (155)

A magnificent classic.But beware of this KINDLE edition.
I last read this magnificent book many moons ago (1962) when I had some time on my hands.I was fascinated by the story and the logic inculcated within.So now that I have a Kindle and some time I thought why not read this gem?

The book of course is superb.No complaints there.The Kindle edition however is a different matter.There are NO ILLUSTRATIONS as in the hardcopy versions of this book.With a story saturated with visual metaphors this is an unforgivable sin - even though the book is offered for free.Sometimes "free" is really NOT free because this version can drive away some of the younger crowd from reading the book.That is the highest of sins.

One of my desert island desirables
Blood and Sunlight: A Maryland Vampire Story

The sheer lunacy of Alice is so incredibly imaginative. Carroll was creating worlds long before the likes of Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett.Definitely a must read. What gets overlooked is the amazing characterization of Alice. She's curious (of course!), but also pragmatic, determined, and wickedly unflappable. She might be the maddest of all of them! Definitely set aside some time to read this edition.

This was interesting to read
The pictures of the characters are cool. But I thought they change the story a bit and add some different parts, instead of hearing the same lines and speeches again. but I still liked it.

Classic Boredom
I read this as a kid, and hated it.But thought that maybe age, maturity, and increased intellect might give me a different perspective.Bored me as much today as it did yesterday.It's indeed a classic, and that's wonderful for enduring literature and the amazing allegories it contains.But for me it means snoretime, not wonderland.

Not so special
Entertaining, but not so special. Maybe in its time and era it was, but for me it was no more than 3 stars. It was a free Kindle book though, so no money lost here. Thank you, Amazon :)) ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Uneven but Entertaining
Much more than travel essays, this is a book on " psychogeography" - examining the effects of both natural and man-made environments on the psyche. As any collection of columns is likely to be, this is an uneven book, sometimes repetitive,but full of small delights. Self's use of language is quirkyand original- entire lines stuck in my head after reading. The most significantpiece is the long and meatyessay on Dubai, and the weakest is on Bill Gates.Steadman's drawings do complement Self's style, and as evocative as the text is,I'd rather have had photos as I will likely never see the majority of these places.

Excellent Dubai essay, mediocre columns
Will Self began his psychogeography excursions in the legacy of 1950s French Situationist Guy Debord. A man who, with his mates, decided that if they got hog whimperingly drunk on red wine and wandered across Paris they would break the man-machine matrix of modern capitalism with its micro-worlds of work-consume-die.

They failed, unsurprisingly. But Will Self is a contemporary version of the Situationists as he refuses to comply with our everyday modes of transport - the hermetically sealed units of plane, car, taxi that constrain our working and leisure lives. He has carved a niche in the walking world of 'airport walks' - walking from airports into city centres, a walk no one else takes. The aim is to crash different zones together. So in his first book on psychogeogrpahy Self walked from his house, to Heathrow, then flew to JFK and walked from there to Manhattan. Self claims the body doesn't register the flight so the walk feels seamless from South London straight to the centre of New York.

This time he repeats the trick with an even more bizarre walk from the late J.G. Ballard's house to 'The World'- a simulacrum of the world on a series of floating islands in Dubai. A preposterous venture, now seemingly doomed by the credit crunch. Self's meditations on the weird atmosphere of the Arab playground are rendered with terrific scabrous abrasion: at one point he coins one of his most scatalogical metaphors describing Dubai with its 'priapic skyscrapers and lubrication of Western fast food fat, alcohol and sun cream, being thrust into the parted arse cheeks of the rest of the umma - an act of tectonic sodomy that might have been purposely calculated to inflame the honour of the Islamists'.

Dubai is possibly the type of place Self despises the most - an artificial hedonism centre where no one walks anywhere (it is too hot), nothing is natural or rooted in a proper sense of place, and the master - slave relationship is propounded as dark skinned labourers toil in the sun to build and serve the constructions of the mighty capitalist classes.

The rest of the book is padded out with Self's Independent Newspaper Pyschogeography columns. None of them are long enough to have the same ideological power as the Dubai essay (Self himself has claimed you can only appreciate the picaresque of a walk after 20 miles or so). As a result many of the columns seem a bit like brief strolls by comparison, half baked and glibly tossed off.

Psychogeography is a fascinating modern phenomenon. This book should inspire more people to shun the usual routes of their everyday existence and seek out fresh insights in the more liminal spaces of Britain and elsewhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Hilarious, intelligent, and believable as an autobiography of the master himself, Leonardo da Vinci
I read this book some years ago, and was very amused by the format of storytelling.If da Vinci had ever written his own biography, I imagine it would be very much along the lines of Mr. Steadman's version of the events in Leonardo's life.Hilarious, gross, intelligent, and with fantastic illustrations throughout.Considering Leonardo da Vinci's fascination with caricatures in his own art, he would definitely love this book. ... Read more

Product Description
The distinguished detective apprehends a gang of robbers who have stolen a shipment of valuable Limburger cheese. ... Read more

Product Description
HARRAP LIMITED ED. Printed in Italy by Imago 1986. ... Read more

Product Description
In his famously kinetic, inimitably exuberant style, artist Ralph Steadman has created the very first picture book on that all-important icon of the computer age…the dot!

Meet the little dot that lives inside your computer, and find out what he gets up to when you switch it off. But don’t tell anyone, will you? It’s a secret…The perfect subject for Ralph Steadman’s pulsating, inkblot style. Ralph Steadman is the award-winning illustrator of books for both adults and children, including That’s My Dad, Tales of the Weirrd, and The Grapes of Ralph. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book!Unique illustrations and a fun story.
My daughter and I love this book. Ralph's unique illustrations make the story that much more intriguing to a 6 yr old. Also check out The little red computer, and Emergency Mouse by Ralph. ... Read more

Product Description
Wearing pizza buckles on their belts and wielding water balloons,
Garibaldi and his army defeat the rascally French, and
the world-famous Garibaldi's biscuits are born! Ralph
Steadman's cast of quirky characters and witty cartoons bring this footnote
of history to life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

He did it again...
Fantastic book that highlights Ralph Steadman's art and writing.For fans, buy it.If you're looking for a kids book out of the norm - buy it.Everyone else - buy it anyway.It's that good.

Tells of an unlikely army wielding water balloons and wearing pizza buckles
Ralph Steadman's GARIBALDI'S BISCUITS tells of an unlikely army wielding water balloons and wearing pizza buckles. The real Garibaldi's great achievement was to unite Italy: this zany take-off blends history and fantasy in a rollicking good read.

Book Review: Garibaldi's Biscuits
When a book this quirky comes along, you can't help but notice. Check out the quote by Kurt Vonnegut on the front cover, describing author/illustrator Ralph Steadman:

"The most gifted and effective existentialist graphic artist of my time"

On the front of a picture book? That will make you do a double take. It also makes you wonder if this is aimed at Steadman's adult fans more than kids. But then you read it. Pizza belt buckles, pet woodpeckers wearing overalls, and war with water balloons all mingle to create a tale that is definitely for kids, and thoroughly odd.

The events (and the biscuits) are real. After years fighting battles in South America with an army of Italian exiles, General Giuseppe Garibaldi returned to Italy. There he and his men temporarily fought back the invading French army (aka the Bourbons). The specifics are peculiar. The Bourbons kidnap Garibaldi's grandparents to cook for them. Undaunted, our hero and his men wage water balloon war on the Bourbons. Garibaldi is victorious, but his sympathetic grandmother decides to make the defeated soldiers something to eat. The titular biscuits are born.

I found myself wondering "what is the truth here?" The mixture of fact and fiction may be difficult for some, who like things a bit more straightforward. An afterword is provided to help clarify matters.

Another hurdle is the fact that most American kids (or adults, for that matter) aren't familiar with the Garibaldi biscuit. Originally published in the UK, this title may suffer from a cultural divide of cuisine.

Even if you don't know him by name, you're likely familiar with Steadman's art through his association with Hunter S. Thompson. The scribbly ink and watercolor illustrations are indeed striking. Characters are rendered in a warped reality, where gravity and proportion are optional. I quite like these pictures, which remind me most in style and medium of a more maniacal version of Quentin Blake's work.

Wild rides can be fun, but some are more worth taking than others. This one isn't for every collection, but fans of the quirky (and the biscuit), be warned. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Brilliant Blasphemy
I first came across this book at a friend's house while peaking on acid.At the time, I believed in God, and was reverent of all this creationbusiness we find ourselves in.This book looks at God and It's creationthrough a very jaundiced eye, with compelling, horrifying and undeniablyadept illustrations and text.It took me years to be able to see God againbeyond the film of revulsion and fear this book drew down over my eyes, butmy faith is stronger for it.I think Steadman would laugh if he read thatlast sentence, and I think he should, too--but believe me when I tell youthat the first time you pick up this book, you should be solid in yourfaith, and you should NOT be on LSD!:-) ... Read more

Product Description
Exquisite Corpse Annual #1 contains poetry, fiction, essays, reviews, artwork, etc., by Diane di Prima, Aram Saroyan, Jerome Rothenberg, Robin Becker, Alice Notley, Dave Brinks, Lance Olsen, Davis Schneiderman, Mike Topp, Willie Smith, Garry Craig Powell, Joel Dailey, Ruxandra Cesereanu, Bob May, Skip Fox, and more more more!!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Groundbreaking!!!
From India to Hungary to Dubai to Egypt to the forgotten leper village of Carville, Louisiana and the flooded city of New Orleans, reading this collection is like going on a journey, picking up bits of lives and cultures along the way. There's a good selection of work in translation by writers that may not be familiar to most readers-- Arlene Zide's introduction and translation of four Hindi poets, the translations of Attila Jozsef's Hungarian verse as well as Nicolas Born's German poems. Garry Craig Powell and Dawn-Michelle Baude both give perspectives on the lives of expatriates. The end of the collection returns to the States with Megan Burns' "Carville, Louisiana: Village of Forgotten Names" and Andrei Codrescu's photographs of post-Katrina refrigerator art in New Orleans.

Great collection...
This is a great collection. There's something for every mood: poetry, essays, fiction, a short play, all beautifully written; there's even an excerpt from a zombie story by Robin Becker. It's a great way to find writers you'll love but have never heard of. Check out the often overlooked Willie Smith in "Resurrected Manhunt" for a crazy trip. The essays in the collection confront key issues of our time from a discussion of the nature and limitations of anthologies by Jerome Rothenberg to Kane Faucher on the economic possibilities of Facebook. Overall, it's a very playful collection that defies expectations by being extremely readable.

Beautiful work!
The poetry and fiction in this annual is original, creative, and, above all, moving. It shows you what language can be and should be. You get a good selection of work from each author, so you get a real feel for their style. The poetry has a presence it isn't just shoved in between essays and fiction. It is substantial. The first selections in the book are poems from Diane di Prima, and the loveliness of the language begs that it be read aloud. Her experimentation with words and form is remarkable and is excellent preparation for the rest of the work in the book, which includes work by Bill Berkson, Alice Notley, Dave Brinks, and a poetic collaboration by Ruxandra Cesereanu and Andrei Codrescu. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Scathing Satirical & Hilarious Political Look at the USA
Hunter S. ( Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas) Thompson's illustrator, friend and drinking buddy, Ralph Steadman, turns his pen, colors, thoughts and attention to an America where "even God can be acquired with a credit card."

This collection of paintings and drawings, in color and black and white, satirizes the Land of the Free and was published in the late 80s. It looks at the Nixon years, Vietnam, Watergate and Reagan in a "take no prisoners" manner, suggesting that the quality of life depends on personal wealth and air-conditioning.

A Britisher, Steadman is one of the world's leading illustrators. His look at the USA is not bound by conditioning or preconceived ideas. A terrific book, full of laughs and rueful considerations. Another addition to Steadamn's wonderful body of work. ... Read more

Product Description
Full color, illustrated. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Would have returned it if I could
The cost of the book is so cheap that I didn't want to pay for the return shipping, but the book was relatively useless. You could keep a spiral notebook and get all the info that this will collect for you.

great, just wish for more space
This is a great idea, design and book. But it seems that there is just not enough space to handwrite the info (my husband has a very neat and small-lettered handwriting + he uses 0.5 pen - still not enough). If that does not bother you I definitly would RECOMEND it!

Fun
Ralph Steadman is a hoot. His maniacal view of the universe of wine lovers and wine makers is nothing short of wonderful. This is a wonderful travelogue for those who not only love a good bottle of wine, but dream of touring the vineyards that produce them and meeting the often wacky people that make the wine. I gave all my wine loving friends one of these for Christmas last year. ... Read more