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Foolproof's American Voices Series Presents
The Complete Cartoons of the New Yorker with Robert Mankoff
by Jen Bergman
April 7, 2005
New Yorker's Cartoon Editor Visits Tuesday, April 19 at Seattle's Town Hall, 7:30PM
Seattle, WA-Foolproof's American Voices speaker series presents the distinctly American
voice of Robert Mankoff, New Yorker cartoon editor for a night of comedy, learning
(something along these lines). Considered a national treasure, the cartoons of The New
Yorker are beloved, iconic images that have made us laugh at the social issues of the day
and have defined a markedly American sensibility. Mr. Mankoff will direct a presentation
on this admired collection on Tuesday, April 19th at Town Hall in Seattle (1119 8th Ave).
"Over the years, I had developed a passionate interest in The New Yorker cartoon as a
great cultural heritage that had to be preserved and passed on to yet another new
generation of artists," says Mankoff.
Last fall, all 68,647 The New Yorker cartoons were published together for the first time in
The Complete Cartoons of The New Yorker, edited by Mankoff. Organized by decade and
introduced by some of the magazine's most esteemed writers - including Roger Angell,
Nancy Franklin, Lillian Ross, John  Updike, Ian Frazier, Calvin Trillin, Mark Singer, Nancy
Franklin and Rebecca Mead, the book showcases the talented cartoonists who have
contributed to the magazine over the years.
Mankoff- who in '91 created the The Cartoon Bank (The New Yorker's virtual storehouse
for these images)- tackled the enormous task of selecting the cartoons included in the
print version. What he discovered in the process was that various themes emerged from
each decade, such as:
- sex and nudity in the 1940s
- the burgeoning space program in the 1960s
- the high tech explosion in the 1990s
Mankoff notes that by picking cartoons that were most representative of the modes of
thought, desires, and conventions that spawned them, it was possible to create a history
of The New Yorker cartoon and a cultural history rolled into one. Reading through the
volume, then, is a history lesson framed by laughter, a look at what was occupying the
headlines, and perhaps even the American psyche, at each particular moment in time.
 Mankoff recounts the selection process in the book's Introduction: "From the start of the
process we were relentless, unsparing, obsessive, compulsive, possessed-and even
paranoid in our efforts. We examined every single page of The New Yorker published
since 1925, to ensure that not a single cartoon was missed. In the end, after examining
over 400,000 pages, we found 68,647 cartoons. That's one for each resident of
Springfield, Ohio, according to the 2000 census, with enough left over for quite a few of
their pets."
The American Voices series is presented by Foolproof, a non-profit corporation presenting
entertaining exchanges of ideas balanced with critical thought in an effort to raise social
consciousness. They seek to inspire citizens to seek truths through free speech, thought
and action. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Foolproof at 206-325-3554 or www.foolproof.org.
contact: Jen Bergman
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