Edward J. Lordan tells the story of the American political cartoon, from its origins over 250 years ago to today. Lordan, who teaches communication at West CHester University near Philadelphia, provides a tour of artists, politics, media, American Society, and the technology of cartooning, including the work of Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere, Currier & Ives, Thomas Nast, Dr. Seuss, Pat Oliphant, Draper Hill, Tom Toles, Ted Rall, Mike Keefe, and others. Interviews with a selection of political cartoonists go behind the art form, to show how and why we respond to editorial cartoons as well as what syndication and the Internet mean to the future of political cartooning.

Communication Booknotes Quarterly

Politics, Ink offers a smart, lively, and informative survey of political cartooning, from the eighteenth century to the present day. Edward Lordan uses a diverse mix of sources and interviews to help capture the art, craft, and economics of editorial cartooning. His book also features an abundance of well-chosen illustrations and cartoons that usefully supplement the text. This book should appeal both to general readers as well as specialists in comics, popular culture, and mass communication.

Kent Worcester, Marymount Manhattan College; coeditor, Arguing Comics: Literary Masters on a Popular Medium