Eugene points out that all 68,647 of the New Yorker cartoons are now available to own on two c.d.s (and a “best of” is in book form; of course, in one week, the “complete” set becomes outdated, but no need to nitpick that here).
My first thought was “Hey! Gotta own that!” But then it occurred to me, on c.d.? I mean, does anyone really want to read New Yorker cartoons on the computer?
When I was a kid, whenever I went to visit my grandparents, the moment I was dismissed from the grown-up conversation (often around the same time my grandmother chastised my grandfather with, “Little pitchers have big ears!”), I’d slip into the next room and pull down my grandfather’s The New Yorker Album 1925-1950. I’d carefully turn the pages, reading each and every cartoon. It was a good visit when I had time to go through the entire book. I must have read that book over fifty times. My memory of my grandfather is linked to those New Yorker cartoons. When he passed away, my father gave me the book. Honestly, I didn’t get half the cartoons. Some I loved. Some just befuddled me (the obscure ones don’t seem to be online). Some were hopelessly outdated even thirty years ago. But I found them all fascinating.
While I know I’d enjoy looking over the 68,647 cartoons, it just feels, well, unholy to read them off a computer. It should be a tactile experience. New Yorker cartoons are history.
