Dewey, a writer of fiction and nonfiction (James Stewart
), explores the evolution of American political cartooning from its origins in the 18th century through its proliferation in the 19th and up to its current state, beleaguered by, among others, litigation and political correctness. Dewey's review of racist portraits of blacks and Jews is commonplace, but elsewhere he explores less familiar territory, such as attempts to censor political cartoons. After a lengthy introductory essay, Dewey presents five thematically organized chapters with more than 200 cartoons. The chapter on presidents includes Bill Mauldin's mournful response to JFK's assassination and Doug Marlette's portrayal of Jimmy Carter as the cowardly lion and Ronald Reagan as the tin man in the 1980 presidential election. The most surprising and clever cartoon in the “Wars and Foreign Relations” chapter is a 1902 skewering of American imperialism, showing Uncle Sam, dressed as Santa Claus, presenting a gift bag to a suspicious Filipino child. Dewey's chapter prefaces occasionally shed fascinating light; in the chapter on “Ethnic, Racial, and Religious Issues,” he observes that most 20th-century newspapers have shied away from “cartoonists with skeptical views of mainline churches and their espoused Christian values.” This will make a nice coffee-table title for political junkies. (Oct.)
