Product Description

Richard's Poor Almanac, inspired by seven years of weekly contributions to the "Washington Post," is Richard Thompson's omnium-gatherum of seasoned observations for all seasons — indoors and out. Like the almanac we've all come to know and ignore, Richard's Poor Almanac is an annual compendium of weathered wisdom rendered in the more palatable form of cartooning.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #325135 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
"...puts Richard Thompson among America's great living cartoonists." -- Gene Weingarten, The Washington Post

"...this anthology is well overdue….As a cartoonist, Thompson is simply a joy." -- Tim O'Neil, PopMatters.com

From the Publisher
Richard Thompson’s irreverent and hilarious cartoons have been a mainstay in the pages of The Washington Post for over seven years. Now, they are collected in book form for the first time. RICHARD’S POOR ALMANAC is nothing less than a tonic for the daze ahead.

About the Author
Richard Thompson is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Virginia with his lovely wife and two daughters. His cartoon Richard ’s Poor Almanac appears weekly in The Washington Post, sometimes in color, but most often not. His work also illustrates Francis Heaney’s Holy Tango of Literature, published by Emmis Humor, and is featured regularly in US News & World Report, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic and many other publications. It has also found its way onto gallery walls, won coveted awards such as the Society of Illustrators Gold and Silver Funny Bones, and made enduring presents for his aforementioned lovely wife and two daughters. In 2004, Mr. Thompson took home the Milton F. "Sonny" Clogg Alumni of the Year Award from his alma mater, Montgomery College. (And did he even graduate? No!) Since breaking his toe in a dance-related accident nearly twelve years ago, Mr. Thompson has been forced to draw with his hands.

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended
It is true I copyedited this book (and Mr. Thompson illustrated mine), so perhaps I have a conflict of interest (oh, heck, let's admit it -- I do!), but I laughed the whole time I was wielding my red pen. And imagine how much funnier the book will be to someone who isn't forced to think about semicolons while they're reading it!

A Splendid "Poor Almanac"
Richard Thompson's Richard's Poor Almanac appears weekly in the Washington Post, but you don't have to live inside the Beltway to larf out loud at this collection, which includes entries like the Smithsonian's Dillinger Wing (now featuring the Splendors of Ypsilanti) or the lists of local restaurant closings - "Eurodonut" being shut down for finding Marmite in the jelly donuts, and the frequent tragic travails of "P.J. Piehole's Family Place". One learns, at last, the Equine Statue Code for Civil War monuments; some obscure and faintly disturbing constellations in the monthly Skywatch - and don't miss the touching "Remembering Elvis". But that's not all! There's also a page of commemorative Richard Thompson stamps. If you need a laugh, you need this book.

What's Black and White and Yellow All Over?
Obvious answer: this amazingly beautiful book that's printed in two colors and manages to capture this entire noisy, giddy, wayward world in its lines. It's a hilarious and smart compendium of nearly every living, breathing, pontificating thing on the planet. If you're a birdwatcher, you'll want to add Thompson's rare birds to your life list: the Eastern Pottymouthed Snark; the Unmitigated Gull; the Commonplace Dullard; and, hardly least of all, the Flightless Grouse who "plods up and down the Eastern U.S. whining the whole damn time." There are guides to weeds, clouds, cookies, county fairs, catalogues, constellations, Halloween costumes, and "local bogeymen." Basically, Richard Thompson covers the waterfront, dipping his pen into everything from politics and other pollutants, to surburbia and other relicts. It's a blissful romp that should carry you through the seasons, year after year.