Product Description

From 1980 to 1990 THE NEIGHBORHOOD graced the comic pages of newspapers across the country. Along with Gary Larson s THE FAR SIDE, it redefined the single panel gag cartoon with short bursts of sophisticated and surreal humor. Van Amerongen introduced BALLARD STREET in 1991 . . . a rich continuation of his singular humor. Jerry Van Amerongen s cartoons have been in continuous syndication for over 26 years. Countless greeting cards, calendars, many other licensed products, and now the Internet have created a large and loyal following over the years. Jerry was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He spent the first 17 years of his professional life in corporate sales, marketing, and product management, coming to cartooning at age 40. Van Amerongen s boyhood memories were shaped by the ethnic influences of his Dutch and Polish heritage, images of roly-poly women in large print dresses and rotund men in baggy trousers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #281384 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 197 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780929636771
• Condition: USED - LIKE NEW
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Jerry Van Amerongen lives in Minnesota with his wife, Linda, and a moderately trained Labrador named Rosie.

Customer Reviews

Classic Van Amerongen
Being fortunate to have a copy of nearly every book that Mr. Van Amerongen has written/drawn and a couple autographed copies to boot, I was excited to hear that the drought was over and a new trip down Ballard Street to the Neighborhood was coming. I ordered three; one for me, one as a Christmas present, and one to give to a worker who had only recently discovered the genius hidden in the black and white line drawings by Jerry. I remember him saying that he considered himself an artist first and a humorist second. Both of his talents are equal.

This book leans heavily towards the canine humor, but unlike Minnows in the Bathtub and Other Doggie Treats, has some other points of view also. You never know if he's going to hit you with an obvious joke or sneak up on you with a drawing that takes a few seconds or more to get the true meaning he was conveying. I cannot fathom how difficult it must be to have one panel, a limited number of words and meet a publisher's deadline day after day, week after week. He's been at it a long time and having either purchased every one of his volumes that I can find, or dutifully clipped them from the newspaper, rarely are any themes repeated.

I encourage anyone with even a slight interest in his work to grab this book to see if it indeed doesn't tickle at least a few of your funny bones. The sad part is many of his previous works are now out of print and there seems to be, despite some email requests for him to make them available, no current effort to archive his entire works onto a CD or DVD, as they should be.

Miss The Far Side? Try Ballard Street.
If you miss the twisted genius of Gary Larson's "The Far Side," pick up a copy of "Practicing People Skills on Ballard Street." Jerry Van Amerongen has a gift for capturing the subtlest of expressions with just a few strokes of his pen -- and of imagining the most bizarre, improbably comical situations. I've passed this book around the office and have yet to meet someone who didn't laugh out loud. Hilarious.

As good as ever!
I was introduced to Ballard Street about 8 years ago and I have been a loyal follower ever since. His off beat humor and get illustrations just seem to brighten my worst days. This new book has many new (at least to me) cartoons which I am sure will keep me in stitches for years to come. I highly recommend this collection for anyone who has seen Jerry's work before and for those who have not, you should give it a try as well.