Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

John Canemaker reviews and fully analyzes McCay's achievements in print and film, examining his work in relation to his life, his family, and to American culture and values of the period. Original art from all the McCay's endeavors and rare personal photographs provide a visual counterpart to Canemaker's fascinating text. Begining with McCay's childhood in pioneer-era Michigan, circa 1870, this biography moves on through his earliest attempts to find an artistic voice in Chicago and turn-of-the-century Cincinnati, his work with circus posters, as a quick-sketch newspaper reporter, as a headliner chalk-talk artist in vaudeville, as crown jewel in William Randolph Hearst's grand line-up of newspaper cartoonists, and as the greatest of the early animators. McCay's masterpiece is the epic Little Nemo in Slumberland (1905), a beautiful and surreal fantasy rendered in stunning art nouveau line and subtle yet daring colour, and designed with layouts that anticipate cinematic storytelling techniques. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914), remain landmarks in the history of this art and were unmatched in the fluid movement and personality of the characters until the mature films of Walt Disney came along two decades later.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. 7)
• Preface and Acknowledgments (p. 8)
• Introduction (p. 11)
• Phase 1 1867 to 1903 (p. 19)
• Chapter 1 Michigan Years (p. 20)
• Chapter 2 Chicago to Cincinnati (p. 32)
• Chapter 3 Cincinnati Years (p. 42)
• Phase 2 1903 to 1911 (p. 67)
• Chapter 4 New York and the Great Comic Strips (p. 68)
• Chapter 5 Sheepshead Bay (p. 124)
• Chapter 6 Vaudeville (p. 130)
• Chapter 7 Little Nemo on Broadway (p. 140)
• Phase 3 1911 to 1934 (p. 155)
• Chapter 8 Animated Films (p. 156)
• Chapter 9 A Hearst Man (p. 200)
• Chapter 10 After McCay (p. 250)
• Notes (p. 260)
• Chronology (p. 263)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

American fantasist Winsor McKay is credited with pioneering the comic-strip form and the art of film animation. The release of this revised and expanded edition of a 1990 book-the only full-scale biography of McCay-coincides with the centenary of the debut of Little Nemo in Slumberland, considered his masterpiece by many. The book boasts almost 50 pages of new content and never-before-published photos. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

School Library Journal Review

Adult/High School-McCay has been aptly described by Maurice Sendak as "one of America's rare, great fantasists." Few artists have been as influential in the field of comic strips and animation as he has. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of his surreal, groundbreaking fantasy strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland, Abrams has released a newly revised and expanded edition of the original 1987 biography. Canemaker's lucid account of the artist's life provides a comprehensive overview of his contribution to American popular culture and his achievements in comics, animation, theater, and advertising. The superb layout and design of this oversize edition are complemented by the copious illustrations (230 black-and-white and 40 full-color). The use of high-quality paper results in crisp, clear reproductions that are faithfully and accurately rendered. Overall, this is one of the most beautifully designed and well-written biographies of a cartoonist ever published. A pleasure to look at and read.-Philip Charles Crawford, Essex High School, Essex Junction, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.