If life were fair, Richard Thompson, would continue to live, draw, and make us laugh at least as long as Charles Schultz (77), Herblock (91), Benjamin Franklin (84), or Michelangelo (88). He'd continue to create Cul de Sacs and Richard's Poor Almanacs until he and his characters had said all they had to say and then retire/hide from the public (a la Bill Watterson, Gary Larson) to the dismay of his fans.Sadly, Parkinson's Disease has taken that option away from him. This fascinating book (suitable for your coffee table in a color scheme of B&W with a touch of red to match any decor) showcases a sampling of RT's life's work and LOL wit/wisdom with interesting biographical info written (mostly in interview and sidebar form) by Richard and his fellow cartoonists (who all seem to be envious of his genius because they know exactly how hard it is to be funny, on deadline, day after day). It shows the growth of Richard Thompson as an artist/cartoonist with representative samples -in beautiful full color--from his life work. You can see and appreciate his growth as an artist from his early days working on his college newspaper to the Washington Post and New Yorker and colorful caricatures.Reading his interviews with fellow cartoonists' is like being a fly on the wall at the most interesting Washington-DC dinner party ever --where the honored guest is witty, funny, informed, observant, smart, and so humble as to deliver his zingers completely without partisanship or pretension. (And that's before we even get to Cul de Sac and my favorite character, the preschooler who dances atop the cul de sac's manhole cover, Alice. And yes, he has a real-life daughter who did that very thing.)Among the fun facts and background info you'll learn about the art and comic genius of Richard Thompson in what editor Nick Galifianakis describes as "the World's Most Overdue Art Book"...-On the cartooning process he answers the most FAQ by fans: "WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS?!" in 6 panels on pg 14. ( See also: "Drawing a Funny Cartoon in 20 Easy Steps", pg 37. Spoiler: "Thank God for deadlines.") Gene Weingarten gets a more serious answer in his interview (pg 83-88), RT: "The most useful way to start an Almanac was to divide a sheet of paper into six squares and try to fill them. If I couldn't...four squares...usually the panels were laid out from worst joke to best. The first were as much for exposition as to get the idea started." Gene also rescues from the trash some of RT's "worst ideas" and publishes them in the Washington Post (see pg 88).-Why would RT--or any cartoonist--turn down an offer from the Washington Post for Herblock's job?! (Answer on page 16.)-Who among us can send The New Yorker several "rough" illustrations of sketch ideas (of then presidential candidate Ross Perot) and get a reply from the art director ..."We like #2. Don't change it, just sign it and send it in."-On the operating table during Deep Brain Simulation to treat his Parkinson's symptoms, RT draws "before" and "during" sketches to show doctors how the procedure helps to override faulty nerve signals (see the improvement on page 19.)-If you hate both surprises and Valentine's Day, you'll love page 70!- Anyone with a love of the earth/ environmentalist's heart will appreciate the devilishly true cartoon on pg 13 he drew for National Parks Magazine. (Not wanting to move to NYC, RT proved there was a big enough freelance market in DC area --drawing for trade association magazines as well as Washington Post, Washingtonian, etc.--to support his family. He never chased fame, in fact, seemed to dodge it, but it found him.)-If you're a fan of Gene Weingarten's "Below the Beltway" column in the Washington Post Magazine, you might start to wonder as I did if you've been in love w/ the wrong man all these years. Was it Pulitzer-prize-winning _Gene's_ words or was it RT's illustration/captions that made those columns so LOL funny?! (See page 89 where they reverse roles and RT writes Gene's Thanksgiving column.)The book includes commentary/cartoons on so many topics that few would suspect are funny until RT took them on in his Richard's Poor Almanac: county fairs, electronic voting, newspaper corrections, restaurant closings and "establishment health code violations," Whistler's Mother, Wall Paper and floor coverings...are just a few of his zany observations. So fun to see the ones I missed all in one spot in this book. I remember one Richard's Poor Almanac parting line that made me LOL and for some reason has stuck with me all these years --that I couldn't find in the book ( "Next week: Learn to draw Trent Lott...don't forget your T-square!") As the books' editors point out, the hardest part in creating a 225 page book on the Art of Richard Thompson was that "so much brilliance had to be left on the cutting room floor."I attended an author/editors book discussion panel at our local library where they also showed a documentary video on RT's life. (Documentary here http://vimeo.com/111690998 ) Fans can view originals of much of RT's artwork--including pieces that didn't make it into the book --in the video and at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University.While RT `s almanacs, our favorite preschooler ALICE and her big brother Petey and the parental Otterloops ... all leave us and their Cul de Sac far too soon, this book is a great and lasting tribute to Richard Thompson's full body of work. It's an enjoyable read...full of beautiful art and uplifting humor. The love and admiration of his friends and colleagues who contributed to it adds to the beauty of the book.PS One last interesting story...apparently it was Thompson's WORDS (for Make the Pie Higher his George W. Bush "inaugural poem"--see back cover) that drew the attention of a national syndicator that brought his work to wider audiences outside of our local DC area. The "poem" went viral by email...RT's artwork wasn't even accompanying it...An unusual path to cartoon syndication, but indicative of the breadth/depth of Richard Thompson's humor.