Stuff and Nonsense

Rating:
Summary: 'The' bible of information and art from Frost
Review: A.B. Frost's Stuff And Nonsense provide an intriguing anthology of one of the first to produce 'comics'. Born in 1851, he became a regular short story contributor to Harper's Weekly and other publications, spicing his works with cartoons and illlustrations. Stuff And Nonsense's French/English survey of his life and productions includes paintings as well as caricatures and cartoons, and is 'the' bible of information and art from Frost.

Rating:
Summary: Almost Complete --but still a Beauty
Review: Fantagraphics have done a wonderful job assembling the 1884 edition of STUFF AND NONSENSE in a new and beautifully produced edition...but I have a few quibbles with this volume.

Firstly, this book is NOT the complete STUFF AND NONSENSE of A. B. Frost. Frost printed a second edition in 1888 where he redrew quite a few pages and added some more limericks and illustrations; some were added to replace racist Irish caricatures, but Frost took the opportunity to rework or restage some of the earlier drawings and make them more animated, or in some cases changed the stories completely. There is a completely different ending to THE BALLOONISTS in the 1888 edition (and it is much better than the earlier version.) It would have been great if we could have compared the two versions in the new edition since they reflect Frost's maturation as an artist in the intervening four years.

And while I am delighted to see THE BULL CALF reprinted, I note that Fantagraphics have simply taken the Dover Books edition from 1975 and blown up the images. It would have been better if they had gotten one generation closer to the originals and used a period copy.

Perhaps the alternate 'takes' of Frost drawings can be included in a future edition. This is a must have for any animator or illustration historian.