All the Art That's Fit to Print (and Some That Wasn't): Inside the New York Times Op-Ed Page

Clearly, Op-Ed art became a way of visually expressing serious thinking that forever changed the way we communicate. And for the better. By airing the aesthetic and editorial debates that shaped this synergy of art and commentary, and bringing to life the wildly eccentric and idiosyncratic cast of characters behind it, Kraus does a real service to anyone interested in the written word and its visual interpretation. Her book -- like the art it examines -- absorbs, excites, provokes, repels, inspires, entertains and, ultimately, enlightens. And from my vantage point as a former managing editor of of the Los Angeles Times and associate managing editor of The New York Times, where I worked with the author, I think it deserves to be on every journalist's required reading list.

Jerelle Kraus has assembled a tour de force volume that chronicles, illustrates, illuminates and entertains. This multi-talented woman is an artist in her own right, who shepherded the work of some of the foremost illustrators of our time through the minefield that is the editorial process at America's newspaper of record. For years, she was the den mother to some of our most talented and visually witty illustrators, as she worked from her ioffice as art director for the NY Times' Op Ed page. Now she gives us the back story -- the biographies of artists, the Freudian obsessions of some editors, the wit and wisdom that it takes to pull off such an amazing job that is fraught with politics -- in every sense of the word -- day in and day out for years on end. That Kraus could perform this feat, maintain her senses of style, poise, and humor throughout, and then sit down and write this fascinating book is a testament to her own great talent. Bravo!

If you've ever wondered why the Old Gray Lady is so gray, read this wonderful book about the illustrations that have appeared in a prime spot on the pages of The New York Times. The images presented here are easily worth the price of the book by themselves, but the anecdotes and explanations raise the work to a higher level for what they reveal about the way the events of the day are processed into the News at America's foremost paper.

This is a fascinating and exciting book about the power of editorial illustration and all the political events the art covers. Not only does this book allow readers to get an almost tactile experience with the process and creation of OpEd art, it also let's us in on the intrigue surrounding scenarios which unfolded once the art was delivered. The book is such fun to read--it's loaded with facts and anecdotes about world events as well as biographical information about artists we want to know about. Reading about the way in which art was perceived by editors at the New York Times is utterly the most enjoyable and humorous thing about the book because art was turned down for often such absurd reasons. The art in this book is incredible--and the book reveals how potent art and visual communication is in our society. Jerelle Kraus shows us how art takes us places and yet how misunderstood it can be. Reading this book, I feel I just took a great ride through art and culture. Jerelle Kraus has masterfully taken us on an amazing adventure and has written a beautiful and enormously important book!

Nothing tops this for sheer beauty and outrageous insider anecdotes. I was so intrigued that I read it straight through last weekend. The writing is authoritative, humorous, and stylish; and the pictures on every page are compelling and gorgeous. This book will forever grace my coffee table. I learned how the world's first Op-Ed page began and that Times Op-Ed art was exhibited in the Louvre but not the U.S. The author's 3 hours alone with Richard Nixon is hilarious, and the struggles between editors and artists are riveting. As Bill Maher blurbs, "To discover what really goes on inside the belly of the media beast, read 'All the Art That's Fit to Print.' The 'Some That Wasn't' are never-published illustrations censored by Times poobahs and revealed here for the first time." This classy, inexpensive, coffee-table book is my gift this year to each of my relatives and friends.