Blue Dog Man

Teach an old dog new tricks? Absolutely, provided the pooch in question is Blue Dog, that colorful canine spawned from the mind of Cajun artist George Rodrigue. (For those no up to their four-legged friends fodder, the cobalt canine with the yellow eyes is based on three of the artist's now-dead dogs, and was first immortalized on slick papers back in 1994.) Who says a sleeping dog must lie? This babe is everywhere: portraits hang in the White House, on the set of "Friends" and in fan Whoopi Goldberg's abode; Blue Dog also stars in an Absolut ad. This volume boasts 60 gorgeous never-before-published paintings, along with commentary by Rodrigue on the birth of Blue Dog and its transformation into a pop culture icon. Tom Brokaw, an avid Blue Dog collector, wrote the book's forward. The cat's meow. Really.

Any book with more of Blue Dog is great. This features more of the pop art world of Blue Dog than the previous books of Rodrigue's work. (I actually like the paintings of Blue Dog in cajun settings best.)

This is a weighty (but not cumbersome) coffee table book that any thinking, feeling human being would be happy to own. Ever since I saw some original Blue Dog paintings in New Orleans, I've wanted to own one of them. Alas, I'm too poor. This book captures the spirit of the little alien-looking pooch and lets me borrow it for a price I can manage.

After an extremely stressful day of running my own busy insurance agency, I was browsing through the aisles at Barnes & Noble when my eyes spotted a delightful book with a captivating blue dog on its cover. I sat down with the book and found myself smiling and laughing quietly as I read the entire book. Blue Dog totally captivated me, and the stress faded as I read the book and enjoyed the images. I've never before bought such a book, but felt I must have this one! I will take Blue Dog Man to my office so that I can turn to it when things seem to get just TOO serious. I wish I could thank the artist personally for giving me such joy!

Tom Brokaw's Forward truly captures the essence of Blue Dog. The book is an absolute charmer from the moment you set eyes on it to the very last page. George Rodrigue has put together a wonderful collection of his work with some surprises in store for the reader as they page through the book. The first "Blue Dog" book by Rodrigue held a special place on the living room coffee table. "Blue Dog Man" deserves a lighted shelf of its own on the bookcase.