First published 2020
Robert Mankoff transforms decades of New Yorker cartoons into an interactive puzzle collection. Readers complete crosswords to discover missing caption words, unscramble acrostics to reveal punchlines, and fill in empty thought bubbles above cartoon characters. The book challenges solvers to match cartoons with their publication decades and decode the visual jokes that made the magazine famous. Mankoff pairs the magazine's satirical drawings with word games, creating a hybrid format where humor meets puzzle solving. Each page combines visual wit with mental challenges, turning passive cartoon reading into active problem solving. The collection draws from The New Yorker's extensive cartoon archive, featuring the distinctive artistic styles and comedic sensibilities that have defined the publication across multiple decades.
Genres: humor, puzzles, games, comics
Vibes: thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: humor, interactive
Setting: New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
144 pages · Paperback · Puzzlewright