{"product_id":"the-smythes-rea-irvin-9781681379548","title":"The Smythes","description":"\u003cb\u003eA CLASSIC 1930s COMIC STRIP: \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e's first art editor satirizes the petit bourgeoisie in these stylishly eccentric cartoons with echoes of Cheever and Wodehouse.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRea Irvin was \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e's first art editor and creator of the magazine's iconic mascot, the butterfly enthusiast Eustace Tilly. In 1930, he ventured into new territory with the comic strip \u003ci\u003eThe Smythes\u003c\/i\u003e. The Smythes--comprised of John, Margie, and their two forgettable children, Willie and Maudie--are a niceish suburban family, restless in their social stature, and eager to climb a sometimes wobbly social ladder (a ladder made even wobblier by the Great Depression). Irvin's distinct, graceful line renders the Smythes in all their glory and hilarity as they navigate ill-fated dinner parties with pompous socialites, fend off robbers dressed as Santa, and get chased out of restaurants by cleaver-wielding chefs. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith flavors of the upper-crust humor of Wodehouse and the suburban surrealism of Cheever, \u003ci\u003eThe Smythes\u003c\/i\u003e drolly captures the joys, heartbreaks, and humiliations of being in a family. Handpicked by acclaimed cartoonists R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw--who also penned the introduction together--this new selection of \u003ci\u003eSmythes \u003c\/i\u003estrips also includes an afterword by comics historian Caitlin McGurk that sheds new light on Irvin's work and life. An unsung masterpiece of cartooning, \u003ci\u003eThe Smythes\u003c\/i\u003e is finally available to a new generation of readers ready to marvel at the full reach of Irvin's artistic abilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Rea Irvin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1681379546\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781681379548\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New York Review Comics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/09\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 168\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs","brand":"Rea Irvin","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47419553579263,"sku":"9781681379548","price":39.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_fe2c5f5d-2e96-473e-9e18-b86b26857cbd.jpg?v=1761512305","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-smythes-rea-irvin-9781681379548","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}