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The Addams Family: An Evilution Book Review
About the Book: The ‘evilution’ of Charles Addams's singularly eccentric family began long before the television and film interpretations made them icons of American popular culture. Addams first created Morticia, Lurch, and The Thing in a cartoon published in a 1938 issue of the New Yorker—though he hadn't named them at the time, or even conceived of a family unit. (When he did name the deadly matriarch, he was inspired by the Yellow Pages listing for ‘Morticians.’) Other characters were born and developed in a multitude of Addams's cartoons over the next twenty-six years, before the cheerfully creepy clan debuted on ABC television in 1964 and later on the big screen, twice, in 1991 and 1993.
The Addams Family: An Evilution is the first book to trace The Addams Family history, presenting more than 200 cartoons created by Charles Addams (American, 1912-1988) throughout his prolific career; many have never been published before. Text by H. Kevin Miserocchi, director of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation, offers a revealing chronology of each character's evolution (for instance, did you know that Addams originally named Pugsley ‘Pubert’?), while Addams's own incisive character descriptions, originally penned for the benefit of the television show producers, introduce each chapter. As the presence of the Family continues to permeate generation after generation, and in celebration of the Broadway musical debuting in 2010, this book reminds us where these oddly lovable characters came from and, in doing so, offers a lasting tribute to one of America's greatest humorists. A phenomenon of rare proportion, The Addams Family is the manifestation of one artist's dark but irresistible wit, expressed with an uncommonly deft hand.
224 pages with more than 200 cartoons (approximately 50 are published here for the first time), many in color. Ten chapters explore each Addams Family character, as well as their mansion (a “House To Die For”). Size: 8 x 10 inches. Smyth-sewn casebound book with jacket.
Our Take: The Addams Family are one of the best known and most well loved morbid families. Everything from the 60s show to the famous 90s movies and cartoons in-between! They've been action figures, trading cards and candy, but rarely have they been books. At least not like this! Lets face it, the Addams Family kicks ass and this new Evilution book is a Addams-fans' dream! It includes over 200 cartoons from throughout the history of the strip, originally published in the New Yorker back in 1938! There are even never before published cartoons included! This hardcover book is a great addition to any fan's library!
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I love this book so much! I’ve been an absolute huge fan of the Addams Family forever, and it was amazing to see all the unpublished cartoons as well as original notes from Charles Addams. I liked the movies too, of course, but like many the television series was where I first was introduced to them. The show can be hard to find on TV so as a DISH customer/employee I’ve been watching it at DISHOnline, where they have over 125 episodes of the show. Thanks for the review, and again I really loved the book.
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