Review of Pogo Puce Stamp Catalog

Walt Kelly, 1963, Pogo Puce Stamp Catalog, Simon and Schuster. This is a Pogo book that is dualistic in a way different from most of the others. Most of the books have a theme, which affects part of the book, and the rest of the book is made up of various kinds of silly nonsense. In this case, the theme is the Pogo puce stamp catalog, which is mentioned in at least one other book. This book actually came with a page of puce stamps. However, the books with the stamps cost so much more than the books without stamps, used, when I was looking for one, I got the book without stamps. I bought these books to read, not as an investment, so I didn't need the stamps. It is possible to find them with the stamps if you want to. This is why I didn't try to buy every edition of each book.<br><br>

In another way this book does have two parts. The first part is a breathtaking hard sell for the benefits of puce stamps. Even though they are worthless, this is explained in excruciating detail. In this sense they are a lot like other kinds of trading stamps. The second part is the history of the rise and fall of puce trading stamps.<br><br>

The story begins with a thousand-year-old egg, and the chick that hatched from it. Actually, the egg was only a thousand days old, but that's not bad for a chick. After some nonsensical doings, the trading stamps are conceived as a way to save time for housewives and other customers who, because the stamps are worthless, don't have to save them. Various things happen, or don't happen in the case of the dramatic TV debut of Churchy's trading stamp jingles, and in the end all the stamps are used up. The end, more or less.<br><br> 

Kelly has pointed out the ridiculousness of trading stamps, but this is not one of my favorite Pogo books. It has a lot of good gags, but the subject of trading stamps doesn't have as much comic potential as the things he usually wrote about. It's still funny and worth reading, just not as much so.<br><br>

Hospital again

In here since Sunday evening, and here it is Wednesday and they said yesterday that they might let me go today. Or maybe even probably would. Have not seen the doctor yet today to confirm, but my fingers are crossed! So anybody who expected to hear from me recently, expect a short delay. Plus I have Dreams and Nightmares 133 in my office in a box, but I've been delayed getting it into the mail. Darn it all to heck!

Review of The Pogo Candidature

Walt and Selby Kelly, 1976, The Pogo Candidature, Alligator Books and Sheed, Andrews, and McMeel. Published after Walt's death and presented as a children's book. Well, even though this book is about 50 years old, politics hasn't changed very much. And I'm sure there are quite a few children who would enjoy it. I will just say that I was a child when I read my first Pogo book, and I loved it from the beginning. I suspect that many of today's children would have the same reaction, and don't need something watered down. <br><br>Nothing in this book is original. It is all short sequences of panels taken out of the other political Pogo books. The pictures are printed in a large format, one panel per page, which does make the details of the beautiful artwork easy to see. I can't recommend this book if you have most of the others, because the material is simply duplicated. However, if you know a small child who might have an interest in politics and you can find a copy of this book, giving the book to them as an introduction to the subject might be a good idea.

Review of The Pogo Stepmother Goose

Walt Kelly, 1954, The Pogo Stepmother Goose, Simon and Schuster. Not everything in this book is a parody of Mother Goose, but it's definitely Kelly's take on nursery rhymes. The book begins with the story of Robin Hood, retold as a Russian melodrama. Here you will find a jackal sniveling on the heels of the proletariat, and much more. This story is followed by a couple of transmogrified nursery rhymes. The next story is a retelling of the tale of the Pied Piper. Unlike most of Walt Kelly's Pogo stories, this one is quite serious. Then, more nursery rhymes, one of which actually employs the traditional words, followed by an illustrated retelling of the story recorded in "hey diddle diddle." And who can forget Kelly's retelling of the courtroom scene from Alice in Wonderland?

Review of Uncle Pogo So-So Stories

Walt Kelly, 1953, Uncle Pogo So-So Stories, Simon and Schuster. This book begins with Pogo telling stories to the children. The first is the true and complete tale of Robin Hood. And we go along and go along, until we get to Mucky Spleen: The Bloody Drip, starring Albert Alligator as Meat Hamburg. This is followed by the story of Chicken Little (not the only time Kelly retold this one). The next story is a dark piece called Dog-Gone. This is a very rare (for Kelly) sort of Grimm taleish affair.<br><br>

The last story in the book is a retelling of the traveling musicians. It ends up, as it began, with Pogo telling stories to the children of the swamp. It concludes with a party, as the books so often do. (The other common ending is Christmas.)<br><br>

This is one of the books that I have in hardback, published by Gregg Press.

Review of Pogo's Sunday punch

Walt Kelly, 1957, Pogo's Sunday Punch, Simon and Schuster. The book opens with a verse or two, followed by a story entitled War Nor Peace, which bears a striking resemblance to The Prince and the Pauper. Amid a plethora of silly stories Walt Kelly told over the years, this strikes me as one of the silliest. But then the original was pretty silly too. Next, a passel of nonsense verses, making slightly more sense than usual. The next tale, normally a story of two children lost in the woods who find a candy house, becomes something quite else in the hands of Albert Alligator. Then, a goodly quantity of nonsense verse. Next, we learn everything we need to know about Dr Owl's home dentistry kit. As soon as this is over with, Albert digs a gold mine. Churchy plans a trip to Mars and we meet Grundoon, the biting groundhog, for the first time.

 

Review of Deck Us All With Boston Charlie

Walt Kelly, 1963, Deck Us All With Boston Charlie, Simon and Schuster. We begin with Professor Jiggs Potlook and several authentic and inauthentic original versions of the carol for which this book is named. And then, another. Next, a bunch of nonsense verse, some of it christmassy, followed by yet another story of the origin of the carol in question. This one features Barnstable Bear in a starring role. <br><br>

A great deal more nonsense verse, not much of it christmassy, and then another origin tale of Boston Charlie. This is followed by a whole bunch of panels that are not about Christmas carols. The Peace Corps, physical fitness, the war between the sexes, and so on. Like most Pogo books, it comes in two parts. In this case, Christmas carols to begin with and miscellaneous nonsense to finish off. But then, right at the ending tip, a bit more Christmas.