Maria Reidelbach

Reidelbachs witty text analyzes the magazines influence on the culture at large & men & women who put out this national treasure (or desecration, depending on your point of view). Alexander Isleys lively, sophisticated design incorporates 200 black-and-white drawings from Mad masters, as well as over 350 color shots, including reproductions of every one of the magazines covers since 1952.

As someone who grew up reading Mad Magazine (and still has every issue from its heyday in the 60s and 70s), this book is an excellent overview of the origins of Mad and how it became the magazine we know and love. It was especially interesting to learn about the various artists and authors whose bylines I'd see but never knew anything about.