Michael Leunig began working as a political cartoonist for a daily newspaper in Melbourne in 1969. The Penguin Leunig, his first book of collected cartoons, was published in 1974 and since then has produced twenty-three more collections including books of newspaper columns, poetry and prayer. His prints, paintings and drawings have been exhibited broadly and are held in various public and private collections In 1999 he was declared a national living treasure by the National Trust and awarded honorary degrees from La Trobe and Griffith universities and the Australian Catholic University for his unique contribution to Australian culture.

The Essential Leunig is a hardcover collection of 400 cartoons spanning the last forty years. For Leunig the images included here encapsulates his journey from "joy to gloom to delight to anger to hurt to love to sadness to silliness to dismay to rapture to bad taste to good faith to goodwill to yearning to humour to mischief to this thing to that thing..." amounting to a memoir of sorts.

Most Australians would be familiar with the unique motifs of Leunig which include a crescent moon, a man and his duck. There is usually a message to glean from each of Leunig's cartoons, no matter how whimsical they appear. Some are obviously a commentary on political and social affairs, others illustrate philosophical ideas and many of his pieces are accompanied by poetry or writing. He has strong views, especially regarding war and military action, and as such his work sometimes puts him at odds with editors. politicians and readers yet his pieces continue to prove popular.

With the inclusion of an introduction by Leunig on how he creates, this volume is sure to become a collector's item. The Essential Leunig is a wonderfully presented coffee table book and as such, would make a lovely gift for fans of the artist. ( )