This book includes masterpieces by cartoonists from Richard Felton Outcault in 1896 to Chris Ware in our own day. The comics presented here have attracted generation after generation of devoted fans. A critical reference, this book is also a nostalgic celebration of the characters that have accompanied readers from their first forays into reading, through adolescence and adulthood. Featuring 125 American and European artists, this is a gorgeous retrospective on one of the most richly creative forms of reading pleasure.