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Monograph by Chris Ware

Monograph by Chris Ware

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  • Create Date：2021-12-17 09:51:27
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Chris Ware
  • ISBN：0789339641
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Summary

For the first time in his career， Chris Ware presents a comprehensive， behind-the-scenes autobiographical visual monograph， and opens a revealing window into the worlds he inhabits。 Similar to Chip Kidd Book One and Shepard Fairey Covert to Overt， this book serves as a personal chronicle of a contemporary iconic illustrator， and is a must-have for those interested in illustration， graphic novels， and pop culture。

The first and much-anticipated monograph by multi-award-winning cartoonist and graphic novelist Chris Ware， chronicling his influential twenty-five-year career。

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Reviews

Eric ，

Formidable—literally （this book is HUGE） and figuratively。 A fascinating behind-the-scenes journey to how one of our graphic novel masters came to be so。

Ian Carpenter ，

An amazing beast of a book。 Part diary， slight sketchbook， collection of sundry projects， constructions and offshoots。 If you're a fan it's stunning and full of tons of inspiring pieces and discussions of Ware's process， influences and goals。 One of the most unique books I've read。 An amazing beast of a book。 Part diary， slight sketchbook， collection of sundry projects， constructions and offshoots。 If you're a fan it's stunning and full of tons of inspiring pieces and discussions of Ware's process， influences and goals。 One of the most unique books I've read。 。。。more

Kerfe ，

While I somewhat enjoyed the first， childhood and young adulthood， section of this book， in the end I grew tired of it。I'm not that enamored with Ware's work--it's just too too much--too dense for me to even read comfortably--but that may partly be the way he presented it here--just page after page of time busy squares and tiny tiny tiny writing。I also grew weary of his self-deprecation， particularly coupled with the lists of all his famous friends and admirers and the multiple honors and awards While I somewhat enjoyed the first， childhood and young adulthood， section of this book， in the end I grew tired of it。I'm not that enamored with Ware's work--it's just too too much--too dense for me to even read comfortably--but that may partly be the way he presented it here--just page after page of time busy squares and tiny tiny tiny writing。I also grew weary of his self-deprecation， particularly coupled with the lists of all his famous friends and admirers and the multiple honors and awards he has received。If you don't think you're that good， why are you putting together this gigantic book？ And if， as you claim over and over， the publishing world does not take you seriously， why did they publish it？ 。。。more

Kevin ，

Anything by C。 Ware is worth your time。 The ideas emotions are more than skin deep。 Especially Jimmy Corrigan- that's sort of an inside joke re。 his pencils of the main character。 Anything by C。 Ware is worth your time。 The ideas emotions are more than skin deep。 Especially Jimmy Corrigan- that's sort of an inside joke re。 his pencils of the main character。 。。。more

Bill ，

This giant book is a triumph of passive aggressive design from Chris Ware， making his already difficult-to-read comics that much more unwieldy。 However， as with all his work， the payoff makes the required commitment worthwhile。 And lots of interesting musings on the nature of comics。

John ，

Wonderful visual feast。 Almost too much。 Every page could take an evening to really sink in。 Great stuff。This isn't a book you finish。 You will want to pick it up again and again。 Wonderful visual feast。 Almost too much。 Every page could take an evening to really sink in。 Great stuff。This isn't a book you finish。 You will want to pick it up again and again。 。。。more

Goo ，

Jeg skal måske hellere lige læse lidt flere af hans tegneserier først - men måske ikke。

Clay Doran ，

I feel like rating every Chris Ware book 5/5 is cheapening them。。。。 BUT I CANT BRING MYSELF TO RATE THEM ANY LOWER！ this is the absolute best autobiography/portfolio/cv/artist book I have ever come across。 Any one who loves Chris Ware will not be disappointed。 The book itself is gigantic and a work of art。 The level of detail is what you would come to expect from Ware。 His writing about his own process is very interesting and even gets into philosophy and art criticism。 I loved it。 And will hold I feel like rating every Chris Ware book 5/5 is cheapening them。。。。 BUT I CANT BRING MYSELF TO RATE THEM ANY LOWER！ this is the absolute best autobiography/portfolio/cv/artist book I have ever come across。 Any one who loves Chris Ware will not be disappointed。 The book itself is gigantic and a work of art。 The level of detail is what you would come to expect from Ware。 His writing about his own process is very interesting and even gets into philosophy and art criticism。 I loved it。 And will hold on to my copy for the rest of my life。 。。。more

Nicholas Palmieri ，

I've always been fascinated by the idea of creatives returning to the same themes over and over again， and the idea that anyone's work could be compiled chronologically to reveal greater themes that have been present from childhood to the present day。 This book does exactly that for Chris Ware， one of the greatest living cartoonists （by my estimation， at least）。 The text on each page， somewhat akin to the descriptions you'd see in a museum aside each piece of art， could be compiled as a book-len I've always been fascinated by the idea of creatives returning to the same themes over and over again， and the idea that anyone's work could be compiled chronologically to reveal greater themes that have been present from childhood to the present day。 This book does exactly that for Chris Ware， one of the greatest living cartoonists （by my estimation， at least）。 The text on each page， somewhat akin to the descriptions you'd see in a museum aside each piece of art， could be compiled as a book-length memoir。 Likewise， the many pieces of story art， original art， fake ads， designs， wooden dolls， old-timey sculptures， paper replicas， enlarged New Yorker covers， and pasted-in minicomics could stand on their own as an incredible artbook。 Yet "Monograph" is simultaneously both artbook and memoir， and neither。 By putting them together， he creates something far greater， not unlike the mechanics of putting two panels together when reading a comic， or， as he opines， the third being that is created when two people share a connection。Ware's personal story is inspiring and tear-jerking without meaning to be。 In fact， those are probably， in his infinite self-consciousness， the last things he'd want a reader to get out of the book。 The personal details are sparse enough that he seemed to be actively avoiding any easy appeal to the emotions。 And yet， I broke down in tears by page 13， and found new meaning in myself as a creator by the end。Most fascinating are the endless nuggets of wisdom he drops just by sharing his creative process。 His ideas about seeing panels as a theatre-influenced "proscenium" as opposed to a film-influenced "camera" were revolutionary to me， revealing an indescribable feeling I've never been able to put to words that his work has， as do pre-film comic strips and the work of other greats like Charles Schulz and Jeff Smith。 His thoughts on creating as a form of recreating memory， with all the fickleness of the human brain， also helped me understand why I enjoy so many of his works， and helped me appreciate the strange thing that is consciousness。I've barely scratched the surface here。 The 20+ hours I spent with this giant book （both in dimensions and density of content） were kind of revelatory to me in ways I still can't quite wrap my head around yet， and I'm sure I'll be back to revisit it soon。 A grand experiment that works so much better than it had any right to。 。。。more

Alan Caldwell ，

While reading this massive， intricate book two things came to mind。 First， I was reminded of the feeling of buying a new video game， and before I would even play it I'd sit cross-legged and pore over the manual laid out on the floor in front of me。 That's pretty much how I read this book。 Second， as I went through it and marveled at all the details， it made me think of detective Mills （Brad Pitt） and and detective Somerset （Morgan Freeman） searching John Doe's apartment in Se7en。 The investigati While reading this massive， intricate book two things came to mind。 First， I was reminded of the feeling of buying a new video game， and before I would even play it I'd sit cross-legged and pore over the manual laid out on the floor in front of me。 That's pretty much how I read this book。 Second， as I went through it and marveled at all the details， it made me think of detective Mills （Brad Pitt） and and detective Somerset （Morgan Freeman） searching John Doe's apartment in Se7en。 The investigation reveals hand stitched notebooks filled to the brim with sketches， photographs and tiny handwritten sentences taking up every single inch of the page。 Along with artifacts of the murders kept in trophy cases like a museum。 I am glad Chris Ware became a cartoonist。 Detective Somerset: "This guy's methodical， exacting， and worst of all， patient。" Detective Mills: "Honestly， have you ever seen anything like this？"Detective Somerset: "No。" 。。。more

D。M。 ，

I've been reading Chris Ware for almost as long as he's been published， so when this book dedicated to his career/life and written/compiled by the man himself rolled around I knew I'd have it eventually。 It took me a year or so to get around to it， and another year （and then some！） to finish it， but it was money and time well spent。Ware has basically carved his own little niche in comics， wedging firmly into the company of past masters ranging from R。 Crumb （with his true-life tales， daring hone I've been reading Chris Ware for almost as long as he's been published， so when this book dedicated to his career/life and written/compiled by the man himself rolled around I knew I'd have it eventually。 It took me a year or so to get around to it， and another year （and then some！） to finish it， but it was money and time well spent。Ware has basically carved his own little niche in comics， wedging firmly into the company of past masters ranging from R。 Crumb （with his true-life tales， daring honesty and persistent self-deprecation） to Winsor McKay （whose meticulous draughtsmanship， freehanded manipulation of space and bold use of soft colours are reflected in nearly all Ware's work）， but with artistic and narrative style all his own。 His stories tend to plumb depths of human experience， loneliness and emotion like no other 'cartoonists。'This oversized tome is a fitting exploration of his art and its growth， as well as a bit of a memoir。 Naturally， it's all done with the same self-loathing and sense of melancholy imbued in most of his work。 Just as naturally， it's committed in a beautifully lavish compendium of art and photos with occasional produced objects fixed into the pages。 The text is about half the size of usual book text and there is a LOT of it through the massive pages， but Ware doesn't skimp on details about his life or his creation。 All of that just adds up to a hefty read in a book that doesn't lend itself at all to casual reading （I could only read it at my table when there was nothing else on it， hence the time it took me to finish）。 It is， however， a thoroughly indulging （if more than occasionally self-indulgent） and satisfying read。I can't imagine reading this （much less buying it） without being a fan of Ware， but even the uninitiated art fan and the curious comic reader will find much to explore between these covers。 。。。more

Lynn ，

Chris Ware appears to be the grand high imperial wizard of artistic cartoonists， someone who is revered by all others in the field。When I brought home Monograph from the library， I had never heard of him except for a brief review I'd read， and I wasn't quite sure what I had。 The book is about 13。5" x18。5"， weighs 8。4 pounds （I thought it was more）， and is difficult to hold and read。I've been a fan of cartooning （the type you read and laugh at） for many decades。 And I'm interested enough in moder Chris Ware appears to be the grand high imperial wizard of artistic cartoonists， someone who is revered by all others in the field。When I brought home Monograph from the library， I had never heard of him except for a brief review I'd read， and I wasn't quite sure what I had。 The book is about 13。5" x18。5"， weighs 8。4 pounds （I thought it was more）， and is difficult to hold and read。I've been a fan of cartooning （the type you read and laugh at） for many decades。 And I'm interested enough in modern graphic novels and other graphic books that I have read perhaps a dozen of them， including a complete biography of Richard Feynman and another one that was a history of the development of the atomic bomb。 （Just a coincidence there -- the projects are not related。） But I don't claim to be an expert or to know who's who in the field。Monograph turns out to be largely a collection of Chris Ware's work since childhood -- which is pretty much what a monograph is， so it's well-named。I can't claim to have read every word of what is written in this book， not in the cartoons nor in the accompanying text。 Some of it appears to be in about eight-point type and is just a bit too much for me to see。 There's an interesting preface by Ware's close friend Ira Glass， whose work as a documentarian I have long known and appreciated。But I did look through Monograph carefully， reading what I could， and found pages from his early series Quimby the Mouse; more from Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth; many spreads that were labeled as being from the Acme Novelty series; pieces from McSweeny's Quarterly; many New Yorker covers （I don't know how many of Ware's covers have actually been published -- a fair number， I guess）。 Notable， too， are several spreads from his series Building Stories， in which he demonstrates that he also has a knack for architecture。 That series looks interesting， and I'm expecting it to appear at my library soon。One curious and no doubt extremely expensive addition to the book is at least six multi-page paste-ins ranging from about 1" x 1" （barely larger than a postage stamp） to about 6" x 6"， and one that is a complete musical composition， a piece of ragtime music for piano written by Ware。 Impressive。As a testimony to one man's lifework， Monograph certainly stands out。 What more could a person leave behind to say: "This is what I did in life"？ And at age 51， Chris Ware doubtless has many years of productivity left in him， so perhaps this is a summary of his work up to what might be called his middle period。 。。。more

Janet ，

I want to read every word and look at every picture but it is SO BIG。

Mateen Mahboubi ，

I would be lying if I said that I read every word of this tome but I guess on one level， that's not really the point。 This monograph collects a career-spanning collection of Ware's work and presents them in a huge format。 A format that Ware definitely benefits from to appreciate the level of detail that is put into the work。 It definitely deserves a cursory glance from those who appreciate Ware's work （and I would include myself as one） but ultimately is a bit too much for anyone but a major fan I would be lying if I said that I read every word of this tome but I guess on one level， that's not really the point。 This monograph collects a career-spanning collection of Ware's work and presents them in a huge format。 A format that Ware definitely benefits from to appreciate the level of detail that is put into the work。 It definitely deserves a cursory glance from those who appreciate Ware's work （and I would include myself as one） but ultimately is a bit too much for anyone but a major fan/collector。 It's a fun book to hold and go through。 You'll find yourself turning the book， getting close， moving away and enjoying lesser known works from one of the best graphic novelists out there。 。。。more

Kyle ，

Chris Ware's way of publishing stuff makes it insanely hard to keep up with everything he's ever done。 I remember I found he was publishing new stuff a while back。。。 as saturday strips。。。 in the Guardian Magazine。。。 （they were later ported to guardian dot com but reading Chris Ware in your browser is missing the point）。 So having all of this collected Ware content in one place is a blessing。It's kind of like buying a b-sides and rarities collection instead of a greatest hits but it gives you an Chris Ware's way of publishing stuff makes it insanely hard to keep up with everything he's ever done。 I remember I found he was publishing new stuff a while back。。。 as saturday strips。。。 in the Guardian Magazine。。。 （they were later ported to guardian dot com but reading Chris Ware in your browser is missing the point）。 So having all of this collected Ware content in one place is a blessing。It's kind of like buying a b-sides and rarities collection instead of a greatest hits but it gives you an incredibly detailed an minute look at Chris Ware's path from comic at the college paper to award winning hero of folks who move graphic novels into the fiction section at Barnes and Noble。 There is a serious deluge of content here and while I have not read every bit of stuff in here （probably only a quarter of it if that） I feel satisfied with the work。 I will keep coming back to it （with a damn magnifying glass because some of the type is miniscule！） and looking for new things in old strips。 Big Ware Heads check it out！ 。。。more

Scott Eggerding ，

I am always intrigued by a book that reveals a writer's process。 With someone like Ware， this is a different kind of process with works from his entire career。 Lots of fun publishing surprises too。 I am always intrigued by a book that reveals a writer's process。 With someone like Ware， this is a different kind of process with works from his entire career。 Lots of fun publishing surprises too。 。。。more

BHodges ，

This book is giant and difficult for that reason， to read。 I enjoyed it， though。

Mahatma ，

Over Chris Ware zijn al vele letters gevloeid。 Zowel academisch als pluralistisch is hij een figuur die de stripwereld domineert。 Nu gaf hij ook eindelijk zelf zijn fiat voor een biografisch naslagwerk， al zegt hij zelf "zit de wereld hier wel op te wachten？" Het antwoord op die vraag is ongetwijfeld: JA。Heel vroeg al wist Ware dat hij comics wilde maken。 Hij volgde een kunstopleiding waarbij hij niet enkel grafisch werkte， maar zijn figuren tot leven bracht via klei， hout en metaal。 Al dit word Over Chris Ware zijn al vele letters gevloeid。 Zowel academisch als pluralistisch is hij een figuur die de stripwereld domineert。 Nu gaf hij ook eindelijk zelf zijn fiat voor een biografisch naslagwerk， al zegt hij zelf "zit de wereld hier wel op te wachten？" Het antwoord op die vraag is ongetwijfeld: JA。Heel vroeg al wist Ware dat hij comics wilde maken。 Hij volgde een kunstopleiding waarbij hij niet enkel grafisch werkte， maar zijn figuren tot leven bracht via klei， hout en metaal。 Al dit wordt gekenmerkt door een hang naar nostalgie， het vergane。 Deze rode draad vind je terug in al het werk van Ware， maar in Monograph gaat hij dieper in op de motieven en thema's die hij steevast gebruikt。Bovendien is Ware een perfectionist， zowel wat zijn lijnen en dialoog betreft， als op de wijze van uitgave。 Dit boek is dan ook niets minder dan een mijlpaal in de boekdrukkunst。 Uitgebracht op （extra）groot formaat， met een prachtig kleurgebruik én de nodige extra's （denk aan miniboekjes binnenin een pagina）。 Voor elke strip-， kunst- en literatuurliefhebber is dit boek een MUST。 Bovendien is het érg betaalbaar。 。。。more

J。T。 ，

Chris Ware's "Jimmy Corrigan" ACME comics （before they were collected into a book） completely altered my life's trajectory。 That may sound extreme， but his comics made me realize the true potential of comics， not as mindless entertainment but as a powerful story-telling vehicle that can deliver true empathy。 I don't know that my own comics achieve anything approaching Ware's， but for the past decade I've been trying to foster those artists who do through my comics publishing & distribution compa Chris Ware's "Jimmy Corrigan" ACME comics （before they were collected into a book） completely altered my life's trajectory。 That may sound extreme， but his comics made me realize the true potential of comics， not as mindless entertainment but as a powerful story-telling vehicle that can deliver true empathy。 I don't know that my own comics achieve anything approaching Ware's， but for the past decade I've been trying to foster those artists who do through my comics publishing & distribution company。 All this to say that I'm a Ware disciple， so I couldn't have asked for a better summation of his life thus far than Monograph。 It's not a "greatest hits" collection， but rather a peek into his inspirations （mostly family oriented）， his workspace， his artistic intentions and more。 The book is a little unwieldy （both in size and weight）， but I wouldn't expect anything less from Ware。 It's bursting with interesting production choices （like complete minicomics hidden on certain pages） and shows just how much effort he puts into everything he does， whether it's a college syllabus or a Valentine's Day gift for his wife。 My only complaint was the eye-strainingly small type in some of the comics， but this is something to which I'm accustomed when it comes to Ware。 I borrowed a snake-handled magnifying glass from my 4 year old son and got to reading。 。。。more

Sam Mauro ，

whoa。

Joanne-in-Canada ，

More accurate than "not finished"， I flipped through this large format book and read bits and pieces。 Interesting， but way too much detail for me to look at everything。 More accurate than "not finished"， I flipped through this large format book and read bits and pieces。 Interesting， but way too much detail for me to look at everything。 。。。more

Mills College Library ，

741。5973 W267m 2017

Mone ，

One of the most beautiful books ever made！！！ Make sure to get your magnifying glass ready cause the print can get really small。

Andy ，

I've really loved some of Ware's earlier BOOKS; somehow this one just didn't provoke me to the same degree。 Still， a great experiment to check out。 I've really loved some of Ware's earlier BOOKS; somehow this one just didn't provoke me to the same degree。 Still， a great experiment to check out。 。。。more

Jeff ，

Enjoyable for fans of Chris Ware， but not the place for non-fans to start。

Joshua ，

Portrait of the Artist as an Exercise in Self DoubtI ❤️ Chris Ware’s work， including Chris Ware’s personal reflections on Chris Ware’s work。 I guess this isn’t really so much a review as a statement of fawning admiration。

Lexi Wright ，

More a retrospective/ scrapbook of Ware’s life’s work than a memoir， which I was mistakenly expecting。 There’s nothing like seeing his 60-panel cartoons on a 16”x24” page， though。

Michael Scott ，

+++ There's something awesome about Chris Ware's graphic style。 I see De Stijl and Joost Swarte and Herge's Tintin series， but cleaner and even more radical。 Who else would divide a panel into 256 squares， then proceed to group them and form curious image saccades？ Who would build panels out of 6x8-square grids， only to make a central 2x4 figures and show their entire lives in vignettes covering the remainder？++/-- This is an auto-biography of one of the most self-effacing authors in the busines +++ There's something awesome about Chris Ware's graphic style。 I see De Stijl and Joost Swarte and Herge's Tintin series， but cleaner and even more radical。 Who else would divide a panel into 256 squares， then proceed to group them and form curious image saccades？ Who would build panels out of 6x8-square grids， only to make a central 2x4 figures and show their entire lives in vignettes covering the remainder？++/-- This is an auto-biography of one of the most self-effacing authors in the business， so in fact we see plenty of technical detail about his work and just a brief layer of personal information。 Personal detail is just not something meaningful for the author of Jimmy Corrigan。 I would have liked more of that detail。 ++ Honest craftsmanship in a variety of visual arts: comics， graphic novels， wood sculpture， movie and zootropes for casting simple animations， installations focusing on the comics characters， etc。+ A bit about the processes that led to New Yorker covers and stories， and to the McSweeney's special issue on Comics， plus a few details about each important exhibition in which the author has been involved （a movie and creative arts show in London springs to mind）。 Also， some material on his relationship with the cult magazine RAW。 。。。more

Nate ，

A beautiful and awe inspiring collection with lots of surprises。 And as a fan it was wonderful to see bits and pieces of the enormous amount of work that goes into all of Chris Ware’s art。

Kevin Hodgson ，

Fascinating and ambitious and 。。。。 a physically huge book。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Monograph by Chris Ware

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Monograph by Chris Ware&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Monograph by Chris Ware&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0