Covering the "New Yorker"

For 75 years, the covers of "The New Yorker" have mirrored the magazine's feisty spirit, becoming even more pungently topical in recent years. No noteworthy subject has escaped its scrutiny, from Broadway flappers, victorious Yankees, and the eternal Eustace Tilley to dishonest pols and the latest scandal. This compendium presents the best of the covers of "The New Yorker" - selected by art director Francoise Mouly and organized into such classic themes as "The Big City", "Arts and Music", and "The Buzz" - along with a behind-the-scenes peek at the sketches that lead up to them and a look at controversy that sometimes follows in their wake. Three "Conversations" between Ms. Mouly and Lawrence Weschler illuminate the history of the magazine's covers and how they have changed over the last decade. In addition, six "Sketchbooks" highlight the work of especially evocative cover artists, including Sempe, Spiegelman and Steinberg; these portfolios are complemented by six detachable full-size covers, suitable for framing, bound into the back of the book.