Stop Laughing, This Is Serious!: A Social History Of Australia In Cartoons
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Beneath the laughter lies a nation's story — Stop Laughing, This Is Serious! chronicles the social history of Australia through the sharp, satirical lens of its most gifted cartoonists, presenting decades of political upheaval, cultural shifts, and everyday life with wit and irreverence. Jonathan King curates a remarkable collection of cartoons that illustrates the Australian character — its larrikin spirit, its battles with authority, and its evolving identity — from the colonial era through to the modern age. Each image serves as both a punchline and a primary source, capturing moments of national significance with an economy of line and a precision of insight that formal histories rarely achieve. King argues that the cartoon is not merely comic relief but one of Australia's most potent forms of social commentary, a medium through which ordinary citizens have long held the powerful to account. His narrative draws together the threads of class, politics, immigration, and national myth, revealing how humour has functioned as both a coping mechanism and a radical act. This is a volume that will leave readers questioning where satire ends and history begins — and whether, in the Australian tradition, there was ever truly a difference.
Author: Jonathan King
Format: Hardback
Genre: Australian history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Beneath the laughter lies a nation's story — Stop Laughing, This Is Serious! chronicles the social history of Australia through the sharp, satirical lens of its most gifted cartoonists, presenting decades of political upheaval, cultural shifts, and everyday life with wit and irreverence. Jonathan King curates a remarkable collection of cartoons that illustrates the Australian character — its larrikin spirit, its battles with authority, and its evolving identity — from the colonial era through to the modern age. Each image serves as both a punchline and a primary source, capturing moments of national significance with an economy of line and a precision of insight that formal histories rarely achieve. King argues that the cartoon is not merely comic relief but one of Australia's most potent forms of social commentary, a medium through which ordinary citizens have long held the powerful to account. His narrative draws together the threads of class, politics, immigration, and national myth, revealing how humour has functioned as both a coping mechanism and a radical act. This is a volume that will leave readers questioning where satire ends and history begins — and whether, in the Australian tradition, there was ever truly a difference.