Art Spiegelman Books In Order

Publication Order of Maus Books

Publication Order of TOON Books Books

Publication Order of Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Children's Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Art Spiegelman

An influential American author and cartoonist, Art Spiegelman has been prominent in the comic-book industry for many years. Advocating comics as a powerful medium of creativity, he’s produced many notable works, contributing to many different outlets throughout his career. With arresting visuals that immediately grab the reader from the outset, he has a strong message, saying what he needs to say. He’s produced many award-winning graphic novels, and he’s created stories that speak to a universal truth that resonates worldwide.

Winning awards and plaudits for his work, Art Spiegelman is a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, with him having written some powerful work. Looking at the horrors of the Second World War and the Jewish Holocaust that took place, he’s perhaps best known for his graphic novel ‘Maus.’ This comic book has advanced the medium unlike few other works of fiction have since, putting it at the forefront of its field. Tackling different heavy political themes, he allows his stories to speak for themselves, using simple visuals to convey vital themes and ideas.

Often drawing from his own life and experiences, he transforms them on the page, giving them a real sense of immediacy in the process. Beginning in the American underground comics scene, he’s become one of the most prominent and iconic figures currently working in the industry today. Seeking to promote comics literacy, he’s successfully advocated it as a serious medium and powerful tool. Inspiring countless readers and writers worldwide, many continue to discover his work with every passing day, as his legacy lives on.

Early and Personal Life

Born on February 15, 1948, Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His parents would later emigrate to the United States in 1951, where they registered him as Arthur Isadore, before later changing his name to Art Spiegelman. Initially moving to Norristown, Pennsylvania, his parents would later move to Rego Park, Queens, in New York City in 1957.

In 1960 he began cartooning, seeking to imitate the style of his favorite magazines, such as ‘Mad,’ and then contributing to different fanzines. Attending Russell Sage Junior High School, he was an honors student who would later go to the High School of Art and Design. Currently teaching and writing in New York City, he’s married to the editor and publisher Françoise Mouly. They have two children together, one being the author Nadja Spiegelman.

Writing Career

Starting as a consultant assisting with trading-card designs during the sixties, Art Spiegelman would soon progress into the ‘underground comix’ scene of the 1960s. Creating self-published work he would sell himself in 1966, he later began seeing his cartoons published in 1967. He became a vital part of the community by publishing many underground comic books on the counterculture scene throughout the early part of the seventies.

One of the earliest full titles that Spiegelman would publish was ‘Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*!’ in 1977, which would look at his own life through the comics medium. He would then publish his much-celebrated ‘Maus,’ the first part arriving in 1986 and the second half in 1991. He would also write literature for children, such as ‘Open Me…I’m a Dog!’ in 1997, along with his work on the ‘Garbage Pail Kids’ parody trading cards for the Topps Company during the eighties.

The Complete Maus

Initially released in two parts, the first part subtitled ‘My Father Bleeds History,’ would come out through Pantheon in 1986, while the second, ‘And Here My Troubles Began,’ came out in 1991. ‘The Complete Maus’ would come out in 1994, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1992, and is now regarded as a benchmark of the comics medium. In 2022 became a bestseller after an American school board banned it from their curriculum, shining a light on it and the importance of its content.

Telling the complete story of Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, this is an account of their time spent surviving through Hitler’s Europe. Living through the Holocaust, this book seeks to document the horrors endured and how they managed to get through it. Using mice as a stand-in for Jewish people and cats as the Germans, it recounts the experience of Art Spiegelman’s father and what he went through. Capturing all of the emotions, it also takes a look at the aftermath, seeing how the experience of survivors affects their children, passing from generation to generation.

Each image is laden with importance here, as there’s due care and attention to detail at every level. With its stark imagery weighing the importance of its history, it’s a powerful testament to a horrific experience. The impact of what’s happening hits home through the use of animals, framing a creative metaphor that makes its message all that more potent.

In the Shadow of No Towers

Published in 2004 through the ‘Viking Adult’ imprint, The New York Times selected the book as one of their 100 notable titles released that year. Not too long, it’s a comic-strip board-book comprised of the thoughts collected from Spiegelman himself from 9/11. Previously published in a few different publications, including ‘The Independent’ and the ‘London Review of Books,’ it’s reached a mass audience.

Looking at the harrowing events of 9/11 from Art Spiegelman’s perspective, this book provides a personal account of the tragedy. Combining the political and the confessional, he relays his thoughts and feelings surrounding the event on that fateful day. Living in the city, he would experience it first-hand, dealing with the horror that would befall New York and its inhabitants. It also looks at the aftermath and his thoughts on the serving administration using the tragedy to serve their agenda.

While it’s a reasonably short book, it still makes an impact regardless, with its frank account of the events of 9/11. As a memoir, it’s an accurate depiction of how it was for many and another powerful piece of art from Spiegelman. It’s an inspired book written in a creative yet straightforward manner and ideal for anyone looking to learn more about what happened on that day.