The New Yorker: From Cover to Cover

Author Françoise Mouly, Introduction by David Remnick

The definitive presentation of the world’s most popular and evocative magazine covers.

For a century, The New Yorker cover has signaled authority at a glance: famous lettering set against images that amuse, provoke, and unerringly capture the spirit of our times. Since 1993, Mouly has guided that iconic format into new visual territory, honoring the magazine's visual authority, treating its covers as journalism on current affairs, and expanding its range globally with a roster of world-famous illustrators.

In this unparalleled collection, Mouly presents hundreds of covers that explore the evolution of the magazine’s iconic look, from its origins to now. She charts the history of the magazine’s cover imagery decade by decade, and highlights special illustrators whose work defined the magazine’s identity, including Bruce McCall, Saul Steinberg, Roz Chast, R. Crumb, Charles Burns, Chris Ware, Adrian Tomine, Kadir Nelson, David Hockney, and Kara Walker. She also brings famous, era-defining covers to the forefront, including Steinberg's iconic New York-centric map "View of the World From 9th Avenue" (March 19, 1976); the black-on-black silhouette of the World Trade Center towers in "9/11/01" (September 24, 2001), conceived by Art Spiegelman and drawn by Mouly; and Barry Blitt's controversial "The Politics of Fear" (July 21, 2008), depicting the Obamas' fist-bump. It is sure to appeal not only to New Yorker devotees but to anyone interested in art that reflects and inspires the cultural conversation.

About The Author

Françoise Mouly is the art editor of The New Yorker, and is best known as the cofounder, coeditor, and publisher with her husband, Art Spiegelman, of the comics and graphics magazine Raw (1980–1991), and the publisher of Raw Books and Toon Books. David Remnick has been the editor of The New Yorker since 1998, previously a staff writer for the magazine for six years. He is the author of several books, including King of the World, a biography of Muhammad Ali, named the top nonfiction book of the year by Time magazine, and Lenin’s Tomb, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

Publish Date: September 22, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Category: Design - Graphic Arts - Illustration
Publisher: Rizzoli Universe
Trim Size: 9-1/3 x 12
Pages: 336
US Price: $75.00
CDN Price: $100.00
ISBN: 978-0-7893-4671-1

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Reviews

"Dozens of books have been published about The New Yorker, and I have read more of them than I should admit, but none have been as joyful to read and look at as Françoise Mouly’s gloriously extravagant history of New Yorker covers over the last 100 years. Mouly has been the magazine’s art director for more than three decades, and the book tilts in that direction, focusing on many of the artists she brought into the mix, including Chris Ware, Barry Blitt, and her husband, Art Spiegelman. But in no way does she shirk the past. For starters, she gives credit to the magazine’s neglected Jane Grant, who founded it with her then husband, Harold Ross, for helping establish the look and sensibility. The book is organized by history and theme, with brief biographies of dozens of artists. One chapter is even devoted to breaking news covers, a definite split with the past when, say, a gloomy harbor scene might illustrate the cover the week after J.F.K.’s assassination. So here are covers alluding to Monica Lewinsky, 9/11, and the trial of O. J. Simpson. Even the death of Steve Jobs received a cover, with a Blitt illustration of him being checked into heaven by St. Peter consulting his iPad. Mouly turns out to be a superb art director who also is an excellent writer, so there never is a dull moment in this feast of a book. The introduction is by David Remnick, the magazine’s incisive and self-effacing editor. ($75, rizzoliusa.com)" — JIM KELLY FOR AIRMAIL.COM