Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right by Mel Calman

Mel Calman’s Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right, a compilation by his daughter, Stephanie Calman, of his best cartoons on love and marriage, is published today.

After our launch party at The Cartoon Museum a couple of weeks ago, Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right has been featured in the Camden New Journal and The Oldie, in a piece by Mel’s lifelong friend, the novelist and playwright Stanley Price.

“Its title perfectly sums up a major theme of his work – the inability of seemingly adult people to get on with each other, with particular emphasis on their problems with love, sex and marriage.” – Stanley Price, ‘The Oldie’

“Love and marriage don’t always go together, said the late glorious Mel Calman… He was like a psychiatrist who made us laugh.” – ‘Camden New Journal’

Mel Calman was one of the most widely-loved cartoonists of the twentieth-century, famed for his ‘Little Man’ cartoons, who, according to Stanley Price, “perfectly expressed what Mel wanted to say on any occasion. He was Everyman as well as Mel’s alter ego.”

This new selection chosen by his daughter, the writer and broadcaster Stephanie Calman, captures the triumphs and defeats in the war between the sexes so hilariously and succinctly. It also features a foreword by Calman’s friend and Monty Python star, Michael Palin.

“I’d recommend this volume to anyone in love or thinking of getting married. Or, more particularly, to anyone out of love and wondering where it all went wrong. These wonderful cartoons won’t stem the tears but they might just produce some choking laughter. And that’s a start.” – Michael Palin

Other praise for Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right:

“An insightful look at the way men and women interact and how communication sometimes gets in the way of understanding… I’ll confess that – just occasionally (obviously) I was shocked into self-recognition.” – Bookbag

“Depicting, with equal degrees of humour and pathos, the nuanced insecurity, self-delusion and malcontent to be found within relationships… This is the appeal of the book, that it takes familiar concerns and irritations, and condenses them into simple pictures which each say so much.” – Never Imitate blog

The perfect book for popping in your pocket, guaranteed to provide a smile.

                

For a sneak peek of some of Mel’s cartoons, visit our Pinterest page!

Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right by Mel Calman is available in paperback (ISBN: 9780285643093) £10

Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right – The Launch Party at The Cartoon Museum

The vibrant Cartoon Museum was the site of our launch of Mel Calman’s Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right, a compilation by his daughter, Stephanie Calman, of his best work on love and marriage.

Amongst the guests were many of his distinguished peers, including Steve Appleby, David Gentleman, Posy Simmonds, Nick Garland, John Jensen and broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby.

Mel Calman was one of Britain’s best loved cartoonists. In Stephanie’s speech or welcome, in the Cartoon Gallery, of which he was one of the founders, she reminded us that it was in this area of human relations that he truly excelled, and where his work is timeless. She also quoted Michael Palin, who has provided a foreword for Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right:

“He had an uncanny ear for the nuances of self-delusion without ever making us feel we’re being mocked. In fact, it’s the opposite. Far from being judged, we feel we’re sharing the confusion with the cartoonist himself. Mel was like that – a psychiatrist who makes you laugh.”

“I’d recommend this volume to anyone in love or thinking of getting married. Or, more particularly, to anyone out of love and wondering where it all went wrong. These wonderful cartoons won’t stem the tears but they might just produce some choking laughter. And that’s a start.”

The Cartoon Museum is a gem to visit, and is currently organising a national competition for young cartoonists. Mel Calman’s Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right is published on October 22^nd; it’s the perfect gift book to slip into your pocket to cheer you up.

Mr Hecht and Stephanie at the launch, with the original cartoon from the cover of ‘Let’s Compromise and Say I’m Right’ behind them.

Stephanie Calman, alongside another of Mel Calman’s cartoons.

You Can Do Magic!

Published today (Thursday 15th October), D.I.Y Magic offers a set of mind hacks that will help anyone find new sources of inspiration, encompassing self-help, psychology and philosophy. These techniques, from lucid dreaming to Salvador Dali’s spoon trick, have been used by some of the world’s most famous artists, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Beethoven, Jack Kerouac and Leonardo da Vinci.

Ever wondered how to make yourself invisible? Or how to make your own tarot deck?

Let D.I.Y Magic show you!

To celebrate the publication of D.I.Y Magic, Anthony Alvarado has very kindly written a guest post here on the Souvenir Press blog, as part of our ‘Author Corner‘ series, which you can read below.

You Can Do Magic! by Anthony Alvarado

Yes, you can do magic. I don’t care if you don’t even believe in magic. You can still experience magic firsthand if you try the experiments in my book, D.I.Y Magic. You don’t need to believe in cake in order to follow a recipe in a cookbook and bake something. That’s the idea behind D.I.Y Magic—it’s 36 foolproof recipes that, step by step, will expand your mind, hack your reality and juice your creativity. Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself.

The truth is, I was a bit of a skeptic myself to start out; that is actually how I came to write D.I.Y Magic. I was curious if there was anything to all the old stories, myths, and legends about magic and altered states of awareness and consciousness. I decided to try out every spell I could find, one by one, as a skeptic. To my surprise, many of them had powerful results. I’ve written down what worked, how and why, step by step in my book, so that you can experience it for yourself. Using this guidebook, you too can learn how to lucid dream, how to alter your consciousness, stimulate fresh creativity from the everyday and find the magical in the mundane. There is a wealth of variety here; some of the spells are so simple they are almost laughable, while some of them are quite challenging. I expect every reader to get a different experience from the book because this is a book meant to be lived, not just read. Some people will be drawn to the more philosophical experiments, like Memento Mori, or how to get lost. Some will be drawn to the experiments (or spells, if you will) that are designed to stimulate the creativity, like bibliomancy and viewing hypnogogic imagery (what you see while your falling asleep), and still others will be drawn to the more esoteric exercises, such as creating a mental golem and going on a vision quest.

It is much like a guidebook to visiting a strange land on a shoestring budget. You do need some supplies for the spells, but they are easy to find (the experiments require supplies such as ping pong balls, whiskey, playing cards, and crows to name a few).

Perhaps at this point you are wondering: who made this guy Dumbledore? What are this guy’s qualifications to have written a book about magic? The truth is: I have none! No diploma from Hogwarts, no magic hat, or anything like it. I’m just a regular person like you. And that is my point exactly! This stuff is quite easy, it is all about bending and playing with your own perception, your own awareness, and discovering how this shapes your reality. I insist you don’t need a pointy hat, a magic wand, or a broomstick to get amazing and powerful results from trying the spells in D.I.Y Magic. They work for everyone. Yes, even us muggles.

Perhaps that is the big secret: powerful magic can be very hands-on and approachable. It’s just like baking a cake. Well, to be specific, D.I.Y Magic is not just a recipe for one cake, it’s a book of 36 different recipes, and you will have to try them out to discover your favorites, just like any cookbook.

Curious? Let’s roll up our sleeves and get cooking!

Illustration by Ron Rege Jr., from D.I.Y Magic

D.I.Y Magic by Anthony Alvarado is available now in paperback (ISBN: 9780285643208) and in eBook (ISBN: 9780285643215) £10.

The Gift of Dyslexia

As you might have seen in the news, it’s Dyslexia Awareness Week this week.

 

Over 6 million people in the UK have dyslexia – that’s approximately one in ten of us. Walt Disney, Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, W.B. Yeats – some of the greatest minds in the world have been dyslexics.

 

Known as a ‘hidden disability’, dyslexics commonly have problems with spelling, reading, writing or math, but it can affect people in many different ways. Some people find that they have strengths in other areas, including problem solving, intuition and creativity.

 

Indeed, just last week, there was an extremely interesting show on BBC Radio 4, ‘The Art of Walking into Doors’, which explored the relationship between dyslexia and the ability to draw.

 

Like other dyslexics, Ronald Davis had unusual gifts of creativity and imagination, but couldn’t function properly at school. It wasn’t until he was an adult that he discovered techniques that allowed him to read easily.

 

The Gift of Dyslexia is written from Ron’s personal experience, and offers unique insights into the learning problems and stigmas faced by those with the condition. One of the best-selling education books in the world, it provides practical skills that allow students of all ages to express their innate gifts and succeed in their lives.

 

“At last! A book about dyslexic thinking by one who is dyslexic, and for fellow dyslexic people… I would recommend this book to any dyslexic and non-dyslexic person. It is a dyslexic-friendly book.”  – Dyslexia Contact

Seeing as it’s also National Poetry Week, do take a look at these brilliant ‘Dyslexia Poems’ on The Guardian Children’s Books Blog. 

The Gift of Dyslexia by Ronald D. Davis is available in paperback (ISBN: 978-0285638730) and eBook (ISBN: 978-0285639577) £14.99.

 

Other relevant reading:

How to Succeed with Specific Learning Difficulties at College and University: A Guide for Students, Educators and Parents by Professor Amanda Kirby in paperback (ISBN: 978-0285642430) and eBook (ISBN: 978-0285642416) £10.

How to Succeed in Employment with Specific Learning Difficulties: A Guide for Employees and Employers by Professor Amanda Kirby in paperback (ISBN: 978-0285642461) and eBook (ISBN: 978-0285642454) £12.

The Big O

A new blog about what women really want from sex, founded by US-based “Sylvia”, has gone viral (The Times).

‘How to Make Me Come’ is a space where women can post anonymously about their sexual encounters, including what they liked and didn’t like in the bedroom. It covers everything, from lack of communication to the time it takes to orgasm, and despite its serious message, can sometimes make for a humorous read. Interestingly, currently more than half of the blog’s readers are male.

So, if there’s one thing ‘How to Make Me Come’ points out, it’s that there’s still a long way to go when it comes to female pleasure.

According to Dr. Ian Kerner, men have always valiantly struggled to elicit the female orgasm, but rarely ask “what do I do?”

Dr. Ian Kerner’s She Comes First is an encyclopaedia of female pleasure, with dozens of techniques for satisfying your female partner. Complete with illustrated, step-by-step instructions, this fun, informative guide introduces a new era in sexual relationships, where, importantly, the exchange of pleasure is for mutual fulfilment.

“Before you give up on oral sex… if you yourself don’t know what the options are… get yourself a copy of Ian Kerner’s manifesto She Comes First: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Pleasuring a Woman and make sure your boyfriend reads it too… It is a veritable paean to the art of good oral sex, packed with instructive sentences… I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
Suzi Godson, weekly sex and relationships columnist for The Times

We also publish Wilhelm Reich’s The Function of the Orgasm, one of his most important works that explores the emotional functions of the body’s energy metabolism.

Over twenty years, Wilhelm Reich, a psychologist and doctor of medicine, studied the relationship between the emotional, physiological and physical functions of biological energy. He saw the orgasm as the key to the body’s energy metabolism, discovering that the biological emotions governing the psychic processes are themselves the immediate expression of strictly physical energy – which he named the cosmic orgone.

Initially derided, Reich’s theories are now seen as crucial to our understanding of ourselves. In appreciating why the orgasm brings a feeling of physical and emotional well-being, we can also gain insight into the physical and emotional ills that result from a thwarting of this bioenergetic function. Many researchers into psychic energy believe that the aura recorded by Kirlian photography is nothing less than the manifestation of Reich’s orgone energy.

She Comes First by Ian Kerner is available in paperback (ISBN: 978-028563722) £14.99

The Function of the Orgasm by Wilhelm Reich is available in paperback (ISBN: 9780285649705) £14.99