Read this: Bill Watterson wrote the foreword to a book on 19th century cartoons

Bill Watterson, the elusive cartoonist behind Calvin And Hobbes, was spotted recently in the front pages of a coffee table book called Puck: What Fools These Mortals Be. Puck was a humor magazine published from 1877 to 1918, and was known for its lavishly-produced political cartoons that could take up a full two-page center spread. In the foreword, Watterson waxes rhapsodic about how excited these early cartoonists must have been about the opportunity to stretch themselves artistically before questioning whether political cartoons are ever likely to thrive again, seeing as how newspapers are collapsing and the Internet “seems to reduce everything to niche markets of dubious profitability.” Still, the occasionally cantankerous cartoonist offers some optimism about the Internet’s potential at the end of the piece, which makes for a short, sweet read.

The reproduction of the foreword also features some artwork from the book itself—it’s impressive stuff, so it’s understandable how it might make Watterson a little nostalgic.

[via BoingBoing]