All In Line by Saul Steinberg. New York Review Books, 2026. Introduction by Liona Finck. Afterword by Ianin Topliss. Includes additional drawings from the 1947 Penguin paperback edition plus: “Notes on All In Line” by Sheila Schwartz of The Saul Steinberg Foundation, and “Captions” which lists the original date of publication and other information about each drawing.
I picked up this book because I’m a huge fan of Finck’s comics and illustrations. (I’m sure she mentioned it in her Substack newsletter, which you should subscribe to.) She explains that Steinberg “…is a good artist crush.” And that, “His perfect ease can’t be faked.”
I don’t think you’ll fall in love with every drawing in this re-issue of Steinberg’s first book, but if you flip to five pages, I’d be willing to bet you’ll see one you’ll think about for a long while. Looking at his lines brought me joy. I love the images, in particular, that he seems to have composed with wire rather than ink. I don’t understand how he found ways to express thoughts that were so smart and silly at the same time.
