This book contains a variety of vintage artwork with modern-day, snarky captions overlaying them. If you are familiar with Anne Taintor's work (pretty ubiquitious at this point, being featured on everything from magnets to cocktail napkins), you'll recognize her style immediately. Indeed, you even may have seen some of these particular images before. This slim book is a great, super quick read that is sure to give you a good chuckle (or two or three or ...) if you enjoy snide humor. It is clearly designed from a female perspective, but I think people of any gender will like this book if they appreciate darker humor. ( )

Anne Taintor specialises in retro pictures with captions from the point of view of a rapacious, man-hating lady-who-lunches. She is always beautifully dressed in a 50s style and sees life from an entirely cynical view. A Christmas card showing a small, intimidated child reads, "You saw Santa kissing no one, you understand?". A cosmetic bag says, ""High maintenance" doesn't even begin to cover it." "Just file it under who cares" is another one. They don't read particularly well without the illustration, but you get the idea.

If you enjoy Anne Taintor humour there are endless products displaying it, everything from drinks coasters through address books to messenger bags. One of the really things about the company is that it traces all the original models of these 50s shots and on her web site are their bios. Its a second blast of fame for them and a very female burst of knowing laughter for us. ( )

Anne Taintor's art is everywhere these days. Her images adorn everything from notebooks to magnets to tissues. This book, published in 2003, compiles many of her pieces in one location for those of us who yearn for easier access to her art.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Taintor's art consists of found images, (usually vintage art and advertisements), which have been sassed up with some sort of catchy phrase. In some instances, Taintor has presented these images as-is; in other pieces, she's manipulated them to create a particular effect, either by introducing subtle additions, (ie, a larger wine glass or a flashier pattern on a man's dinner jacket), or by collaging bits and pieces of previously unrelated images together.

While some of the pieces do contain men, they are very much in the background. The women are the focus here. Most of the phrases represent what the women are saying or thinking, while others describe actions the women may take or have already taken. In every case, the added phrase asks the reader to look at the image in a different light. They're funny, yes, but they're also subversive. In the images' original state, the power would have rested primarily, if not entirely, with the men pictured. By introducing these bits of text, Taintor subtly shifts the power to the women. We no longer see them as the objects of mens affections; instead, we view them as strong, confident people with their own visions of the world. They've made their choices, and they're acting on them.

If you've liked the bits and pieces of Taintor's art that you've come across, this book is most definitely for you. I especially recommend it to those with an interest in the ways art can explore gender and womens' issues. ( )