Tom Gauld is a Scottish cartoonist and illustrator. He is perhaps best known by postcrossers for The Snooty Bookshop: Fifty Literary Postcards, which celebrates more than a decade of his weekly cartoons in The Guardian.
Tom has authored many books—mostly books for grown-ups, but also one of Clarisse’s preschooler’s favorites. Tom’s newest book was recently nominated for what would be his second Eisner Award. But all the accolades haven’t made him too snooty to do an email interview with Clarisse (aka CStar9)! Phew!
- Pretend you’re walking onto a metaphorical sports field as the star player for this interview. What psych-up music should we play?
I’ve only had to choose walk-on music once in my life, for a talk in Madrid at a fancy venue. I overthought it for weeks, swinging between cheesy and pretentious choices, but eventually I plumped for “Let’s Come to an Arrangement” by Martin Creed because it felt suitably upbeat and noisy in a funny, slightly weird way. Plus he is Scottish, like me.
- What are some of the elements that define your work across your cartoons, graphic novels, children’s books, and more? In 5 words or less, what do you hope people take away?
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Pages from The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess I try to use the language of comics in new ways, while bringing in science, literature, lists, diagrams, games, and puzzles. I want my images to be clean and easy to read, but also to have a hand-made quality with a bit of wobble to the lines and hand-written text.
I don’t really have any kind of agenda or big plans to push. I just want to entertain the audience in a reasonably intelligent way and have them go away (in 5 words) “feeling a little bit happier.”
- You’ve mentioned that your job is “to be silly about intelligent subjects.” Why books/literature, and why science?
The mercenary answer is that I get paid to draw on these subjects. The Guardian asked me to do weekly cartoons about books about 16 years ago. Then New Scientist hired me about 8 years ago to do science cartoons. But I don’t think they would have asked if there wasn’t something in my work already that suited the subjects. Certainly I couldn’t have made so many if I wasn’t interested in these subjects.
On some level, literature and science are both about trying to understand the world. There is enough in that (or in people failing to understand the world) to keep me going. Plus, new stories come up every week about advances in science or happenings in the literary world and these can inspire cartoons.
Comic from Gauld’s book, Department of Mind-Blowing Theories - You submit a weekly cartoon for both The Guardian and New Scientist. What do you do about creative block? Is there a strip you can point to and say, that was HARD WON?
Weekly deadlines really help me avoid creative block. I have no choice but to hand in something by a certain day, so in a way, that frees me from feeling it has to be perfect.
Some weeks I can’t come up with anything that feels really good to me, so I just have to take my least bad idea and make it work as well as possible. And sometimes (quite often actually) I realise later that the ‘least bad idea’ was actually a pretty good idea. I just was too tied up in the creation to be a good, objective judge of its merits.
I have a cartoon called “My Library” which is a diagram where books on shelves are colour-coded into categories like “read”, “intending to read”, “pretend I’ve read” and “read, but can’t remember a single thing about it”.
“My Library” cartoon, as described in the running text I have a really clear memory of writing and rewriting those categories and feeling that it was a rather mediocre cartoon and saying to myself, “I’ll have to try extra hard next week to make up for this.” But then it was published and people related to it and found it really funny.
I’ve learned that as you rework a joke, you become overfamiliar with it and lose the initial unexpected spark of humour. But that spark will (hopefully) be there for the reader, so you’ve just got to trust that your past-self was onto something.
As for creative blocks on longer projects without weekly deadlines, which is something I struggle with: I don’t have an answer other than to just try to keep going.
- What is your relationship to paper broadly, and specifically to postal mail? And, when can we expect your next postcard set?
I like making work that gets shared around. When I left college in 2001, we were still mainly promoting ourselves with printed stuff, so I made a few postcards to put in with orders for my mini-comics. People seemed to really like them, so I self-published a book of postcards called Robots, Monsters, etc. which outsold all my other self-published comics.
I’ve since made one other set of postcards myself. As you know, The Snooty Bookshop was properly published by Drawn & Quarterly. I’ll certainly do another at some point, but I have other projects queued up first.
- Who would you say have been your main influencers? How does your work differ from theirs?
One big influence is Edward Gorey (who also did lots of postcards). I discovered his work in the library when I was studying at Edinburgh College of Art, and it just blew me away. He used the tools of comics and picture books in a unique and brilliant way. His work gave me permission to make comics without feeling I had to follow all the rules or fashions of the form.
I think I’m probably more interested in straightforward storytelling and jokes than Gorey was, but my drawing is definitely inspired by his, as is my interest in visual games.
- What’s a hobby you love, or a new skill you’re practicing, outside of your work?
My wife’s father has an old house in the countryside which has lots of old dry stone walls, some of which were falling down. Over the last few years, I’ve been putting them back together. It’s extremely satisfying. I’ve fixed all of them now, but there are a few bits I want to redo. It’s fun to do something with my hands where I don’t also have to think about what I’m saying.
- Tell us about your studio.
Some years ago, I was in a big shared workspace with lots of other creative people, but the area gentrified and sadly the landlord put the rent up too much, so we all scattered. I’m now in a smaller place with two other artists. I worked at home a bit over covid but I prefer having a separate place to go to work, and some company when I’m there.
In the studio, I have a drawing desk, a computer desk, a “thinking” chair, and lots of books. The room upstairs is let to a musician, so we sometimes get piano music and singing drifting down, especially in summer when the windows are open. It’s very nice.
- What’s next for you?
I want to make a new graphic novel. Writing my previous ones (Mooncop and Goliath) was probably the hardest thing I’ve done. I think my brain is more suited to short cartoons, but I love the form of the graphic novel so I keep trying.
Pages from Mooncop I’m continuing to make my two weekly cartoons, so work on other projects has to squeeze into the gaps and can be rather slow. But I’m excited about the possibilities of creating a longer story again.
You can explore more of Tom Gauld’s whimsical world on his website, Instagram, and Twitter. Dive into his weekly comic strips for The Guardian and New Scientist, or take a peek inside his studio to see where the magic happens. For aspiring cartoonists, Tom shares his journey and offers advice, while fans of his work can delve into the inspirations behind his beloved books, from the literary and scientific riffs in Revenge of the Librarians and Baking with Kafka to the heartwarming tales in his children’s book (which is SO GOOD!) The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess. And last but not least, don’t miss his reflections on crafting stories on the themes of nostalgia and isolation in his graphic novels Mooncop and Goliath.
And now, for the traditional giveaway! Clarisse is going to send 4 postcards from Tom’s Snooty Bookshop or from his (sadly sold out) new set of cards to 4 randomly picked postcrossers. To participate, you have to tell us one book or scientific discovery you’d recommend to an alien visiting Earth — what would it be? Leave a comment below, and come back this time next week to check out the winners!
And the winners of this giveaway, as chosen by Paulo’s random number generator are… Hafizaa, eselbox, Gummu and LulaandLittle! Congratulations, and thank you all for participating!
63 comments so far
The scientific discovery I would recommend has probably already been discovered by aliens. It is the wheeled suitcase! I lived through a time when parents had to carry their small children's luggage as well as their own. It feels so gratifying to see 4-year-olds pulling their luggage through an airport :) And they have fun with it, too!
Also, thank you for this article! Tom Gauld's work is amazing, and very appealing to the New England sense of humor!
I think the greatest scientific discovery of our time is how delicious the combination of crunchy-salty + sweet-creamy is, eg chocolate covered pretzels.
Scientific discovery... I couldn't be serious, I would ask him to put a mentos in a coke bottle and see the reaction 😆
Gita the shopping robot!
I would give them one of the best selling, cheap paperback books of the year. The best way to know who people are is what they like.
Great article, and I really really love his cute and real fun cards and cartoons. So cool and lovely.
What shall we give the alien better than a postcard, a pen and a stamp to discover the lovelyness of writing mail, and surely we will find a way (with the help of rocket science) to send the postcard to his relatives somewhere out there in the space.
Hmm a book for an alien visiting earth? That would have to be Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy because Douglas Adams was an absolute genius! As long as the alien visiting wasn’t a Vogon of course!
I think maybe I would recommend the book "The Three-Body Problem", after reading this book, the alien and I looked at each other, and it suddenly felt a cold behind it, oozing cold sweat (if it can sweat at all).
Before finishing reading the interview I sent the “WORDLE “ cartoon to my daily “wordle girdle “ friends. Of course they loved it. Thank you for that extra wordle joy.
I’m now reading THE TREE COLLECTORS: TALES OF ARBOREAL OBSESSION by Amy Stewart. Since I’m amazed this book could fascinate me so, I’d want to share it with all aliens. They would definitely be careful with Earth’s trees after reading it. I think this qualifies for literary AND scientific discovery.
I’ve discovered so much about the endless variety of trees and the people who are fascinated with them.
I would recommend "The Realms of Tartarus" by Brian M. Stableford to an outerspace visitor. The story has an alien visit Earth, what we do with the alien's technology, how the alien treats us, and how we treat it. People just don't seem to learn and forget history. The book is written in simple language of short chapters to cover complex issues of how we ruined the Earth, created a new surface, and how forgotten life and people continued in the sewer of the underworld.
I have sent quite a few of the postcards in this blog post to fellow post crossers :) And when I met Tom Gauld he signed my copy of the My Library card that is featured here!
I would recommend the aliens to readthe book written by antoine de saint-exupery: le petit prince or in english: the little prince.
"The old pager and Tape recorder " I would recommend that to an alien visiting us earth fellows. The rationale behind these two introduction, to them is to learn, our language and listen to our history,cultures and songs.
The Book Thief?
I recommend that an alien read Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein just to really throw them off.
I would recommend The Humans by Matt Haig.
My favourite book about an alien falling in love with human kind
Birlliant! Anything by William Shakespeare will explain the foibles of humankind . . .
It depends. I assume that the aliens were able to understand all our languages. Therefore I would recommend "Sternstunden der Menschheit" by Austrian author Stefan Zweig (lit. translates as "Stellar moments of Humankind"). Or "War and Peace" by Tolstoy. And something more contemporary: "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman.
I advise the alien to read the children's book "Sipsik" (the book comes with a toy; https://www.moscowbooks.ru/book/540490/). It will give the stranger an idea of the excellent and unique imagination of children, which adults so lack. Maybe he will immerse himself in the imaginary world of children and pass on the knowledge to adults!
P.S. All the best !!!
I think Thing Explainer would be great, should be useful for overcoming the linguistic barrier
I'd introduce them to the oobleck experiment where you demonstrate a non-Newtonian fluid's ability to behave like a liquid or a solid, depending on how much pressure is applied. Basically, mix cornflour with water and poke it for fun.
The book I would recommend is Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. Maybe they could fix some things! LOL :)
Since they travel to Earth - The Epic Of Hang Tuah ^^,
The discovery of goldfish cheddar cheese crackers
I would advise aliens to read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
I would suggest them to read The Number Devil. It’s a mathematisch Book for children!!
I'd suggest the Oxford English Dictionary! I feel like understanding our words would help them to understand us (presuming they understand English!)
A wonderful interview, Clarisse! I regularly clip the Guardian cartoon for an American postcrossing friend. Thank you very much!
The scientific discovery I would share with aliens would be the germ theory - the idea that little, unseen creatures can cause disease led to so many improvements in people's lives.
The Humans by Matt Haig! Since the story is told by an extraterrestrial visitor who arrives on Earth, it could be educational.
I would recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. For me, this is one of the best novels ever written!
I would seriously recommend " The world of Pooh". They have know who Winnie the Pooh is.
this was a very fun blog article, I’m glad you showed me this author artist! Also, I appreciate everyone’s comments, so interesting and creative!
I think our alien visitor should read the Book of Psalms. A beautiful introduction to human longing and aspiration, and introduction to the gift which is God.
Book to recommend would be the Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.
I’d suggest “The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse” by Charlie Mackesy. A book of hope and kindness in uncertain times 🤗
I would recommend "Fahrenheit 451", by Ray Bradbury, because then they will learn what happens to a society where books are banned and people have stopped reading.
.I would reommend books by Catalan writer Albert Sánchez Piñol:
I read these two, in Dutch - stunning:
- La pell freda 2003 ES, Nachtlicht NL, Cold skin EN
- Pandora al Congo 2005 ES, In het hart van het oerwoud NL, Pandora in the Congo EN
The last one I would recommend to our alien friend, and I would give them a manual to promote postcrossing in outer space.
I would recommend my stamp collection book, so he can choose some stamps and send postcards to family and friends!
OMG! I'm a HU-UGE fan of Tom Gauld! Wow! Thank you for the interview! ❤️
What would I recommend to read to aliens visiting Earth? - let it be the mind-blowing "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace. It's buletproof by the way, he-he! :))))
Thank you for the article! I would recommend the alien to watch fireworks, they look like shooting stars, but are made by men!
Winterhaus or Winterhouse by Ben Guterson, a trilogy, I am reading like every few months. The heroine is a young girl, I think, she is 12 at the beginning who develops magic abilities and fights the evil, together with a friend and later two friends. 😊
Your work is wonderful, so charming and witty. If aliens wanted to learn about Earth's most important scientific advances, I would introduce them to the wonders of single-malt whisky. And chocolate.
I would suggest reading Pride and Prejudice, as it continues to explain so much.
I think an alien should read "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak to be thoroughly confused about humans, eheheheh
I would recommend for the aliens to visit the nearest natural history museum and check out the dinosaur bones, because dinosaurs are awesome.
I would recommend "Ender's Game" and related sequels by Orson Scott Card. This is my top favourite read and I would love to recommend to this alien and in fact, to everyone who loves a good read.
The storyline is heartwarming and could really get the reader engrossed and enthusiastic to follow the story to the end.
Finnish Nightmares: A Different Kind of Social Guide to Finland :)
Thank you so much for this post!!! Very inspiring reading! good question, too :D! I think I would recommend something to an alien visiting Earth that also includes the language of pictures. The Simpsons - different cultures can understand this, so why not aliens.In addidion, it shows the human but not logical behavior patterns of different people. Maybe it will help to understand us (in the hope that they try to contact).
To sleep in a sea of stars, by Christopher Paolini
Cause I want to know which are the real aliens out there.
Great article! Thanks for introducing me to Tom! What a great imagination and sense of humor! I agree that some of the best of the worst ideas as stupendous! I would have the alien read “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak and have him learn about the telephone!
I also am sending my Wordle friends the Wordle comics…FUNNY!
Great interview! Thanks! I would recommend "The Humans" by Matt Haig & from Romanian literature "Amintiri din copilarie" (Recollections from Childhood) by Ion Creanga!
Happy Postcrossing!
xoxo
Love those cards. I recommend Animal Farm by George Orwell to an Alien!
Pop-Tarts, just Pop-Tarts.
Being old fashioned and a little ancient the book i recommend would be "The Prize" by Daniel Yergin . All about oil and power but a very good history book
John the Ozpom
"The Philosophy of Snoopy: Peanuts Guide to Life" by Charles Schulz, showing there are always ways to work things out - with Woodstock and Charlie Brown. Thanks Cstar9 for illuminating Tom Gauld.
Just one book? I would take the alien to one of our biggest libraries, and let him/her the choice!
"Simple and clear, the latest edition of the basics of knitting with straight needles", published by Hobby Japan.
Yarn is so much fun. After aliens learn from this book, they can wrap their cold, outer planets in warmth and color with knitted yarn. And by learning together, the aliens and I will share a common language, allowing us to compare who can knit the most beautiful creations
Tom Gauld makes delightful reading! Tough to pick one book or discovery... I would recommend any one of Bill Waterson's collections of Calvin and Hobbes. It will definitely show non-earthers the innocence and wonder we have in us amidst all the complexities of being human on this planet.
I especially loved both the Wordle & My Library cartoons & quickly shared them! I would recommend any of the Herman treasury books by Jim Unger be shared with aliens. I find humour through cartoons very illustrative of life's challenges & human foibles.
I would recommend Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” so the aliens could begin to understand how some of us unfortunately grasp onto power at the price of everything and everyone around them, in the hopes that they’d steer clear of such people.
I would recommend Moomin tales by Tove Jansson. Those stories are so filled with happies and friendships, that it would show positive sides of us.
I would choose X-rays because I want to test on the visiting alien (unbeknownst)! I'm curious what lies beneath the skin. Are they made from cells entirely or musculoskeletal system like human and animals.
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