100 Posters, 134 Squirrels: A decade of hot dogs, large mammals, and independent rock -- the handcrafted art of Jay Ryan (2005)

I had never heard of Jay Ryan (although, in retrospect, his style is certainly familiar), but since it was the next book in my St. Denis book pile, I gave 100 Posters, 134 Squirrels: A decade of hot dogs, large mammals, and independent rock -- the handcrafted art of Jay Ryan (2005) a go.

Ryan is a Chicago-area screen-printing artist who started out making posters for bands that he knew, and gradually became part of the music poster renaissance starting in the early 2000s, including creating some iconic posters for bands like Silkworm and Shellac. His style is easily recognizable and unique (a Google image search for "jay ryan posters" will give you a nice taste), and his mix of soft colors, hand-lettering, cute animals, and violent or odd circumstances (attack by adorable squirrels!) is pretty enchanting.

The book itself is nicely produced, in full color, with a good size (not to big and not too small), and quality paper. Introductory essays by Steve Albini and other Ryan supporters provide some nice context, and Ryan himself includes some annotations of his work at the back. The bulk of the book, of course, is the posters themselves, and they really are great. This is a fun one to pick up and browse through, and then return to again with fresh eyes.