I am perfectly willing to read celebrity memoirs, but only if they conclude with a crowd of children smashing the author over the head with an iron poker. Then, ideally, he should burst into flames. That, at least, is how one of my favorite Victorian autobiographies ends, and a most satisfying conclusion it is, too. I should also note its singular cover art: in the ivy-wreathed cameo normally set aside for a heroic gold-stamped visage of the book’s subject, there is—absolutely nothing. Nothing, that is, except for a pitch-black rectangle. At first I thought a pasted label had been pulled away from the space, and I cursed the long-dead vandal that had done the deed. It was only after many viewings that the book designer’s joke dawned on me. That plain black rectangle is a portrait… of coal.
The Autobiography of a Lump of Coal (1870) commences with a group of English children sitting by a fireplace, blithely insulting their subject—“Addy, do break up that ugly, dark lump of Coal.”—whereupon the coal begins to speak to them. Before you suspect ergot in the scones, bear in mind that this is not a bad thing. A talking lump of coal, as long as it doesn’t instruct you to kill your neighbors, is a fine way to get better acquainted with the scien
"Tolmie’s Contagious Imagination is an eye-popping revelation of the entrancing stories Barry created and the ingenious but simple ways she did them. . . . Contagious Imagination will be a very useful research tool about creativity and an excellent introduction to Barry—her thinking and her works—and a facile, fascinating primer for writers. Highly recommended."
- J. A. Lent, CHOICE
"Through its earnest analysis, Contagious Imagination is contagiously liberating. The book is infused with the aliveness of its subject’s guiding beliefs and teachings. . . . Readers will be inspired with a sense of bravery and confidence in their own — possibly suppressed — creativity."
- Alexander McMillan, Broken Pencil
"Contagious Imagination is as infectious as the title touts: it provides a stimulating examination of Barry's graphic storytelling, her unusual, yet efficient pedagogy, and celebrates the power of doodling, all of which contribute to the staying power of Barry's work in the canon of American comics."
- Kirsten Møllegaard, Journal of American Culture
"This is a tightly composed but delightfully dense collection that should both reward Barry enthusiasts and recruit new ones."