Zen Pencils: Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks

A unique new comic form that takes inspirational and famous quotations and adapts them into graphic stories.

From icons like Confucius, Marie Curie, and Henry David Thoreau, to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, to contemporary notables like Ira Glass, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Neil Gaiman—their words are turned into sometimes heartwarming, sometimes sobering stories by cartoonist Gavin Aung Than. Be inspired, motivated, educated, and laugh as you read famous words as never before!

Gavin Aung Than, an Australian graphic designer turned cartoonist, started the weekly Zen Pencils blog in February 2012. He describes his motivation for launching Zen Pencils:”I was working in the boring corporate graphic design industry for eight years before finally quitting at the end of 2011 to pursue my passion for illustration and cartooning. At my old job, when my boss wasn’t looking, I would waste time reading Wikipedia pages, mainly biographies about people whose lives were a lot more interesting than mine. Their stories and quotes eventually inspired me to leave my job to focus on what I really wanted to do. The idea of taking these inspiring quotes, combining them with my love of drawing and sharing them with others led to the creation of Zen Pencils.”

Awards and Praise for Zen Pencils: Cartoon Quotes from Inspirational Folks:
New York Times Bestseller

“A lively and sparkling collection with a potential long life as a gift suitable for kids and adults, ideal for graduates and career seekers.” —Publishers Weekly

“Zen Pencils deftly blends the inspired thoughts of our great creative and moral thinkers with its own fresh visual wit. Because these work as pithy history lessons illuminating timeless human truths, it’s no wonder Gavin’s engaging comics go viral!” —Michael Cavna, Washington Post‘s Comic Riffs

“If you read this book and don’t get a lump in your throat and a stirring in your heart at least once, check your pulse. You’re dead.” —Philip Plait, The Bad Astronomer

Rights details

• Adult