Free Digital Copy of "Cartoon Modern" — a Rare, Out-of-Print Artbook on Mid-century Animation

The Animation Obsessive newsletter has links (low res and hi res) to a free copy of Cartoon Modern — a rare, out-of-print artbook on mid-century animation.

"Many of the best animation books are rare. They have a small print run, sell to a core audience and then disappear. On eBay and Amazon, second-hand copies go for hundreds. Only a tiny group gets to see the inspiring art and key information inside.

"A major example is the artbook Cartoon Modern: Style and Design in Fifties Animation.

"Released in 2006, Cartoon Modern is the guide to the so-called 'UPA style.' It’s full of art and production insights you can’t find anywhere else. The whole mid-century cartoon movement is here, from UPA to Mary Blair to Sleeping Beauty and beyond. On the back, you see a blurb from Craig McCracken of Powerpuff Girls fame:

Besides the fact that it’s filled with tons of incredible, inspiring, and intimidating artwork, Cartoon Modern is impressive to me because it goes beyond the studios and really focuses on the fact that these cartoons are all made by unique and individual artists. I’ve been waiting a long, long time for a book like this!

"The author of Cartoon Modern, Amid Amidi, owns the book’s copyright and digital rights — and has written that he wants to see it reborn. 'Would be delighted if someone scanned in and made available a high-quality PDF of Cartoon Modern,” he tweeted in 2019. “Book has been out of print for a long time and should be readily available to all.'

"So, that’s what we’ve done"