Tom Gauld's Blog

September 24, 2026

A recent cartoon for New Scientist. Many more here.

Image: A graph with lots of red dots clustered together in a curve. The are all looking upwards at a single red dot wearing sunglasses. Caption: Mike was an outlier and would probably be excluded from the study, but all the other data points secretly thought he was really cool.

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A recent cartoon for New Scientist. Many more here.

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Published on September 24, 2026 02:59

September 20, 2026

My latest books cartoon for the Guardian

Title: Gentlemen! Are you in want of a wife? Allow our algorithm to assist! Image: a series of yes/no questions for that lead to different outcomes. Questions include “are you rich?”, “are you dashing?”, “are you a rake” and “are you a vicar?” Outcomes include “You win the most beautiful daughter of the richest man in the county!”, “You remain a bachelor”, “You marry a dowdy cousin” and “You rescue a 23-year-old from Spinsterhood”.

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My latest books cartoon for the Guardian

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Published on September 20, 2026 08:34

September 15, 2026

My latest New Scientist cartoon

Course: Introduction to Basic Philosophical Astronomy Type: Six-week evening class Location: Physics Building Roof Modules: Week One - Whoa, look at all those stars Week Two - Dude, there are, like, bajillions Week Three - let me blow your mind with some big bang facts week Four - d'you think aliens are doing this on their planet?Week Five - Let's just chill out and take it all in for a while Week Six - Seriously, it's crazy how many stars are up there Image: figures sprawl on the roof of a building, gazing at a sky filled with stars.

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My latest New Scientist cartoon

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Published on September 15, 2026 07:50

September 12, 2026

My latest Guardian Books cartoon

Hercule Poirot dressed all in black speaks to Captain Hastings in a grand hallway “Please ask the suspects to gather in the library, Hastings: I wish to reveal that our births are random, our lives meaningless, and our deaths absurd.” Caption “Having investigated so many awful murders over the years, it was perhaps unsurprising that Hercule Poirot turned to Existentialism” p.s. Poirot had presumably been reading a lot of Sartre recently… "It is meaningless that we live and it is meaningless that we die," Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness (L'Être et le Néant) “Every existing thing is born without reason, prolongs itself out of weakness, and dies by chance.” Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea (La Nausée)

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My latest Guardian Books cartoon

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Published on September 12, 2026 04:10

September 10, 2026

Notebook doodle and original art for a recent cartoon.
The drawing is available at tomgauld.com…

A small scatchy ink drawing.A reader walks past bookcases, ghosts and clouds of ectoplasm.Title: Haunted library is cool.

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Title: Who is Haunting The Library of Forbidden Tomes? Image: five panels showing characters in a gothic library 22% - tormented souls, frozen between life and death (a ghost reading a book) 4% - dank, fetid horrors from the icy depths below (a black slug like creature with a single eyestalk reading a book) 15% - cold, lifeless bones possessed by a corrupt sorcery (a skeleton reading a book) 11% - frigid and malevolent ectoplasmic vapours (a shapeless apparition reading a book) 48% - regular readers happy to away from the heatwave (A mother, small child and toddler in buggy, all reading books)

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Notebook doodle and original art for a recent cartoon.
The drawing is available at tomgauld.com now.

View more on Tom Gauld's website »

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Published on September 10, 2026 04:00

September 9, 2026

My latest for New Scientist

Two scientists walk past numerous enormous shelves, each divided into sections containing a huge array of weird items. One says:“We still don't know what any of this is, where it came from, or what it does, but you have to admit we've shelved it all beautifully.”

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My latest for New Scientist

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Published on September 09, 2026 04:29

September 6, 2026

My latest books cartoon for The Guardian

Title: Methods for Encouraging a Reluctant Young Reader Panel 1Caption: Read Together Image: A small child sits on a sofa, face buried in a book, between two adults doing the same.Panel 2Caption: BriberyImage: The small child sits on a treasure chest wearing a crown, face buried in a book, in a room full of coins, jewels and precious items.Panel 3Caption: Element of dangerImage: The small child sits, face buried in a book, precariously balanced on a thin branch in a tall tree.Panel 4Caption: Reverse PsychologyImage: The small child sits, face buried in a book, beside a huge bookshelf and a sign that reads “Adults Only”Panel 5Caption: Pulleys and PistonsImage: The small child sits, face buried in a book, amidst a complicated mechanism that provides endless new books.Panel 6Caption: Rituals and IncantationsImage: The small child sits, face buried in a book, in a circle of candles amidst clouds of smoke and mysterious phrases.

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My latest books cartoon for The Guardian

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Published on September 06, 2026 08:29

September 1, 2026

My latest New Scientist cartoon

Title: Need staff for your lab? Close your eyes and stick a pin in the chart! Image: The chart consists of 81 rectangles arranged in a 9 x 9 grid. Down the side are these nine labels: Brilliant Eccentric Indolent Charming Mysterious Diligent Scheming Visionary Clumsy Across the bottom are these nine jobs: Technician Lab cat Lead Scientist Graduate student Stranger Robot Child prodigy Janitor Emeritus professor

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My latest New Scientist cartoon

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Published on September 01, 2026 07:41

August 31, 2026

My latest books cartoon for the Guardian

Two books talking Younger book "What's happening?" Older book "The wheel of life has turned, my child... Our time on the front table of the bookshop is over, and, like brave birds flying south for the winter, we summer books must journey back to the shelves." Younger book "But I like it here!" Older book "All things must pass. The beach reads table you knew is already gone. The time of autumn books is upon us." Younger book "Will we ever return?" Older book "The cycle is eternal: the Christmas bestsellers and prize nominees will come and go, but people will always want something nice to read on holiday."

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My latest books cartoon for the Guardian

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Published on August 31, 2026 02:06

August 26, 2026

My latest New Scientist cartoon.

Image: lots of scientists milling round a very cold air conditioned room that also contains moss, stones and snow. One scientist makes notes on a clipboard. Caption: Every summer, professor Singh noted the correlation between rising temperatures in the rest of the institute and the increased number of colleagues visiting his "Moss growth in arctic conditions" experiment.

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My latest New Scientist cartoon.

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Published on August 26, 2026 09:14

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