Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend

by Winsor McCay

From the creator of Little Nemo comes this pioneering cartoon strip, a world of dreams and nightmares, fraught with episodes of wish fulfillments and exaggerations in size and perspective. This facsimile of the rare 1905 first edition recaptures Winsor McCay's imaginative brilliance and his influence on latter-day animation with 60 cartoon sequences.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Fantasy, Fiction, Art, Classics

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1905

About the author

Was an American cartoonist and animator, best known for the comic strip Little Nemo (begun 1905) and the animated cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). For legal reasons, he worked under the pen name Silas on the comic strip Dream of the Rarebit Fiend.
A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades. His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators such as William Joyce, André LeBlanc, Moebius, Maurice Sendak, Chris Ware and Bill Watterson.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winsor McCay is a forgotten genius of comics and this series of 'dreamscapes' proves that he should take his place in the pantheon of artists who made this medium the global force it is today. His art is truly surreal; the dreams would keep Freud scratching his head! I wonder if Steve Ditko was exposed/influenced by his work (please let me know if you know).

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before there was B. Kliban...before there was Charles Addams...before there was Gahan Wilson...before there was John Callahan...before there was Dan Piraro...there was Winsor McKay. More than a century ago, in 1904, cartoonist McKay - later to become famous for his children's comic strip "Little Nemo" - produced a series of daily, extravagantly surrealistic "morality plays" in comic strip form for the New York Herald. Printed under the pseudonym "Silas" (for legal purposes), "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend" was definitely NOT for children! Each strip contained a graphic visual and verbal description of a highly hallucinogenic nightmare that was being experienced by some unfortunate soul (the protagonist changed with each strip) who had overindulged in rich food or drink; most often, their referred-to indulgence was a "fried cheese pie" which was the original form of the melted cheese dish that we now know as Welsh Rarebit - hence the name of the strip. The nightmares of these not-entirely-blameless sufferers were the stuff of world-class lunacy, even by today's standards: a frail man who swallows a "weight-on" pill, and his extremely hefty wife, who simultaneously swallows a "weight-off pill", each find that the pill they've taken produces the extreme opposite effect of the one they desired; a priest overseeing a funeral rejoices at an old codger's death, noting that "he was absolutely no good to anybody"; a puppy evolves into a monster, while his mistress defends his innocence - "he doesn't know any better"; houses fly, streets become rollercoasters, chickens grow to gargantuan size, and the kindly people in your neighborhood mutate into the most astonishing beings! This volume contains all but one of the strips, which was deleted for "incorrectness"; read into that what you will - and by all means, read the remainder of these fascinating strips...just not too close to bedtime. And lay off the fried cheese pie!

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winsor McCay should need no introduction to comics fans. His strip, Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend, is only slightly less well-known than his other classic, Little Nemo In Slumberland. Although over a hundred years old, his work still holds up today as a shining example of comic art.

The idea that eating Welsh Rarebit for the evening meal might give one bad--or at least exceptionally vivid--dreams probably had more cultural resonance in 1905 than it does today. Each single page strip follows the same formula: a fairly mundane situation grows steadily more complex and nightmarish, until it's all revealed as a dream in the final panel as the sleeper awakes and blames their situation on the rarebit that they ate. The strips aren't laugh out loud funny so much as surreal, while still being something that we as the reader might identify with. Take, for instance, the one where the young lawyer, asked to give an impromptu speech, repeatedly stumbles over the word, “welcoming.” Or the strip where, determined to save her beloved dog, a woman causes a spectacular train wreck.

McCay’s artwork for this book, I think, doesn't quite hit the impressive visuals of Little Nemo. But he’s still the master of pacing, with things getting just a little more off-kilter with every panel. And, as always, he loves to play with perspective like nobody else. Once you get used to his spelling quirks, and his habit of continuing sentences from one word balloon to the next without warning, you’ll be enjoying these as much as I did.

Winsor McCay is one of the all-time great comics artists, and his work should be familiar to all. Highly recommended!

[Whatsupchuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each page is a dream and awakening of a random person.

I personally like these more than the little nemo stories because they tend to be psychologically more interesting.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As addictive and disturbing and delightful as that confounded rarebit. Obsessed with this right now.

[Harmony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the artwork. Strange and interesting.

[Xian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really quite amazing. Very much recommended. I can't believe they ran this stuff in newspapers back in the day.

[Klinton Saha · Rating 3 out of 5]

কিছু বৃদ্ধ-বৃদ্ধা প্রতি স্ট্রিপে রাতে ঘুমের মধ্যে অদ্ভুত সব স্বপ্ন দেখতে থাকে। কখনো তারা সাইজে অনেক বড় হয়ে যায়, দানবের হাতে আক্রান্ত হয়, উঁচু জায়গা থেকে পড়ে যায় ইত্যাদি। ঘুম ভেঙ্গে উঠে বলে রেয়ারবিট নামক চিজ জাতীয় খাবার খাওয়া উচিত হয়নি।এই কমিকস টি পত্রিকায় স্ট্রিপ আকারে ১৮৬৯-১৯৩৪ সালে পত্রিকায় প্রকাশিত হতো।

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic comic strip by Winsor McCay about the bizarre dreams of people who eat Welsh rarebit before going to sleep. Goofy and surreal!

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this. What happens when you eat too much rarebit!

[Oliver Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

truly wonderful cartoon work. as far as canonical 20th-century cartoonists go, i've got it 1) mccay, 2) ec segar, and (distant third) george herriman, with a bunch of people (milt caniff, chester gould, charles schulz, dr. seuss) bringing up the rear. what makes "rarebit fiend" so fun is that it's basically little nemo for adults - less ornate as far as sets and colors, sure, but some of these strips (like one in which a guy dreams of becoming a prizefighter, fights the likes of jim jeffries, and gets soaked in blood, or another in which a man's stomach is cut open) are pretty gnarly, especially for the era. as depictions of dreams go, rarebit fiend is probably more accurate (whatever that means) than little nemo. highly recommended.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn’t have the innocence, wildness and awe of Little Nemo, but this is a wonderful dry run and - dubious art choices aside, shall we say - shows why McCay remains such an important artist and creative force. It all seems so effortless and unendingly inventive, and images from this will remain in my mind forever. Just wonderful

[Dave H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of one page nightmares, drawn in 1905, the absolute coolest--strange, casually disturbing, surprising, and fun.

[StrictlySequential ArtNarrative · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naaah. It's Nemo with art that's not as good.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like books about random dreams, you'll like this. Definitely a weird assortment. What kept this from being a five was the quality of the prints in the edition I had -- some of the comics were too blurry or dark to read completely.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

A marvelous one-off from the animation pioneer! These things are really quite staggeringly wacky in places, and can arguably give you an angle on the 1905 mindset which nothing else very likely ever could.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a price to pay for gluttony. The Fiend pays it every night as he digests his fourthmeal with a healthy dash of nightmare.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

No matter the age of the work, Windsor McCay is an amazing storyteller.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good fantasy realism.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, great stuff. A collection of nightmares caused by eating rarebit before bed. Just when you think it's starting to get repetitive, BAM, something really crazy comes along.

[Trinamoy Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

অফিসের কাজ সেরে বিছানায় মরার মত শুয়ে শুয়ে কমিক্স পড়ছিলাম, উইনসর ম্যাক্কের "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend"। কল্পবিশ্ব প্রকাশনার (যারা এই অধমের লেখা পাবলিশ করে) বই, বিখ্যাত কবি যশোধরা রায়চৌধুরী অনূদিত। নতুন নাম রাখা হয়েছে, "দুঃস্বপ্ন।" প্রচ্ছদে সেই টাইটেল চিজের মত আঠালো ফন্ট নিয়ে ছড়িয়ে রয়েছে, নিচে এক বৃদ্ধের ভয়ার্ত মুখ। সবই উজ্জ্বল বাবুর অসাধারণ কাজ।

বইটি ষাটটি কমিক স্ট্রিপের কালেকশন, আয়তনে টিনটিনের কমিক অ্যালবামের সমতুল্য। অসাধারণ সাদাকালো আর্টওয়ার্ক, যেখানে পরাবাস্তবতা, হাস্যরস আর আতঙ্ক মিলেমিশে গিয়েছে। ম্যাক্কের সব কাজেই স্বপ্ন ঘুরেফিরে আসে। ওঁর সবথেকে বিখ্যাত ছোট্ট নিমো সিরিজের প্রেক্ষাপটই তো অদ্ভুতুড়ে সব স্বপ্ন, যারা জীবন্ত হয়ে থাকে স্লাম্বারল্যান্ড নামে এক অলীক দেশে, মরফিয়াসের প্রজা হিসেবে।

ছোট্ট নিমোর গল্পগুলো এই রেয়ারবিট ফিন্ডেরই স্পিন-অফ। যদিও রেয়ারবিটের স্ট্রিপগুলোয় নিমোর মত অত ডিটেইলড আঁকা নেই, অথবা রঙের বাহার নেই, তবু এই পুরনো কমিক্স স্ট্রিপগুলোর মূল্য এখনও কমে নি। সমসাময়িক ভদ্রসমাজের মুখোশকে হ্যালাফ্যালায় প্রায়ই খুলে ফেলতেন স্বপ্নের পরাবাস্তব প্রতীকীর মাধ্যমে। ডেমোক্র‍্যাট আর রিপাবলিকান, দুই দলকেই মনের সুখে গাল দিতে পছন্দ করতেন। এছাড়াও অর্থনৈতিক আর সাংসারিক নিয়মবিধিকে ব্যঙ্গ করতেও ভোলেন নি, ম্যাক্কে।

মোদ্দা কথা, আমেরিকার ঐতিহাসিক নথি হিসেবে এই বইয়ের তুলনা হয় না। ঠিক যেভাবে তুলনা হয় না ম্যাক্কের স্বপ্নের মনস্তাত্ত্বিক দিকগুলোকে অলীক চিত্রাবলীর মাধ্যমে তুলে ধরার ক্ষমতা। যাত্রীর মনে জন্মানো অপরাধবোধকে ফুটিয়ে তুলেছেন ফুলেফেঁপে ওঠা টিকিটচেকারের মাধ্যমে। এক কয়েদির স্বপ্নে তার বিশালায়তন স্বাধীন হওয়ার ইচ্ছেকে প্রকট করে তোলে। মনে জমা উদ্বিগ্নতা প্রকাশ পায় নিভতে না চাওয়া এক দেশলাইয়ের কাঠিতে ইত্যাদি ইত্যাদি। মোদ্দা কথা মানুষের অবচেতন মনে জমতে থাকা সব ইমেজারি যেন গুরুভোজনের পর ঘুমের মধ্যে বেরিয়ে আসে।

এ এক অদ্ভুত বই।

[die gho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Winsor McCay's drawings are so inventive. The excuse of dream allows him great places, world and character that doesn't need to confide in people expectation of the real. They wholing inspiring pieces of art. Please panel being filled with clever idea and terrible piece of writing.

The writing is god-awful. It is written in accent a style that was popular in early american literature as method of preserving the uniqueness of the regional rather than smush them together into one correct way to speak english. What winsor mccay does is nothing better smush them together. I recommend that if you read this comic with overly long and stupid dialogue then don't read.
To quote david lean, "concentrate more on pictures than on dialogue"*

*I know that my taking it out of context but it fits.

[Cail Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

McCay's precursor to Little Nemo. Damn funny, quite violent at times, with adult themes running through it.

Each strip is self-contained but shares the same premise as Little Nemo. People have wild dreams because they ate a "Welsh Rarebit" or fried cheese the night before, and wake up after having a dream where they're giants destroying New York City, have hair that never stops growing or are decapitated by runaway carriages. They wake up in bed, swearing to never eat Rarebit again. Great stuff and well-drawn, with a minimal style compared to Little Nemo's detail and ornateness. Highly recommended.

Thank god for Dover's accessible publications of great artwork, I've had the pleasure of reading many of their editions this year, especially their reproductions of Gustave Doré.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though not as refined as McCay's later strip, "Little Nemo in Slumberland", there is a lot to enjoy about his earlier works. "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend" is much like "Little Nemo" in that it involves floating beds and surreal dream worlds being explored after eating something strange with dinner (here it's always Welsh rarebit being eaten). The fact that McCay was doing this prior to the advent of the Surrealist movements of the early 1920's just shows how ahead of the curve he was as an artist. The stories here are definitely filled with dated elements like racial caricatures and slurs, but from an artistic perspective, it's hard to find anything more imaginative than McCay's comic strips. Enjoy this for the compositions and intricate linework, not the story.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 2013 printing of the 1973 facsimile edition of the original 1905 hardcover.

As in the 1905 hardcover and 1973 facsimile edition, the strips are reprinted here in black and white. They are shrunk down from their original publication size, although the Dover editions are 10% larger than the 1905 hardcover. Like the 1973 edition, this 2013 printing omits the final strip due to its unfavorable portrayal of minorities.

Rarebit is apparently some sort of toasted cheese snack, and these unfortunate folks ate them before bed. Apparently this Welsh rarebit gives folks nightmares which probe their innermost fears and desires. This predates McCay's signature strip, Little Nemo In Slumberland but treads the same boards: the realm of dreams. Unlike Nemo, this is not a fun, surreal read, but a bizarre probing of anxieties.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

This is a wonderful book...not so much for the jokes, but for the excellence of Winsor McCay's draughtsmanship. I got interested in Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend from reading a biography of McCay. The strip was a sort of prelude to his Nemo in Slumberland. The drawings are exceptional.

[David Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the early 1900s comes a collection of brilliant, surrealistic cartoons. McCay was among the first to test the limits of the strip cartoon form. Each strip in this series takes place in a dream, and with the dream justification, McCay stretches, contracts, distorts, and otherwise violates the expectations of what happens within a cartoon frame. In their own way, they are quite modernist.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of deeply funny and macabre comics by the criminal underrated cartoonist Windsor McCay. As funny as the day they were published more than a century ago

[Tom Tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even Windsor McCay’s minor works are amazing!

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very comfy showcase of McCay's surrealist cartooning. Really dig this, although it feels like towards the end he was running out of steam.