In addition to his lifetime of work as an editorial
cartoonist, Charles Brooks has had another rewarding long-time career: that of
editor of Pelican's Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year Series.
This landmark series, begun in 1972, showcases the work of editorial cartoonists
from the United States and Canada.
Throughout his life, Brooks has not only seen history unfold
before his eyes, but he also has recorded it for posterity in his cartoons. So,
too, do the editorial cartoonists that he chooses to appear in each edition of
Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year. The cartoons, inevitably more
famous than the cartoonists themselves, become a part of the history that they
capture.
Charles Brooks is past president of the Association of
American Editorial Cartoonists and was a cartoonist for the Birmingham (Ala.)
News for thirty-eight years. He has been the recipient of thirteen Freedom
Foundation awards, a national VFW award, two Vigilante Patriot awards, and a
Sigma Delta Chi award for editorial cartooning.
Brooks' cartoons appear in more than eighty books, including
textbooks on political science, economics, and history, as well as encyclopedias
and yearbooks. His original cartoons are on display in the archives of many
libraries.