Spices and Spuds examines the histories of the plants helped shape our modern world.

It may sound ridiculous, but empires have risen and fallen because of stuff you’d find in your grocery store’s vegetable aisle. Through wars, famine, prosperity, and more, every aspect of our lives and livelihoods has something to do with plants!

Whether or not you notice them, plants are as central to our day-to-day lives as a bowl of rice or a plate of pasta, and they have shaped our history the same way a gardener trims a topiary.

Andy Warner sifts through the roots and leaves of our long, complicated history with the earth’s original green resources in this hilarious, fact-filled follow-up to Andy Warner’s Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets. 

Reviews:

“An informative and eye-opening explanation of the impact plants have had on our lives. Interesting facts and bits of trivia spanning prehistory to the present day will engage and inform readers. A concise overview of a complex and fascinating history presented in a digestible visual medium.“ –Kirkus

“Warner strikes a quippy and conversational tone in his wildly informative, highly engaging text. He frames each of the 10 chapters as an independent narrative, allowing the book to be read from start to finish or enabling eager readers to skip among topics. Readers will likely devour this ambitious and immersive survey of agricultural connections and interdependence. --Kit Ballenger, youth librarian, Help Your Shelf

“An introduction to plants as crops that entertains as well as it educates. A helpful purchase for covering changes over time and the interdependence of trade and agriculture. Students may be very interested in the description of the origin of blue jeans, or how corn is turned into the syrup that appears in soft drinks.“ –School Library Journal

“Spices and Spuds is part comic book, part world history course, and entirely fascinating for readers of all ages. After a few hours lost in this book’s eye-catching and funny comic-style panels, your young reader might be able to tell you a little bit about the Phoenicians, the Dust Bowl, the Little Ice Age, the Asante Empire, and World War II. ” – Lithub

Pests and Pets explores the animals we love, the ones we make use of, and the ones that make use of us in this hilarious, informative mix of storytelling and factbook.

Did you know that 32 pigeons have received medals for wartime valor? And a dog named Laika was the very first creature to orbit the Earth? Did you know that there is an island in Japan entirely overrun by bunnies? And — for a brief time — rats adorned with ribbons were a popular lap pet in upper-class London? Or that a popular anime called Rascal the Racoon may be largely responsible for Japan's huge raccoon population?

In Andy Warner's Oddball Histories: Pests and Pets, you can find out more than you ever thought possible about creatures both cute and weird, both large and small, while discovering new stories about human history from the perspective of our animal companions. Packed with incredible facts and charming stories like these, this is the perfect book for curious readers.

MCBA nominee.

Reviews:

“A fascinating book to dip in and out of, or if reading through, to note the many similarities throughout the centuries.“ - School Library Journal

“The chapters are informative and include enough jokes, quips, and groaners to keep most readers engaged…. File this under ‘Books we find useful.’“ - Kirkus Reviews

Brief Histories of Everyday Objects is a graphic tour through the unusual creation of some of the mundane items that surround us in our daily lives. Chapters are peppered with ballpoint pen riots, cowboy wars, and really bad Victorian practical jokes. Structured around the different locations in our home and daily life—the kitchen, the bathroom, the office, and the grocery store— Andy Warner traces the often surprising and sometimes complex histories behind the items we often take for granted. This is both a book of histories and a book about histories. It explores how lies become legends, trade routes spring up, and empires rise and fall—all from the perspective of your toothbrush or toilet.

New York Times Bestseller

Reviews:

"The most delightfully irreverent illustrated history lesson since Larry Gonick’s Cartoon History of the Universe (1990)."—Booklist

“Andy Warner has sparked my curiosity about microwave ovens and piqued my taste for cinnamon with this remarkable book. Brief Histories of Everyday Objects combines scholarship, wit, and some of the best gray-scale design I’ve ever seen in a comic book.” —Larry Gonick, author of The Cartoon History of the Universe

"Ever wonder how the postcard, the bathtub, the ballpoint pen, the microwave, or kitty litter came to be? Warner has you covered with fun and quick backgrounds on objects we take for granted today."—io9

"Funny, clever, and very well done indeed."—Comicsbeat

“[Andy Warner is] equally interested in the chaos that often follows entrepreneurial initiatives, and each strip, though brief, has the power of a parable, outlining how some inventors were cheated, fell into greed, or used their wealth to attempt to fund new, even quirkier endeavors…. Warner is a deft cartoonist, able to convey a lot of information, humor, and emotion within a single panel.”—Publishers Weekly

With Sofie Louise Dam

Tired of your country's bad politics? Feeling powerless to change things? Start your own utopia instead! This nonfiction graphic novel collects the stories of 30 self-made places around the world built with a dream of utopia, whether a safe haven, an inspiring structure, or a better-run country. From the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands to the Indian rock garden of Nek Chand, the micronation of Sealand to the pirate-founded, anti-slavery community of Libertatia, here are the empowering and eccentric visions of creators who struck out against the laws of their homelands, the approval of their peers, and even nature itself to reshape the world around them.

Named a 2020 Great Graphic Novels for Teens by The Young Adult Services Association (YALSA).

Reviews:

"Bubbling with madcap energy, This Land slaps the eye with sunshine colors and seduces with doodly lines. The authors seem positively high on the wackiness of the various communities they chronicle - or, more precisely, on the oddball aspects of human nature such places highlight...Warner and Dam have infused these often-absurd stories with joy and a measure of dignity." - NPR

"What Warner and Dam layout in This Land Is My Land is a rich, amusing, and pretty thorough survey of people who take the idea of carving out a niche for themselves much further than the majority of us ever go. In some cases motivational, in others preventative, it's a good example of what history comics can do..." -The Beat

"Colorful fauvist drawings and maps from artist Dam (contributor, The Nib) bring these would-be 'better tomorrows' to life with grace and verve. . . . Warner's choices challenge readers in productive and entertaining ways, prompting questions such as: What are the commonalities among the 30? How would you design your own 'self-made state'? How might modern cohousing situations relate to these marginal efforts? . . . Less a complete chronicle and more a tantalizing Rorschach test for speculation and research, this thoughtful collection about visionary living makes fine fodder for adults and teens via book clubs, classrooms, and late-night debates among friends." — Martha Cornog, Library Journal Xpress

"In 2015, a young Czech man read on Wikipedia about a disputed bit of land between Serbia and Croatia that neither country wanted. His decision to claim it and call it Liberland, a home for libertarians the world over, didn't go over well with the Croatian government, which has since arrested him. That is only one of 30 fascinating tales of intentional communities, radical ideas, and utopian visions, all gathered in one place and shared in a funny, enlightening graphic format. Organized by category, each short encapsulation highlights a different community's founders and their visions, the ideals upon which it was based, and how it all fell apart or changed over time. Each story is humorous, sobering, and thought provoking, as the advantages and pitfalls of these kinds of communities are laid bare. The colorful format, with speech bubbles and concise, descriptive paragraphs, will keep students engaged, and there's just enough information to encourage further independent research. VERDICT A fun, intriguing book that is sure to please a variety of readers." - School Library Journal

In 2005 Andy Warner travelled to Lebanon to study literature in Beirut, one of the world’s most cosmopolitan and storied cities. Twenty-one years old and recently broken up from his girlfriend, Warner feels his life is both intense and directionless. Immersing himself in the vibrant and diverse city, he quickly befriends a group of LGBT students, many of whom are ex-pats straddling different cultures and embracing the freedoms of the multicultural city. Warner and his friends party, do drugs, and hook up, even as violence breaks out in the city—the scars of a fifteen-year civil war reopening with a series of political assassinations and bombings. As the city descends into chaos and violence, Warner feels his grasp on reality slowly begin to slip as he confronts traumas in his past and anxiety over his future.

Reviews:

"Excellent... Spring Rain is about the way the troubles of the world seem more troublesome when one is already dealing with emotional difficulties, and how those same emotional difficulties can make the state of society seem more menacing, creating a self-reinforcing feedback loop that can drag even those keenly attuned to it into an awful state....A highly personal book."--Leonard Pierce, The Comics Journal

"Drawing parallels between Lebanese political unrest and his own mental health struggles, Warner’s intricate graphic memoir resists simplistic clichés... Warner’s work honors the richness of Lebanon and the fragile, fleeting nature of peace." —Publisher's Weekly

“A cartoonist uses his art to connect the world he sees collapsing outside with the psychological state crumbling within. The political and psychological potently intertwine within this highly charged memoir.”—Kirkus Review (starred)

"Spring Rain captures the feel of tumultuous and glorious Beirut in an evocative memoir that sits at the intersection of the personal and the political." —Joe Sacco, author of Footnotes in Gaza

“Whether he's depicting the reality of a nation in revolt or the nightmare of a personal break from reality that threatens the possibility of tragic consequences, Warner's skills as a cartoonist serve both to offer the story cohesion and to ensure the (extremely helpful) passages on Lebanon's history aren't too dense. In total, Spring Rain is a timely work that never oversteps itself by narrowing its focus to provide a fleeting glimpse of revolutions both personal and political.... A captivating graphic memoir in which a young American details his 2005 semester abroad in Lebanon at a time of great political and personal upheaval.”—Zack Ruskin, Shelf Awareness

"Warner's terrific coming-of-age memoir gives us a tour through a city—and mind—on the brink." —Matt Bors, Editor of The Nib