The Man With The Can

The Man with the Can (1978) by Jan Sanders. Phin Publishing. ISBN: 0906196272. Condition: Good.

There are cartoon books that make you smile politely. Then there are Jan Sanders books, which lure you into thinking you’ve understood the joke before quietly revealing another half-dozen hiding in the background.

The Man with the Can is one of those gloriously chaotic collections that rewards slow reading—a rather unusual quality for a book with relatively few words. Published in 1978 by Phin Publishing, it showcases Sanders’ wonderfully detailed illustrations, where every page resembles a tiny theatrical production in which absolutely nobody seems to know quite what’s going on.

As for the title... yes, there is indeed a man. Yes, there is indeed a can. Beyond that, you’ll have to discover the rest for yourself.

Jan Sanders had a gift for drawing the sort of world that feels perfectly ordinary until you actually start looking. At first glance, you see a busy street, a family gathering, a harbour or a village fête. Then you notice a ladder balanced on something that really shouldn’t support a ladder. Someone is chasing a hat. A dog has become unexpectedly involved in proceedings. An elderly gentleman is displaying remarkable confidence despite being moments away from a spectacular loss of dignity. And somewhere in the middle of it all stands an entirely innocent-looking fellow with... well... a can.

His humour belongs to a tradition that is becoming surprisingly rare. There are no captions explaining the joke. No speech bubbles spelling everything out. Sanders trusts his readers to spot the absurdity for themselves. His pages are puzzles as much as cartoons, inviting you to linger rather than race through. Every revisit uncovers another tiny visual gag hiding behind a lamppost, peering through a window or unfolding quietly in the distance.

It’s also a wonderful snapshot of the late 1970s. The clothes, hairstyles, bicycles, cars and everyday clutter all belong unmistakably to the period, making the book as much a social time capsule as a collection of humorous illustrations. It’s the sort of nostalgia that sneaks up on you—not because life was necessarily simpler, but because everyone seemed to be wearing considerably wider collars.

One of the delights of Sanders’ work is that his characters never appear malicious. They are simply human: optimistic, distracted, overconfident and permanently on the verge of a minor catastrophe. If something can go wrong, it probably will. If somebody can misunderstand the situation, they certainly shall. Yet everyone carries on with admirable determination, blissfully unaware that the reader can see the impending disaster developing several inches away.

This copy is in good condition, making it a delightful addition for collectors of European illustration, lovers of visual comedy or anyone who enjoys books that reveal more with every reading. Leave it on the coffee table and don’t be surprised if guests disappear into it for twenty minutes, occasionally erupting into laughter over a joke they’ve only just spotted.

From Crappy Old Books—because not every masterpiece needs an epic plot or profound philosophy. Sometimes all you need is a brilliantly observant artist, a wonderfully ridiculous cast of characters and one perfectly ordinary-looking man carrying a can. Whatever’s in it, it has somehow managed to turn everyone else’s day into complete and glorious chaos.

Keep browsing: See more Art books Other books by Jan Sanders