British cartoonist and caricaturist Ronald Searle passed away in 2011 at the age of 91. Here are just a few of his witty and beautiful book covers.

"Lampooning the foibles of the English class system as well as clerics, politicians and even other artists, Mr. Searle was often described as a latter-day version of the 18th-century British graphic satirist William Hogarth. His cartoons combined an ear for linguistic nuance with a caustic pen and brush. With just a few well-placed lines, he pierced the facades of his targets without resorting to ridicule or rancor." —The New York Times. Read more here.