How to Be Perfect: An Illustrated Guide

“Make eye contact with a tree.” “Do not practice cannibalism.” “Wear comfortable shoes." “Sing, every once in a while.” “In later life, become a mystic.” Offbeat, warm, and funny, Ron Padgett's prescriptions for human perfection springs to life in Jason Novak's cartoons—a delightful match-up of sensibilities. And remember: "Don’t give advice."

Ron Padgett's How Long was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in poetry and his Collected Poems won the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for the best poetry book of 2013. His work has been translated into eighteen languages.

Jason Novak is a cartoonist whose work has appeared in the New Yorker the Paris Review and the Believer among other places. He lives in Oakland, California.