The first thing I would do when I picked up an issue of MAD Magazine was turn to the back, fold the last page and chuckle at Al Jaffee’s clever fold-ins. Since 1964 these illustrations have become an icon of American humor. Generations have grown up with Jaffee’s inspired skewerings of our foibles and cultural conundrums. Issue after issue, each Fold-in requires the reader to simply fold the page so that arrow A meets arrow B to reveal the hidden gag image, a simple idea that masks both undeniable artistic ingenuity and comic timing. In this deluxe four-volume set, each of the 410 fold-ins is reproduced at its original size, with a digital representation of the corresponding “folded” image on the following page (so collectors won’t have to “fold” their book to get the jokes). Featuring insightful essays by such luminaries as Pixar’s Pete Docter and humorist Jules Feiffer, The MAD Fold-In Collection is the definitive gift for the millions of fans who’ve grown up with MAD for nearly 60 years. The MAD Fold-In Collection ($125) will be available on September 7, 2011.