When I got hold of this news, I was about to type “pinch me!” But then I realized that phraseology would not end well here.

Suffice to say, this is at the “epic” end of the coolness scale.

On Tuesday, Steeles Publishing announced their new title, The Napkin Art of Tim Burton; Things You Think About in a Bar. Which is literally what the title claims. The book is a collection of doodles Tim Burton has done on napkins… in bars.

The press release states:

This mini companion to the award winning The Art of Tim Burton provides a glimpse into the mind of a man who spends much of his life on the road. Often finding himself in random surroundings, Burton conveys thoughts, ideas and memories with simple sketches on the most convenient surface available – a napkin.

What’s interesting is that Burton clearly doesn’t ask for a clean stack of cocktail napkins for his scribblings. In fact, most of the art has food or beverage stains, some of which are even incorporated into the drawings. I’m also curious as to what span of time these doodles cover – for instance, does that drawing of a sand worm pre or postdate Beetlejuice? It would be really awesome if the napkin is where the idea originated.  I can imagine Burton being just quirky enough to have saved these up for years.

All 140 pages of joy (with a silver foil stamped cover) is only available through the Steeles Publishing web site and will lighten your wallet by the modest sum of $20.

And for those of you pursuing a career in some form of the arts, this is your official notice.

Save everything.