The Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms describes the phrase 'panic stations' as the following: ''a time when you feel extremely anxious and you must act quickly because something needs to be done urgently.'' An example: No matter how organized you think you are, one hour before the show starts it's panic stations.

When this collection of illustrations and cartoons was first published in 1966, Jean-Jacques Sempé had great difficulty coming up with a title. He waited until the last possible minute to make his decision, getting more and more wound up about the whole infernal naming process, hence the original French title of the book, La grande panique . But there is no cause for alarm, no need to man the proverbial panic stations: this book is laugh-out-loud funny, as one would expect from one of the great masters of the form.

In Panic Stations , Sempé explores some of his favorite themes, such as unspoken truths, failed communications, and hidden talents. There are men who talk to their cars while others hope to make contact with creatures from distant planets. There are women yearning for long-vanished civilizations, girls dreaming of pop stardom, and children getting up to no good, as usual.

Sempé's laconic, perfectly judged texts have been translated from the original French by Anthea Bell, the acclaimed translator who also helped bring Asterix the Gaul to the English-speaking world.