Book Description

The New York Times best-selling series continues!

The third volume in our acclaimed series takes us into the mid-1950s as Linus learns to talk, Snoopy begins to explore his eccentricities (including his hilarious first series of impressions), Lucy's unrequited crush on Schroeder takes final shape, and Charlie Brown becomes...well, even more Charlie Brown-ish! Over half of the strips in this volume have never been printed since their original appearance in newspapers a half-century ago! Even the most dedicated Peanuts collector/fan is sure to find many new treasures. The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two a year for twelve years. Each volume is designed by the award-winning cartoonist Seth (It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and features impeccable production values; every single strip from Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic is reproduced better than ever before. This volume includes an introduction by Matt Groening (The Simpsons) as well as the popular Complete Peanuts index, a hit with librarians and collectors alike, and an epilogue by series editor Gary Groth. ... Read more

Book Description

The New York Times best-selling series continues!

The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two a year for twelve years. Each volume is designed by the award-winning cartoonist Seth (It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and features impeccable production values; every single strip from Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic is reproduced better than ever before. ... Read more

Reviews (49)

A fitting tribute
This book is certainly an appropriate tribute to the greatest comic strip of all time. It gives us a good dose of the best from each decade. My favorite aspect is the great margin notes by Charles Schulz, wherein he gives us fascinating background comments on the evolution of Peanuts and on ideas behind specific strips. My only regret, and the reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5, is that most of the Sunday samples of Peanuts are not in color here. They would have been in color originally, and I like seeing them that way. But this is certainly a terrific book to own, and I highly recommend it.

Peanuts deserves better, we deserve better
This is a delightful book. The photos and information of Charles Schulz (allow me an aside:: I think that Charlie "BROWN" is a smokescreen: the main character of this strip is Charlie SCHULZ), his background, and his studio are wonderful for a lifelong fan (I'm a year younger than Linus). The commentary and selection are superb, and it's even fun to shake your head over some of the 'fan' mail he got.

Allow me a sour note: the editing is sloppy. Strip #5 on page 15 appears again on page 16. The lower four strips on page 149 are out of order: they should go #6, #3, #5, #4. Good grief! Confused order on page 168 threatens to ruin the story line. #5 on page 168 belongs on page 170. Line 4 on page 171 appears again on page 236 (not that I minded seeing it again, but it means one less strip for us to enjoy.)

You may think I've got too much time on my hands, to go through a comic collection so carefully, but come on! This *is* Peanuts, after all! What could matter more?

Wonderful compilation for the casual Peanuts reader
When first printed in 1999, this book offered the best retrospective on Schulz' Peanuts. It's still a wonderful book, which I own. If you're a casual fan of the strip, and don't mind if you haven't read all the panels, then you'll love this compilation. It serves as a perfect introduction to Schulz' comic.

If you're a rabid, hardcore Peanuts fan like me, however, you might consider purchasing the complete Peanuts collection, which is available through Fantagraphics. (The first edition, printed in May, 2004, contains the first two years of Peanuts from 1950-1952. Several more volumes will volume over the next decade.) I've reviewed the first volume of that set, and plan on purchasing the others.

The "Golden Celebration" should still be in every "Peanuts" collector's library and is the best edited compilation I've seen on Peanuts.

A Great Sampling of 50 years worth of Cartoon Genius
If you are a Peanuts fanatic, you already have this book. If you like the strip, and would like to have a comprehensive overview of the entire series, this book is perfect. It contains comic strips from 1950 to 1999, in chronological order. Of course, this is just a sampling, another company is releasing all the strips in order starting in April.
The book also contains a short biography of Schulz, a section on the TV shows and movies, & peanuts collectibles. If you have the 25th or 40th anniversary books, you've seen much of this information. Out of all the anniversary books, THIS one contains the most strips. ALSO, it contains brief commentary by Schulz in a sidebar for special strips (first appearance of a character, first football gag, etc.)
Highly recommended for vigorous or casual fans.

Good . . . but not great
Any "Peanuts" book is (for me, anyway) great, especially since there are a lot of strips I still haven't read, and this collection seemed good to begin with - but I don't think this is the best book on the market. It's like a greatest hits double-CD with new liner notes, remastered, and missing all the lesser hits and major album tracks which are your favorites.(And it's a little pricey - where I am, it's almost AU$100!)

The drawbacks are, as others have noted, the editing is somewhat shoddy, some story arcs aren't completed, other really good story arcs aren't in here at all, a lot of the strips are in available books already (or at least those Fawcett paperbacks usually in libraries), and a lot of the commentary by Schulz is drawn from the 1985 book "You Don't Look 35, Charlie Brown!" (I wish that was in print.) - only the notes pertaining to 1990s strips are new. And the discussions of the TV specials, the musical, the movies are rather short - 2 pages for the 1999 version of the musical, and 2 for the movies _and_ the TV specials, when we're dealing with "It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown" and "Snoopy Come Home"!(Or rather, should be; neither are mentioned. Another out-of-print book, "Happy Birthday, Charlie Brown" [1979] goes into greater depth on a lot of TV specials, and the movies, and the making of "Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown" [unreleased at that time], but is of course a little out of date [but still great].) Just a list of all the TV shows would have been nice - it's hard to keep track of all the "lesser" ones made in the mid-late 1980s/early 1990s - but evidently, that's too much to ask.

Still, all the strips _are_ wonderful to read.

It just, as a whole, doesn't quite reach the heights of 5-stardom - or, more appropriately, it isn't gold; perhaps bronze. ... Read more

Book Description

The most eagerly-awaited publishing project in comic strip history.50 years of art. 25 books. Over 7500 pages of comics. Two books per year for 12 ¼ years. Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the most exciting and ambitious publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's classic, Peanuts.The most popular comic strip in the history of the world will be, for the first time, collected in its entirety, beginning in 2004. Fantagraphics will launch The Complete Peanuts in a series produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.Peanuts is a towering achievement in the history of the American comic strip and represents the apex of Fantagraphics' 27-year publishing history; the strip will be presented in a beautifully designed format that reflects the integrity of the work itself.

Each volume in the series will run approximately 320 pages in a 8 ¾" x 7" hardcover format, presenting two years of strips along with supplementary material. The series will present the entire run in chronological order, including dailies and Sundays, in a three-tier page format that will accommodate three dailies or one Sunday strip per page. The Sundays will be printed in black-and-white.

Acclaimed cartoonist Seth, author of the award-winning graphic novel It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken, and a lifelong Peanuts fan, will be designing the entire 25-volume series, which will emphasize the sophistication of Schulz's work by creating a package that is both austere and direct, reflecting the quiet and melancholy of the strip.

Seth's cover design will feature areas of muted color, with a different main character on each front cover (reflecting the ensemble cast), and a smaller Charlie Brown (reflecting who is, after all, the star of the strip) in the corner. The result will be a tasteful and completely distinctive series, where each individual book will be sharply recognizable and yet clearly part of a consistent series.

Unlike older strips, where publishers have often been forced to shoot the work from decades-old newsprint of variable quality, Peanuts is fortunate enough to boast archival-quality syndicate proofs for virtually every strip in its history. The result will be the best-looking, crispest reproduction for a classic comic strip ever achieved.

This first volume, covering the first two and a quarter years of the strip (October 1950 through December 1952), will be of particular fascination to Peanuts aficionados worldwide: Although there have been literally hundreds of Peanuts books published, many of the strips from the series' first two or three years have never been collected before—in large part because they showed a young Schulz working out the kinks in his new strip and include some characterizations and designs that are quite different from the cast we're all familiar with. (Among other things, three major cast members—Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus—initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!) Thus The Complete Peanuts offers a unique chance to see a master of the artform refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day, week by week, month by month.

Peanuts is the most successful comic strip in the history of the medium as well as one of the most acclaimed strips ever published. (In 1999, a jury of comics scholars and critics voted it the 2nd greatest comic strip of the 20th century—second only to George Herriman's Krazy Kat, a verdict Schulz himself cheerfully endorsed.) Charles Schulz's characters—Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and so many more—have become American icons. A United Media poll in 2002 found Peanuts to be one of the most recognizable cartoon properties in the world, recognized by 94 percent of the total U.S. consumer market and a close second only to Mickey Mouse (96 percent), and higher than other familiar cartoon properties like Spider-Man (75 percent) or the Simpsons (87 percent). In TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-Time" list, Charlie Brown and Snoopy ranked #8. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

You were a great man, Sparky Schulz
What can one even say about what's probably the best/most influential comic strip ever to hit newspapers? Peanuts was long overdue for this sort of treatment, and I'm glad that it was done in such a wonderful fashion. Yes, the Sundays aren't in color and the reprints of the dailies are smallish, but these are just minor quibbles. Having all of the comics he did from 1950 to 1952 in one book is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Now, to be honest, Peanuts wouldn't really become the Peanuts we know and love today until about the mid-1950s (or in other words, the next book or two), so what's on display here is Schulz trying to get the feel of the strip, and it's really fascinating to see the strip's evolution even through the course of the book. Not his best? Yes, but that hardly matters as Peanuts at its worst can still be lightyears ahead of many strips at their best.

The bonuses definitely take things to another level. Keillor's introduction is nice, but the real points of interest are David Michaelis' excellent biographical essay on Schulz (which is a real eye-opener to many who've grown up on Peanuts like myself) and an interview Charles Schulz gave in the late 1980s which provides a ton of insight into his personal character.

All in all, despite some of the presentation of the strips mentioned above, this book is a must-own, and I eagerly await the rest of the volumes in the series.

Bravo! Excellent Job!
After years of only being able to find Peanuts strips in seemingly random and incomplete anthologies, "The Complete Peanuts" project is finally giving the work of Charles Schulz the respect it deserves.

By publishing all the Peanuts strips in their entirety and in chronological order, this Fantagraphics project is for the first time treating the Peanuts comics not as a mere collection of individual strips but as a unified whole: as a complete work in itself.

Despite having read many other Peanuts collections, a vast majority of the strips in "1950-1952" were new to me. It's fascinating to see the beginnings of a strip that would become so popular and influential. The look of the characters is much different from their later incarnations, but the gentle wit and philosophical insight that characterized the entire Peanuts series are definitely in evidence.

The extra features such as the index and Charles Schulz profile and interview were pleasant surprises and a nice touch. It is clear that for the people who put this together it was a labor of love. If future volumes are of this quality, the series will be a treasure. I'm excitedly awaiting the next volume, covering 1953-1954.

Two minor criticisms: I must concur with an earlier reviewer who expressed concerns about the long-term durability of the binding... but I guess only time will tell how well it'll hold up. Also, as has been pointed out, the Sunday comics are in black and white. I don't know if they were originally printed in color at this early date, but if so, reproducing them in color in this volume would have been a nice touch and I certainly would have been willing to pay extra for this. That having been said, however, these issues do not seriously detract from the overall enjoyment of this well-done first volume. I do not hesitate in giving The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 a solid 5-star rating.

Magnificent
My grandmother is (still) a great collector of all things Snoopy. Back in the 70's, when I used to visit my grandmother's house, I remember spending a lot of time reading some of those early collections of Peanuts cartoon strips. They are one of the many great memories of my youth. Now, we have a collection of the very first Peanuts strips. Magnificent!

How many of us still remember the beginning? So many things would grow and change. Violet and Patty (not Peppermint Patty) were Charlie Brown's "girlfriends" whom he could torment as much as he was tormented by them. Violet was actually the first to pull the football away from Charlie Brown. Snoopy was still a dog with no words. Schroeder is very prominent as a child prodigy with his love of piano and growing love of Beethoven. Charlie Brown is the catcher for the baseball team. Lucy & Linus make there first appearances. And so much more. Still, we can see this wonderful world taking shape and we can see how it will become to be this most beloved of comics.

This volume also contains a nice introduction by Garrison Keillor and concludes with an interesting interview of Charles Schultz, enlightening us to some of his own feelings about his strip and what has become of the world of comics.

As the first of a projected twenty-five volumes collecting all the Peanuts strips to be released every six months for the next twelve years, all I can say is I can't wait for volume 2.

Throw Away Those Dusty Paperbacks!
Finally, a way to enjoy Peanuts without going through all those dusty (and falling apart) paperbacks from years ago. A very well-presented collection, with quite a few of the panels never before in print.

For those unfamiliar with early Peanuts, it may seem a bit simplistic, but trust me, this is just the warm-up for the best of the strip in the 60s and 70s.

My only complaint: why is it taking the publishing company ten years (!) to get the entire strip into print??

YES PEANUTS WAS FUNNY
Yes every time has a best comic and Peanuts was IT for a long time. The last few years were rather painful for fans but still on occasion funny. You could never count Shultz totally out. You always had to read Peanuts just in case. [ You are not going to believe this but Garfield was once great too. Then came Bloom County and now there are many good ones but Dilbert is now without question IT. ] I am glad they are rereleasing the early stuff so now maybe my friends will stop saying how LAME Peanuts is. ... Read more

Book Description

Essentially, this is the best of the best 50 years of Peanuts, the comic strip by the late Charles Schulz featuring Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and the rest of the beguiling little gang. Peanuts debuted in 1950 and became a global phenomenon, with book collections selling more than 300 million copies in 26 languages and television specials rerun year after year. To create this all-new Peanuts Guide to Life we've combed through decades of comic strips to find those single panels which contain such pithy observations as "Babysitters are like used cars. You never know what you're going to get," and bits of wisdom like "Never lick ice cream off a hot sidewalk." Each droll, stand-alone "speech bubble" or punchline appears with cartoon art. The panels are organized into short chapters, such as "Love" and "Life's Little Quirks." For the millions of faithful Peanuts fans, this is a collection of "greatest hits" to cherish and enjoy again and again. ... Read more

Book Description

The New York Times best-selling series continues!

The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two a year for twelve years. Each volume is designed by the award-winning cartoonist Seth (It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and features impeccable production values; every single strip from Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic is reproduced better than ever before. ... Read more

Book Description

The New York Times best-selling series continues!

The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two a year for twelve years. Each volume is designed by the award-winning cartoonist Seth (It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and features impeccable production values; every single strip from Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic is reproduced better than ever before. ... Read more

Book Description

The second volume in the most eagerly-anticipated publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic, Peanuts.

Our second volume begins with Peanuts' third full year and a cast of eight: Charlie Brown, Shermy, Patty, Violet, Schroeder, Lucy, the recently born Linus, and Snoopy. By the end of 1954, this will have expanded to nine. Linus still doesn't speak (except, on a few occasions, to himself, à la Snoopy), but Schulz begins laying the foundation for his emergence as the most complex and arguably most endearing character in the strip: garrulous and inquisitive, yet gentle and tolerant. And he evens acquires his "security blanket" in this volume!

Meanwhile, Lucy, an infant just a year ago, has forcefully elbowed herself to the front of the cast, proudly wearing her banner as a troublemaker or, in Schulz's memorable phrase, "fuss-budget." The strong, specific relationships she sets up with each character further contributes to making her central to the strip. (She has earned her cover status on this volume.)

Charlie Brown is clearly in transition. Although his eventual, best-known persona (the lovable, perpetually humiliated round-headed loser) is in evidence in many strips, his brasher, more prankish side as seen in the previous volume (foreshadowing Bill Watterson's future Calvin) shows up, too.

This period's significant new character is Pig-Pen, who would remain one of the main cast members throughout the decade. And then there's Snoopy. To readers unfamiliar with the early days of the strip, Snoopy's appearances here will no doubt come as the biggest surprise. Although Snoopy has started talking/thinking to himself, he does no imitations (except for one brief shark impression), he doesn't sleep atop his doghouse (much less type or fly a Sopwith Camel), and has no fantasy life—in fact, he doesn't even walk upright! But as we know, he is merely biding his time, and his evolution continues its fascinating course within these pages.

This book collects 730 daily and Sunday comic strips, the vast majority of which are not currently available in any in-print Peanuts collection, and over 400 (well over half) of which have never been reprinted since their initial appearance in papers over 50 years ago. The Complete Peanuts is produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz. Each volume in the series presents two years of strips along with supplementary material in a three-tier page format that accommodates three dailies or one Sunday strip per page. Award-winning graphic novelist Seth is designing the series so that each individual book is sharply recognizable and yet clearly part of a consistent series. Using archival-quality syndicate proofs for virtually every strip in its history, the series boasts the best-looking, crispest reproduction for a classic comic strip ever achieved. The volume's introduction is by revered news journalist Walter Cronkite.

Peanuts is the most successful comic strip in the history of the medium as well as one of the most acclaimed strips ever published. Charles Schulz's characters have become American icons. A Charlie Brown Christmas is as much an annual holiday ritual for families as It's A Wonderful Life. A United Media poll in 2002 found Peanuts to be one of the most recognizable cartoon properties in the world, recognized by 94 percent of the total US consumer market and a close second only to Mickey Mouse (96 percent), and higher than other familiar cartoon properties like Spider-Man (75 percent) or the Simpsons (87 percent). In TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-Time" list, Charlie Brown and Snoopy ranked #8. ... Read more

Book Description

"Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy . . .how can I ever forget them. . . ." -- CHARLES SCHULZ

How could any of us ever forget them? For fifty years, Charles Schulz and the whole Peanuts gang have delighted millions of readers around the world.Now, in celebration of the artist who quickly became a national treasure, this special anniversary volume brings together for the first time in book form the last year of the Peanuts comic strip. With Peanuts 2000, there's no need to say goodbye to old friends. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A Must for any 'Peanuts' Fan and a True Work of Art
I have loved Peanuts since childhood, and have an almost complete collection of Peanuts books. Charles Schultz has always been an inspiration to me in my work as an occasional professional cartoonist. Not only is Schultz unsurpassed as an artist, he is also one of the great philosophers of twentieth century life in America.
This book is, first and foremost, a celebration of the comic strip. It is a work of art in its own right. All the cartoons in the book are photographed from either their original drawings, or directly from the newspapers. The reader can see the artistic details that Schultz has used in creating each frame in photos of the originals. And the use of the original strips, with their rough paper and newsprint lines, brings back the joy of reading the comics for the first time in the funnies. The Sunday comics are complete with the little color dots that created the color images. There are literally hundreds of comic strips, both daily and Sunday, in this book, and they give a good overview of Schultz's long career.
There are many photos of Schultz's doodles and rough sketches, of his desk and his artist's tools, early cartoons 'Sparky' sold to the Saturday Evening Post, early drawings of certain characters, some of which pre-date 'Peanuts' itself. One can actually see the characters develop, artistically and as human beings. Interspersed with the cartoons are textual explanations and stories about Schultz and his characters, including many insightful comments by Charles Schultz himself about the evolution and personalities of his characters. Also included are photos of early Peanuts toys and dolls, and even these are photographed lovingly and with attention to detail and shadow.
This is a magical book, and any Peanuts fan would love it and treasure it. It is a book one can return to over and over to enjoy. Leave it lying around the living room where everybody can enjoy it and relive the joy Charles Schultz and the Peanuts gang gave us for over fifty years. Better yet, introduce a new generation of kids to the strip. The Peanuts gang is a microcosm of us, and reading it reveals much about ourselves and helps us to look on life with tenderness and humor.
Buy this book, read it, and share it. It would make a wonderful present as well. It is the best Peanuts book to date.

"How can I ever forget them?"
These were the final words in Peanuts comics delivered by the late Charles Schulz. To answer the question, you can never forget Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and Snoopy.

I remember the last "new" comic strip came out 13 February, the day after he died. Thanks, Sparky, for all the memories and the inspiration (I work on my own cartoon strip).

These cartoons were originally published early 1999 through February, 2000 in the newspapers. Charlie Brown has a date for a dance (something that rarely happened). Rerun holds the football for Charlie Brown (he got more and more parts in the cartoon strip in the final years). Charlie Brown pays tribute to the ever scowling Joe Torre! Cartoonist Day is remembered (5 May). Snoopy writes more novels and plays golf with the musical notes from Schroder's piano. "Wolves are making a comeback," as Sally philosophises. There's also a tribute to painter Andrew Wyeth and Valley Forge, as acted out by Snoopy. Snoopy Claws can be seen downtown around Christmas.

Also, Charlie Brown hits a grand slam, Linus kicks the habit once and for all and gives his blanket to Snoopy, Peppermint Patty gets straight A's, the Great Pumpkin comes as promised and Schroeder finally admits he's got a crush on Lucy! Don't hold your breath on the last 5, folks! I was just seeing if you were paying attention!

However, this book is poignant since these were the final strips of Peanuts. Charles Schulz must have known the days of the Peanuts cartoon were numbered when he let Rerun hold the football! If you're a Peanuts fan, you'll enjoy this book!

A great tribute to one of my favorite comic strips
Since I can remember, I was always fascinated by the Peanuts comic strip. I would watch and tape all the TV sepcials I could find, and check out all the books from the elementary school library (the shelving code was 741.5 Sch), even decorate my bedroon door with drawings of Good Ol' Charlie Brown. Sadly, Charles Schulz passed away a week after I turned 20, and it was sad that morning to read the final Sunday strip and find that their creator had died just hours before. In this chronicle, from 1-1-99 up to 2-13-00, we see the escapades of all the characters. Most notable was the direction that Schulz was taking with Linus and Lucy's little brother Rerun. If you read these strips, you can see the potential for development of Rerun that would have come. And like many, there was the question if Charlie Brown would ever kick the football, and much more. However, the fact that Schulz never revealed this, gives our imagination a chance to speculate. Some notable articles include Charlie Brown attending a dance class with a little girl named Emily, that Schulz introduced about 2-4 years ago. There is even a funny little weekday strip where Sally tries to write to Harry Potter. There are plenty of other intersting topics the gang covers, but I won't go into detail here. Believe me, this is a great way to relax: kick back and read Peanuts 2000.

Yet another classic by Schultz
Charles Schultz knew how to entertain his audience. No matter how many times I read this book I always get many laughs.

-You're a good man, Charles Schultz!

Peanuts 2000
Make sure you get the edition that has the final farewell Peanuts comic strip dated 2-13-2000.
This book is a gem...my copy still say First Edition Sept.2000.
My edition has 9 blank pages at the end, but more importantly, it has ALL the daily and Sunday comics for 1999. The daily comics ended on 1/1/00;
The Sunday comics continued for 1/2/00, 1/9/00, 1/16/00, 1/23/00, 1/30/00, 2/6/00, and finally 2/13/00.
All the comics are in COLOR INCLUDING the daily strips. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Great Snoopy Book Review
"Being A Dog Is A Full-Time Job", strips from 1989, was very funny! Join the Peanuts characters on tons of new zany adventures! For, example we met another one of Snoopy's brothers Olaf!!! Lucy enters him in an "ugly dog" contest(Isn't that just like her?). Peppermint Patty goes to summer school!! She's so mad Marcie and Charlie Brown go to camp, she sneaks away to camp!!And plus, an "old friend" of Charlie Brown's calls and wants to meet him at the mall!! Could this girl have really been an "old friend"??!! To reveal more in this delightful book would be crazy!! It's funny, because I was born in 1989!! Have fun with this one!

Dogs are Worth It... Most of the Time
This comic strips from 1993 are in my opinion... really funny! For an example of some strips, Peppermint Patty always taunts Charlie Brown to ask him if he loves her! Another year of Peanuts!

its not 5 stars!!!!!! its 50000000000000000000000 stars!!!
this book is the best book simply because charles shultz wrote it

Dog-gone funny! This reviewer gives it Five Bones!
Being a dog is a full-time job, indeed...as Snoopy's wacky antics will certainly convince you. Snoopy pulls various pranks on the adorable Peanuts children that will have you laughing until your eyes bleed! Laugh as Schroeder repels Lucy's wanton advances, and Peppermint Patty plays both sides of the ball! Fun for the entire family, even distant cousins!

SUPER!!!!!
It was exellecent. I loved it. A great all time favorite ... Read more

Book Description

Charles M. Schulz's beloved comic strip is brought to life in this lavish pop-up edition featuring scenes from more than fifty years of comic strips, including: Charlie Brown on the Football Field, Lucy's Psychiatrist Stand, and Schroeder at the Piano, rendered in spectacular three-dimensional paper engineering by Bruce Foster. This unforgettable tribute to Snoopy and the Gang also includes reproductions of the original comic strip each scene is based on. The only book off its kind, Peanuts: A Pop-Up Celebration will be treasured by fans and collectors alike for years to come. ... Read more

Book Description

Good Grief!

A whole year of Peanuts gang! Now, That's Profound, Charlie Brown. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

4 1/2 Oh, Gilligan! A WHOLE YEAR OF PEANUTS!!
Here it is, a book which contains all of the Peanuts cartoons created in the year 1991. Some jokes come out flat, but most get smiles, chuckles, or even out-loud laughter for their creativity, orignality..and a good punchline always helps.

Sure, computer-generated strips are the new thing, but you can't really mess with the strip that changed comics...

Good times had by all
If you know anything about the Peanuts Gang, you cannot help but lve them. In this collection Schulz, has outdone himself again. Anyone seeking a good laugh or a smile brought to a cloudy day should take a look at this.

That really is profound
This is a most charming collection of the antics of the round-headed kid we all love. With comics from a year's worth of newspapers, including the Sundays, you'll have enough to read to keep you entertained, over and over again. Not only are the Peanuts Gang funny, but inspiring, touching, sad, and as the title indicates, sometimes even profound. With Linus' wise advice, Lucy's sassy attitude, and Snoopy's admirable imagination, Charles Shulz' creations give us insight to the most enigmatical yet simplest part of our lives: our childhoods. Read the comics once and laugh, but read them again, look into the words more, and see the other emotions buried underneath. Charles Shulz was truly a genius, and the world will miss him.

almost everyone is like Charlie Brown!
I could not put this book down. A whole year of this comic is so funny. i know that i can relate to everyone of the penuts gang.

I couldn't put it down! Good grief!
I enjoyed this so much that I read it in one sitting. I never realized how much more enyoyable the Peanuts strips would be when you read them one after another, rather than one-a-day! ... Read more

Book Description

This beautiful album will dazzle fans of Charles M. Schulz and his art, providing an unprecedented look at the work of the most brilliant and beloved cartoonist of the twentieth century. Here is the whole gang–Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, and all the others from the original Peanuts strips.

More than five hundred comic strips are reproduced, as well as such rare or never-before-seen items as a sketchbook from Schulz's army days in the early 1940s; his very first printed strip, Just Keep Laughing; his private scrapbook of pre-Peanuts Li'l Folks strips; developmental sketches for the first versions of Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts characters; a sketchbook from 1963; and many more materials gathered from the Schulz archives in Santa Rosa, California.

The art has been stunningly photographed by Geoff Spear in full color, capturing the subtle textures of paper, ink, and line. The strips–which were shot only from the original art or vintage newsprint–reveal how, from the 1950s through 2000, Schulz's style and the Peanuts world evolved. The book features an introduction by Jean Schulz and has been designed and edited by renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd, who also provides an informed and appreciative commentary.

This celebration of the genius of the most revered cartoonist of our time is a must for anyone who has ever come under the spell of Peanuts.
... Read more

Reviews (37)

A Must for any 'Peanuts' Fan and a True Work of Art
I have loved Peanuts since childhood, and have an almost complete collection of Peanuts books. Charles Schultz has always been an inspiration to me in my work as an occasional professional cartoonist. Not only is Schultz unsurpassed as an artist, he is also one of the great philosophers of twentieth century life in America.
This book is, first and foremost, a celebration of the comic strip. It is a work of art in its own right. All the cartoons in the book are photographed from either their original drawings, or directly from the newspapers. The reader can see the artistic details that Schultz has used in creating each frame in photos of the originals. And the use of the original strips, with their rough paper and newsprint lines, brings back the joy of reading the comics for the first time in the funnies. The Sunday comics are complete with the little color dots that created the color images. There are literally hundreds of comic strips, both daily and Sunday, in this book, and they give a good overview of Schultz's long career.
There are many photos of Schultz's doodles and rough sketches, of his desk and his artist's tools, early cartoons 'Sparky' sold to the Saturday Evening Post, early drawings of certain characters, some of which pre-date 'Peanuts' itself. One can actually see the characters develop, artistically and as human beings. Interspersed with the cartoons are textual explanations and stories about Schultz and his characters, including many insightful comments by Charles Schultz himself about the evolution and personalities of his characters. Also included are photos of early Peanuts toys and dolls, and even these are photographed lovingly and with attention to detail and shadow.
This is a magical book, and any Peanuts fan would love it and treasure it. It is a book one can return to over and over to enjoy. Leave it lying around the living room where everybody can enjoy it and relive the joy Charles Schultz and the Peanuts gang gave us for over fifty years. Better yet, introduce a new generation of kids to the strip. The Peanuts gang is a microcosm of us, and reading it reveals much about ourselves and helps us to look on life with tenderness and humor.
Buy this book, read it, and share it. It would make a wonderful present as well. It is the best Peanuts book to date.

Peanuts Masterpiece
Now, _this_ is the best collection you can get! Going through vast archives - including Charles M. Schulz's collection of _original_ strips, and newspaper clippings of the 1950s and beyond, as well as comic books of the 1960s, memorabilia like board games, records, bobbing-head toys (made by the Lego company before they made Lego!), and more, this is truly superb. And, the strips are presented in a unique form - instead of just reprints, we see photographs - detailed, high-quality, crystal clear photographs - of the originals, providing us with a massive increase in clarity - plus, with the newspaper clippings, we see those old dot-colored versions of the Sunday strips, and rarities - like what a strip looked like before Schulz adjusted the art for the published version, and a 1954 Sunday strip of Lucy and Charlie Brown at an ADULTS' golf tournament!! (The effect - that we only see them from about waist-down - is like how we saw Nanny in "Muppet Babies" -remember that?). We alo see Schulz' studio tools, left as they were after he finished the last strips in December 1999, and features like this - and the concluding pages - add a poignancy to the book. But it all works. There's no disappointments here!

A Beautiful and Moving Compilation
If you are or were a fan of good old Charlie Brown, I highly recommend this beautiful and moving compilation of Schulz's work. More than 500 strips are reproduced, from his last penstrokes to his pre-Peanuts work. There are also modest quotes from Schulz throughout, as well as some interesting photos of his working space. As I re-read some of the earlier strips, I could vividly recall reading them as a kid. Something indelible in the seemingly simple lines of Schulz's drawing.

Its interesting and somehow affecting to trace the development of the characters, to see Lucy as an innocent baby, and then follow her into domineering fussbudgetness. And Charlie Brown grew as well, losing some of his original pumkinheadedness over the years, but also losing some of his spunk and mischievious sense of humor. You can get the sense of the strip maturing, as in the earlier strips the characters were innocent, even in their anxieties, where later they became more knowing and resigned to their lot in life. Even though the strip changed over time, it had a timeless quality. There is evidence of a world outside of Schulz's palette, as in his few strips dealing with Viet Nam. But as with his drafting p.o.v., social issues are drawn from a child's perspective, a son's anxiety over his dad's absence, the fear of being sent off to somewhere strange in the future. There is no grand moralizing or strident argument, only a small, worried child.

50 years at the board, a worthy and dignified labor of love.

Sheer genius
Charles Schulz. In one word...genius. It may be safe to say that I learned much about life from Peanuts. At the very least, I was able to see the humor in it. It's definitely safe to say that Charles Schulz is my all-time hero for one reason: an ordinary man through a simple medium was able to affect so many people by making them aware of what it means to live and what it means to be human. This is the obvious reason why Schulz's work transcends what we perceive to be unbreakable boundaries -- race, class, and language. Reaching 355 million readers worldwide is a breathtaking, if not, unbelievable accomplishment.

This book (the expanded edition in paperback) is well worth the buy. I bought the original hardcover copy, but the expanded edition includes a few more gems from the Schulz family vaults and the asking price is, of course, more incentive to lay your money down. While this is not a collection of comic strips proper, that is, strictly page after page of strips for the collector, it provides a most fascinating glimpse to the early days of the strip and the development of characters with whom we identify and whom we adore. Granted, there was a lot to put in this book. so many of the early strips are reduced in size and "horded" onto a single page, but it's worth the sacrifice to "squint" and take a peek at them. Many of these have not been reproduced and have not been seen in years.

The book is a unique glimpse into the work of a man who simply wanted to be remembered for creating great cartoons and pleasing people. It's nice to know that whenever life "get rough", we can retreat to Peanuts and laugh at ourselves. If you love Peanuts or want to pass on Schulz's legacy to others who are interested, buy this book, even though it's not a comprehensive collection or laid out the way a normal collection of strips would be. Consider this book a enjoyable "warm-up" for a major event -- the release of the ENTIRE Peanuts collection, complete and in chronological order starting April, 2004, from Fantagraphics Books. Pay them a visit on the web or search Amazon for The Complete Peanuts for more information. This is Peanuts lover's dream come true.

This is not really for comics fans...
I bought this because there is currently no other collection of Schulz's earliest Peanuts strips being published. I certainly like the book for what it is - an art book. The wealth of material inside is fantastic, and the book focuses on the strip in a holistic way, examining its influence on pop culture as well as presenting a good overview of the actual strip. However, and this is extremely crucial, this is NOT a book to buy if one wants a good collection of older Peanuts material to read and reread. Most of the strips are just photos of old newspaper clippings (I'm not quite sure what they were going for there) and hundreds of them are reprinted so small that they hurt your eyes. Also, there is virtually no continuity among the reprints. They just seem to be a random collection of the book's creator's favorites. If you are a serious fan of comics and a serious fan of Peanuts in particular, save your money for the Fantagraphics-published Peanuts albums that are coming out in April, 2004. I'm keeping this book until they do come out, and then I'm giving it to someone who's an art student with better eyesight than me (who might appreciate it a little more). ... Read more

Book Description

Didn't I tell you so, you blockhead!

A whole new collection of Peanuts daily strips appearing in book form for the first time! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A neat collection
This book is great. It shows most of the Peanuts strips for the year of 1992. It has some awesome strips, like the one where it shows Marcie without her glasses, something I had never seen before(her eyes look just like everybody else's). The only complaint that I have is that it doesn't show most of the Sunday strips in the year. But other than that, this book is a great collection for any Peanuts fan!

Not Your Average Blockhead
Another great collection of Peanuts strips. A single year's worth in a single volume. Hundreds of laughs that will tug your heart. ... Read more

Book Description

It’s elementary, Charlie Brown!

For Charlie Brown and friends it’s time to get on the bus and head back to school.
Sure, teachers can be hard to understand . . . but don’t worry, you have the whole
Peanuts gang to help you along. There’s Charlie Brown carrying his trusty apple,
Sally volunteering to bang erasers (with Linus, of course), Peppermint Patty sleeping
in the back of the classroom, and Lucy, as usual, having all the answers. Maybe the
most important lesson you’ll learn from this delightful new collection is the
importance of good friends! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not as good as it could have been. . .
A rather disappointing collection of strips, I'm afraid, the chief problem being that many of the strips are taken from longer sequences of strips, but without the rest of the story! Thus, for example, we see Lucy telling Linus that a study of him and his blanket will be her school science project; but where's the rest of the story?

Considering how much space is left empty on each page--half or more of each page instead is filled with lines to simulate notebook paper, and faces of Peanuts characters peeking out--it seems to me there is no reason this could not have been a much fuller collection.

Classroom Peanuts, a hardcover collection of school related Peanuts strips, did the job much better.

A Must-Have for the Peanuts Collector!!
This is another great collection of Peanuts strips from Ballantine. If you like the other Peanuts books by Ballantine, you will like this one. All of the strips pertain to, of course, school. The strips are in black and white (even Sunday strips), but there are color pictures of the Peanuts characters peeking out from the pages along with some colored backgrounds and even ruled backgrounds to look like notebook paper. Great book!! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I was warned by a bad review..
I was warned by a bad review of this book, and bought it anyway because I liked the Gospel According to Peanuts by the same author.

Short has become an apostate. This book amoung other things claims that satan doesn't really exist, and is just another side of the almighty God.

I assure you satan does exist, and is going to be shortly bound a thousand years. This isn't a Christian book.

Which is too bad, because it takes away from Charles Shultz own Christian cartoons, and in particular the much beloved Christmas special, A Peanuts Christmas.

I suggest getting that video, and ignoring this book.

Short fails to abide by his own advice.
I had to read it to believe [the] review since I too read "The Gospel According to Peanuts" by Robert Short and found the same results when comparing these two books by Short. It's an ironic joke how Short emphasizes the importance of knowing the bible while he doesn't notice his own failure at knowing enough to write accurately upon Christian doctrine. For example, Short is correct about his explanation how man really doesn't have the free will to choose God since God is sovereign and elects whom He predestines. The problem comes when Short claims there is no future Judgment Day and no future hell. My question for him to answer is, "What has God saved His children from if it isn't eternal damnation?" Another confusion Short doesn't realize he creates through this book comes from the false doctrine of Jesus having died for each and every person who ever is/was conceived and using that as his explanation for why there will be no person to be punished by God's wrath for sin. He failed to point out how the context of how the word "all" is meant in the verses he focuses on. The sense of all as to eliminating the exclusion of certain groups of people compared to the meaning of each and every individual is an immensely vital concept to reveal for understanding the true humility behind, "Therefore but by the grace of God go I into heaven while others do NOT receive His gift of mercy." The fact is most people don't think they need mercy because they think there is nothing to fear from God and again this book doesn't help to bring someone to realize their need to drop to their knees in repentance begging for it before it is too late. True love warns others of imminent danger while the selfish person only seeks to be popular by talking about only things which are pleasing to hear and will make the speaker popular. The Old Testament contains plenty of examples of prophets rejected or accepted by people. Learn the lesson of what human nature tends to want to hear and then compare it against what God has to say. If only Short used his own advice on childlike faith to write this book rather than expressing childish faith in what he is teaching.

With Scholarly Notes
Theologians don't usually get enough credit for showing all they know. In the case of Robert L. Short, this book, on THE BIBLE and Peanuts, may be expected to generate comments on religious doctrines, like my own tendency to suggest that it suffers from single savior syndrome, as churches tend to do. This can go on until the Hegelian cows come home, but the fundamental matter actually gets discussed in Chapter 9 of this book, on "the experience of a broken heart." (p. 38) The kind of sense which Short is trying to make comes out as an inner dialectic on precisely this point. "Indeed, it's the purifying and purging and hellish fires within the broken heart that boil down the Bible's message into what is most essential and necessary for us to understand for our heart's peace." (p. 41) For my own good, it is nice to know that a comic strip in which Lucy van Pelt offers flawless advice for 5 cents, with "THE DOCTOR IS IN" showing on the front of her neighborhood shrink booth in five of the panels of that strip, can be seen on page 45 of this book, and helps make psychiatric care a contender for those who need some support in order to seem more respectable, even if her final comment is "BACK ALREADY? WHAT HAPPENED?" The effort to deal with profound matters in the tensions of our times shows up best for me in the Notes on pages 141-2. Note 11 shows that his quote of Oscar Wilde was from the poem, "The Ballad of Reading Goal," not a matter to be taken lightly.

Excellent/warm and thoughtful as well as informative
This book uses the Peanuts characters to illustrate important points....that we all do get confused with. He not only helps us see things clearly....but shows us God's Love as well. This is not about hell.....but about human error and learning to love one another. People should not take every book so seriously...why not enjoy the book and learn from it....EXCELLENT

Don't look for Christian teaching here
The content of this book shocked me: It seems Mr. Short has some revisionist views about salvation that may come as a surprise to God (well...of course not. Nothing surprises God.) According to Short, (and presumably, Charlie Brown), the Bible says we are all to be saved by Jesus, regardless of our actions or beliefs on this earth. If we were not, it would be a contradiction - why would God care enough to send His Son unless it was for everyone, no matter what? Short says God already knows who's going to Heaven and who isn't, which in turn invalidates free will. (He illustrates this by saying he has free will to choose any flavor ice cream when he goes out for dessert. He always chooses chocolate, which is presumably his "choice", except he didn't choose to like chocolate to begin with. Therefore, our so-called free will is already predetermined by God.) Short deals with the sticky problem of Hell by re-defining it as "a life without God on earth." Once we die, we're all saved, no matter what. This is clearly false teaching! How many people will buy this book, assuming the teaching is sound? We're reminded once again that the only absolute source for God's Word is...His Word. ... Read more

Book Description

When Charlie Brown reminds the gang it's Mother's Day, everyone begins searching for special ways to celebrate their moms. Snoopy types his mom a letter, Woodstock picks his mom a flower, and Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie shop for cards. But what will Charlie Brown do? Join the Peanuts gang this Mother's Day and find out! ... Read more

Book Description

Will the Great Pumpkin ever visit the Peanuts gang? Once again, Linus holds out hope that his Halloween hero will choose his pumpkin patch to visit. Lucy, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and even Sally think he's wasting his time. But when Peppermint Patty hears that the Great Pumpkin brings presents to children -- and possibly even new baseball gloves -- the Halloween hilarity begins! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

You must get this book!
This wonderful collection of Peanuts cartoons was originally published in 1961. It is a collection of four-panel strips that were originally published between 1958 and 1961. Because of the date, Rerun isn't here, but just about all of the other Peanuts stars are - Lucy, Violet, Schroeder, and even baby Sally.

As with all of the Peanuts books, this one is absolutely great; a surefire hit with your young ones, and you young-at-hearts. One of the greatest gags running through the book is the war between Linus and Snoopy, where Snoopy's attempts to steal Linus's blanket always leads to hilarity. And, speaking of hilarity, you simply must see Snoopy putting a boxing glove on his nose, and out boxing everyone in the Peanuts gang until he faces that most ornery of Peanuts - Lucy!

This is an absolutely wonderful book, one that that my children love, and that I do too. If you can get this book, then do so, because it's great!

Great content, cheap book
This small paperback reprint volume of vintage Peanuts Sunday strips is essential for the Peanuts fan but such a cheap reprint format does not do justice to the strips. The panels are reproduced on cheap, pulp-like paper much smaller than the original newspaper version and with very little spine margin. The strips, of course, are printed here in black-&-white. I'd had been willing to pay ... for a large-size softcover with decent paper and the strips in color. I'd been glad to pay [more money] for the thing in hardcover. Oh, well, it's worth having like it is for the strips themselves but I can remember when a paperback book of this size and production quality sold for 50 cents at the corner drug store. I'd give it 5 stars if the physical quality of the book were in keeping with its illustrious content.

Charles Schulz proves his mastery of the Sunday comic strip
Charles M. Schulz was such a master of the four panel daily comic strip that it takes a book like "Peanuts Every Sunday," to show us what he could do with the top half of the front page of the Sunday comics. These strips from 1958-1961, show Schulz's quick mastery of the form. Few of these Sunday strips have a minimum of 8 panels; there are more with 12 or 13 panels, which is certainly at the high end of the spectrum for what you would find in the Sunday comics (then or now). As with his daily strips, Schulz's strength is in telling a story over several strips: my favorite are three devoted to Linus discovering he can make it stop raining. There are a couple of other strips involving Linus and the rain as well, establishing something of a recurring motif for these strips. There are also a couple of strips devoted to the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown trying to fly a kite, Linus running away from home, Lucy listening to Schroeder play the piano, and the joys of snowball throwing. There are also several classic strips involving cloud watching and stargazing. Clearly the late 1950s and the entire 1960s were the heyday of Peanuts, as the strips within these pages clearly prove.

What Can Be More Delightful than the Laughter from PEANUTS?
Back when this was originally published, Peanuts comic books had books exclusively for Sunday cartoons since they took up an entire page. This book features some of the early Peanuts Sunday features from 1958 to 1961.

Snoopy would go through his charades- like a boxer with 1 glove on his nose! Sally was a new character here and just a baby. Linus wasn't yet old enough for school and demanded an education. Yet, he proves to have an impressive imagination as he sees images of the apostle Paul in the clouds. Pig Pen comes to Violet's birthday party just as sloppy as he always is- but at least his present is clean! Charlie Brown tries sleeping under the stars but gets scared when he hears a howling sound (Snoopy, of course!). Of course, he gets no respect as baseball manager and gets laughed at by all the kids. It's little wonder he gets irked when the radio announcer asks: "What can be more delightful than the sound of laughter from little children?"! Linus and Lucy both beg their dad to bring them little presents on the way home but Mr. Van Pelt is only taking his car out of the garage to be washed! Lucy asks Schroeder: "If Beethoven was so great, how come he didn't get to be king?". She also tries on one of Charlie Brown's crooked striped T-shirts for a laugh- but this time, the joke's on her! And most of the Peanuts gang is gathered together for the Christmas paegant. Linus forgets his lines, but Lucy knows the right cure!

You're a fanatic and you're losing your mind, Charlie Brown!
Remember when Snoopy was just a crazy dog? No tennis playing, no Second World War scenes... Remember the old gang? In those days, there were only Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, PigPen and those two little snakes, Patty and Violet. This 130 page collection of strips from 1958 to 1961 offers enough drama and laughing for several days!

For some reason, I find the old peanuts strips more interesting, touching, fun and heart breaking than the latest ones. And this book showed me why. Listen to the kids insult, criticize, philosophize and make sarcasms of each other. Look at the personal dispute of Snoopy against Linus's blanket, see Sally as a little baby and Charlie Brown's kite explode in the air (yes, explode :) This has to be the funniest and most complete collection of blanket-chasing and kite-flying episodes. Thank you, Sparky! ... Read more