Customer Reviews

Barnaby

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It is a crying shame that Barnaby is now out of print, except for the reprints in Comics Revue magazine. This is a book that deserves to be kept in print forever. Write to Dover, and urge them to reissue it.

Barnaby is Crockett Johnson's Harold from "Harold and the Purple Crayon" fame. He is very much like that more famous cartoon boy Calvin. But Barnaby has more than a stuffed tiger. He has friendships with his fairy godfather, a talking dog, a leprechaun and, oh yes, a ghost who "lives" in a near by vacant house.

Harold has a few other things that Calvin lacks. He has compassion and genuine concern for everyone he meets. He is a far kinder and more loving boy. I can't imagine why this book has been out of print for more than 50 years.

This isn't just one of the best comic strips of all time, it is one of the best books of all time. Do whatever you can to find a copy, and then treasure it for the rest of your life.

I was amazed to see, in Barnes & Noble (don't tell Amazon...), a cartoon boy by the name of Harold who looked an awful lot like Barnaby. When I saw that the name of the author of the Harold stories was Crockett Johnson, I had a feeling of being in a time warp. Both "Barnaby" and the equally delightful sequel "Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley" were purchased by my family in 1943-1944, three and two years before my birth. They tell of the adventures of Barnaby and his cigar-smoking imaginary fairy godfather, Jackeen J. O'Malley, in WWII suburban USA. O'Malley's cigar doubles as his magic wand, but he usually breaks it when he flies in through Barnaby's bedroom window and crashes to the floor. Offering a glimpse into wartime life (with blackouts, victory gardens, and scrap metal collection in support of the war effort), the stories are imaginative and funny, a far cry from the simplistic small-children's stories about Harold. I think I'm just going to re-read them now.

I recall reading this as a pre-teen, back in the late 1950's. I think it was one of the formative books I read, several times, as the characters were so believably odd/human/unusual...and the tone was so varied and so often "right:" humane, sardonic, silly, ironic...

Along with Walter Brooks' Freddy The Pig series, some now available in reprints, Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley is a text well worth buying used. The often near-$50 prices give you a sense of their understood value.

And please: why not a reprint?

I was amazed to see, in Barnes & Noble (don't tell Amazon...), a cartoon boy by the name of Harold who looked an awful lot like Barnaby. When I saw that the name of the author of the Harold stories was Crockett Johnson, I had a feeling of being in a time warp. Both "Barnaby" and the equally delightful sequel "Barnaby and Mr. O'Malley" were purchased by my family in 1943-1944, three and two years before my birth. They tell of the adventures of Barnaby and his cigar-smoking imaginary fairy godfather, Jackeen J. O'Malley, in WWII suburban USA. O'Malley's cigar doubles as his magic wand, but he usually breaks it when he flies in through Barnaby's bedroom window and crashes to the floor. Offering a glimpse into wartime life (with blackouts, victory gardens, and scrap metal collection in support of the war effort), the stories are imaginative and funny, a far cry from the simplistic small-children's stories about Harold. I think I'm just going to re-read them now.

I loved this book as a kid and recently remembered how much. I was glad I could find it so I can read it with my grandkids.

(Not a review of the item - I love the item)
This is a comment on my experience.
I was not pleased with the 1st vendor who offered the item and after I believed I had purchased it they informed me that they did not, in fact, have it.