The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury [Hardcover]

Bill Watterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1992

A Calvin and Hobbes "best of" collection features the hyper-imaginative six-year-old and his guardian tiger in their most memorable adventures, including cartoons from Revenge of the Baby-Sat and Scientific Progress Goes "Boink".

Editorial Reviews

Review

'good jokes and unusual twists.' SUNDAY TIMES 'The sad thing about this eagerly awaited annual is that I know that already one Jersey bookshop has sold out of it.' JERSEY EVENING POST --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Bill Watterson won the 1986 Reuben Award as Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year, nominated by the National Cartoonist's Society. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Andrews Mcmeel Pub (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0836217039
• ISBN-13: 978-0836217032
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Watterson is the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, one of the most popular and well-regarded cartoon strips of the twentieth century. Calvin and Hobbes appeared in newspapers from November 1985 until Watterson's retirement in 1996.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Calvin and Hobbes Ranking System---#1, May 26, 2004

By 

Big Erik (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indispensable Calvin And Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) (Paperback)

This treasury is far and away the best of the entire Calvin and Hobbes Collection. I own every book, and have recently reread them all, and without a doubt this is the very best. For one thing, it was written right in the middle of Watterson's C&H career, which means that the writing and ideas are still fresh, while super-improved drawings and Sunday strips have just begun. Second of all, Watterson must have been on a powerful creative streak, because there is an amazing number of stories within the "Indispensible" collection. There are three Rosalyn babysitter tales, the bug collection story, the bat project, two camping trips, G.R.O.S.S. adventures, the burglar break in, the car down the hill, multiple Stupendous Mans, multiple Spaceman Spiff getaways, the duplicator going "boink" and creating more Calvin's, a rare, great Tracer Bullet story, Calvin defying gravity and size, Calvin on the baseball team, and a time machine adventure to the dinosaur age. The sheer amount of stories here is unheard of for a C&H collection, and the best part is that almost every one is fantastic. Thirdly, the Sunday strips are in color, which is a huge plus. Fourthly, Calvin's parents have finally been rendered as three dimensional and sympathetic individuals, a characteristic that had been lacking in the earlier books. Last of all, as always, these comics are frequently hilarious, sometimes touching, and always entertaining. This collection personifies those characteristics to the nth degree, and is without a doubt the best Calvin and Hobbes for anyone to buy. If you're looking for other good C&H books, I would also recommend the Essential Collection (first two books, funny yet lacking in drawing), Snow Goons, Psycho Jungle Cat, Treasure Everwhere, and the 10th Anniversary. I hope this was helpful both for prospective buyers, and old fans looking back.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable! What else can I say?, October 30, 2003

By 

Giant Panda (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indispensable Calvin And Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) (Paperback)

Fans of Calvin & Hobbes who used to read the newspaper strip in the 80s and 90s will find great pleasure in reading this treasury of C&H comics. These witty comics about the 6-year old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes, named after the famous philosophers, will amuse people of all ages. The perceptiveness and humor of Watterson deserve the highest of cartoon awards, while his artistic creations exude hilarity. This cartoon is perhaps one of the most piercing yet funny critiques of modern society.

This book starts out with Calvin praying for snow so he can engage in one of his favorite hobbies: sledding, and then his other favorite hobby, throwing snowballs at Susie. Aside from the snowman exhibition, this book is a must-have since it covers the founding of C&H's GROSS (the Get Rid of Slimy girlS club). This also has the hilarious series about the time Calvin's personal gravity polarity reversed, and the episode when the Transmogrifier becomes the Duplicator.

Note that there are two series of C&H collections: individual wide-format albums, each covering an entire year of strips (will call it "regular"), and the vertical aspect ratio "treasury series" which covers selected comics from two regular C&H books. Note that C&H ran for a year in newspapers, so there's 10 regular books and 5 treasury books. Though the cartoons are slightly smaller in the treasury collection, each treasury book is far thicker and contains more strips than a regular book, and is furthermore less expensive, so treasury books are a real bargain. "The Indispensable Calvin & Hobbes" belongs to the Treasury collection, and was first released in 1992.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will the most precocious child please step foward?, April 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Indispensable Calvin And Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) (Paperback)

"Indespensable" is rendered rhetorical when it comes to Calvin and Hobbes, but a collection such as this should be required reading for, well, everyone. Calvin is the child we all were and continues to be the child we wish could still be. Of course any child who regularly uses words like "malpractice insurance" and "besmirching" asks you to suspend disbelief, but these phrases come from the same young boy possessing an unbelievably hyperactive imagination and a penchant for walking around the house in his birthday suit. And Hobbes, Calvin's best friend (who just happens to be a stuffed tiger - or is he alive?) represents everything we so crave and desire. Someone who will listen to you and give you unconditional love (not to mention a furry belly to lie on). Calvin's musings on life, school, and parents are nothing short of sophisticated philosophy. Take this book with your family and read it aloud for all to hear. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll imagine you're a tyrannosaurus rex. Indispensable.