Customer Reviews

Peanuts 2000: The 50th Year Of The World's Favorite Comic Strip

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I got this book for Christmas, and it does not disappoint. It contains all the strips from the final year (Jan. 1, 1999 to Feb. 13, 2000), and it's great to have it all in one book. And my copy contains the actual final strip published the weekend Charles Schulz died. He may have left us, but books like this one prove that we can revisit Charlie Brown, Snoopy and their pals any time we want. Thank you, Mr. Schulz.

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.

It was with great sadness that I read the final Peanuts strips. The strips were fantastic and funny as always. But I did know that this was the end.

Charlie Brown would never get another chance to kick the football or win a baseball game. His love would go unrequited, as it had for 50 years. Charlie Brown reminds us, "The inside of a mailbox should always be kept clean in case you get a love letter." But he received no valentines this year either. Marcia and Peppermint Patty never got a chance to tell them how they felt. I don't know if Snoopy ever got to Bill Maudlin's house on Veteran's Day either. But if Charles Schultz were still here, would they eventually be successful? As Charlie Brown once said, "Never stay awake at night asking yourself questions you can't answer."

Peanuts seemed at first glance to be a simple strip. But it is complex and full of meaning. I read my first Peanuts strip in 1958 and they have only gotten better. The different characters seemed to be different parts of Charles Schultz. They are funny and they are thoughtful. This book is a perfect example of that.

(Missing from the first edition was the good-bye from Mr. Schultz. I wrote a letter to Random House about this. They sent be, at no charge, a copy of the next edition.)

So within the sadness there is laughter. The book is perfect Peanuts. And while his books will last forever, it is time to say goodbye. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus.......Charles Schultz, how could we ever forget you?

When I got this wonderful volume, I decided to read it from front to back and not skip to the final Sunday strip. Was I disappointed when the final strip was missing! Apparently, this problem has been corrected in subsequent printings and the final strip is available on the official Peanuts Web site. If yours is missing, be sure to return it for the correct version (unless you think this error-ridden first printing will become a collectors' item, and more valuable).

Authors should take note of this problem, and be sure that someone very capable takes over watching your publisher for quality issues after you are deceased. As a further example of this problem, Ansel Adams books are often printed on pages that are much too small for the images now, even though he went to great lengths to avoid having the quality of his work compromised.

I enjoyed seeing this volume. It is comprised of all the strips from the final year (if you get the right version). More than that, it was a microcosm of 50 years of Peanuts. Here are some examples:

Charlie Brown: "If I ever got a [love letter], I don't know what I'd do."

Lucy: "I'm thinking of starting a discussion group . . . People would come from all around to listen to me."

Sally speaking on her string telephone: "How do you get an outside line?"

Snoopy to Woodstock while making a sled out of a water dish: "Go ahead . . . Climb in -- Sorry . . . I forgot to pour the water out . . ."

Rerun: When told by his teacher to paint flowers -- "I don't do flowers . . . I do underground comics."

Marcie (reacting to plans to play Mary in the Christmas play): "There is no Christmas play, sir . . . That was last year."

My favorite sequence involved several strips with Charlie Brown and Lucy at the pitcher's mound under a snowy cover speculating about the upcoming baseball season.

If you are like me, Peanuts will be with you forever!

I also recommend that you get a copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas. It has wonderful background material about Mr. Schulz and Peanuts that nicely complement this collection of the last strips.

After you have finished enjoying both books, I suggest that you think about how things would have turned out differently with the strip if the characters have overcome their fundamental weaknesses. What if Charlie Brown had not been so gullible? What if Lucy had been more considerate? What if someone had sent Charlie Brown a valentine?

After you've thought about it, then ask yourself what it is that you should change about yourself that would open up the possibilities for someone else. Then go make those changes. That would be a wonderful thing to do, and a great way to honor your affection for Peanuts.

Good luck in kicking your next football!

This is it the last year of Peanuts. I wish the comic strip was still going but it isn't and never will again. The last years were not my all time favorites but I still enjoy reading them. This review was made the day the comic strip began on 10/2/50. Peanuts how can you ever forget them. I have to close this now and go cry that Peanuts will never come back.


Good book to get by the way.

i have been a peanuts fan since i was 5. the drawings, characters and interesting situations always fascinated me. and as i grew older, charlie brown, snoopy and the whole gang only got better and became as relevant as they were funny. no comic strip in the history of the universe can match up to its simplicity, its humour, its lessons and its heart.peanuts 2000 showcases just that..it is one of the nicest and most dramatic collections of the world's finest comic strip from the world's finest cartoonist. they are all there..charlie brown and his red haired girl, his baseball failures and the kite that simply refuses to scale new heights, snoopy and his undying quest for glory in the battle field, his literary classics, his casual observations and his trademark dog house, lucy and her crabby attitude, linus and his blanket as well as his sublime philosophy, rerun and his growing amazement at the way things work in the world around him,woodstock and his exclamation marks, peppermint patty and marcie talk about the d minus hall of fame, spike roughs it out in the sahara with his cactus pal, sally is still making sense of things and good ol' schroeder cant get beethoven out from under his skin. i am telling you this is as good as fiction gets. whats the highest compliment i can pay mr.schulz? peanuts is not a comic strip, it's a world for us to live in and delight in. and with peanuts 2000, this world will live on forever. dear schulz, thank you for bringing so much joy and hope into our lives. we have laughed, sighed, pondered, freaked out, wondered, dreamed, won,lost and celebrated life with every one of those heart warming souls...peanuts, we love you. and we always will

I find that after all this time I still love the Peanuts gang. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and others still bring a smile to my face as the wonderful insight of the creator comes through. I wish that I was young again and still had the old paperbacks that I once read so I could go back to some and re-read them. I wish that Shultz could still create those drawings and tears just swelled up from inside reading the ending passage. Charles Shultz will be missed by me and I have read this and other books by him to my kids so they might gain an interest in these type of books. I wish they had more specials of the Peanuts ang for TV rather than some of the stuff on now. Anyone who wants great cartoons with very funny happenings for their children will definitely love this book and others by Shultz.

Peanuts are totally classic! Dude! Schroeder is like the coolest person on the face of the earth! He is so reserved and that make Peanuts worth the while to read. He also looks so cute at his little piano, playing Bethoven. This book clearly shows that and becuase I love little Schroeder, I love this book too! Beethoven forever! Rock on! (JK)

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!

Got this for my Grandson for Christmas and he has not put it down yet. He loves Peanuts and he will read it over and over again. He is autistic and this keeps him calm - reading - so thank you for books that are funny and also teaches things on sharing and getting along with others.