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35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very nice collection of older Peanuts strips, October 30, 2001
I am an ardent collector of books related to the Peanuts comic strips created by Charles Schulz. But one thing you learn when you have this hobby is that not as much exists from the early days of Peanuts (particularly the first five years or so). My understanding is that as time went on, Schulz wasn't as fond of the earlier days of Peanuts and did not want these strips reprinted if he could help it. These were the days when Charlie Brown's shirt didn't have the famous zig-zag and Snoopy walked on all four legs and didn't have his famous "thought balloons". This book "Peanuts: The Art of Charles Schulz" is focused primarily on those early days of Peanuts, with most of the material from the first ten years of the strip (the 1950's). The strips are photographed from Schulz's archives and there are many strips I have never seen before (and I've seen just about every one that was published). You even get to see the long forgotten Charlotte Braun, who was in the strip for a short period around 1954 and had the fussbudget personality later assumed by Lucy. Fascinating. You see Lucy, Linus and Schroeder as babies. You see Charlie Brown with a huge head (much bigger in proportion to his body than you are used to seeing). And you see Snoopy as basically just a dog before he assumed his own thoughts and imagination. There is also a lot of sketches and strips from the pre-Peanuts days (Lil Folks) that can really give you insight into how Peanuts eventually came to be. This has never been done to any great extent is any Peanuts book that I have seen. The strips are terrific and the style of the presentation is very pleasant to look at as well. This book is laid out more as an art book than as a collection of comic strips. And it is very well done at that. It's better than just about all the books that were issued every five years to celebrate landmark years for Peanuts (25th anniversary, 30th, etc.) This book is a must for any hardcore Peanuts fan who wants to see how this tremendous icon of American culture for the last half of the 20th century got its start.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must for any 'Peanuts' Fan and a True Work of Art, November 23, 2001
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.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gorgeous look at wonderful material, October 26, 2001
If you're a fan of Peanuts strips, you want this book. It is gorgeous. This is visually the most amazing Peanuts book every produced. Yes, it's that good. Most of the book is made of Peanuts strips, but not just printed from old stats as most strip books are. Instead, the strips are photographed, either directly from the original art (which gives very sharp reproduction while showing you the little physicalities that go into the making of the strip) or from printed newspapers. The latter may *sound* a bit tacky, but really it gives the book a very textural sensibility. Eisner Award-winning designer Chip Kidd knows what he is doing. Also in it are plenty of Schulz sketches, pictures of Peanuts products and packaging, Schulz notes and correspondence, and more. This is a good coffee-table book, but it isn't large like your typical coffee-table tome. It's about the size of a standard hardcover book, turned sideways. It's thick, over an inch thick, which helps it include over 500 strips, including many never before reprinted in a U.S. Peaunts book. Text is scattered throughout the book, including Schulz quotes and descriptions of pictured items. However, it's a book that encourages one to flip through it; it does not need to be read linearly.
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