The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip [Hardcover]

Nat Gertler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2010

This fully authorized, one-of-a-kind illustrated book celebrates the 60th anniversary of the world's most beloved comic strip characters. A compendium of rare materials from the Charles M. Schulz Museum and family archives, The Peanuts Collection comes in a sturdy slipcase and features high-quality reproductions of original sketches, comics, and photographs from the world of Peanuts. Removable film cels, stickers, and booklets are included, as well as reproduction prints of Peanuts artwork ready for framing. Written by Peanuts aficionado Nat Gertler, with quotes from Schulz family members and a foreword by daughter Amy Schulz Johnson, the text offers insight into the making of the comic strip and its impact beyond the realms of newspapers and books to film, television, and popular culture. The Peanuts Collection is a must-own keepsake for anyone who loves Snoopy and the gang.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This slipcased, scrapbook-style homage to Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts commemorates the comic strip's 60th anniversary. Mined from the Schulz museum and family archives, photographs, booklets, prints, and removable reproductions (such as a Peanuts-themed "scrapbook" for the Ford Falcon) document the evolution of characters like Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy. The volume of merchandise on display makes evident the comic's cultural influence, but readers may be surprised to learn of the comic's social impact: a 1968 letter (included as a reproduction) implores Schulz to diversify the cast: "It occurred to me today that the introduction of Negro children... could happen with a minimum of impact" (Schulz then introduced Franklin). And following the publication of Silent Spring in 1962, Lucy mentions that her baseball bat is signed by Rachel Carson. Discussions of Schulz's 2000 death and Peanuts themes like "unrequited love" may bring a tear to the eyes of steadfast fans. The comic's spirit of quiet wisdom resonates through the carefully compiled memorabilia. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

It’s been a decade since the death of cartoonist Charles Schulz, but the popularity of his comic strip Peanuts shows no signs of abating: reprints of vintage strips appear in 2,200 newspapers, TV adaptations remain perennially popular, and Charlie Brown and his friends continue to adorn T-shirts worldwide. The millions of die-hard fans who sustain the strip’s success will delight in this lavish offering, which draws on the holdings of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and the family’s archives. The succinctly informative text, along with a representative handful of strips, is the crux of the volume, but the bulk is devoted to a motley yet fascinating assemblage of memorabilia: rare photos, preliminary sketches, toys and games, promotional materials, and advertisements featuring the characters. Scrapbook-type items are housed in pouches, including coloring-book pages, a facsimile animation cell, trading cards, and even correspondence from fans. The result is a treasure trove for Peanutophiles. Libraries that have had circulation success with the recent volumes reprinting the entire 50-year run of Peanuts should supplement that series with this lovingly curated tribute. --Gordon Flagg

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Reprint edition (October 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031608610X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316086103
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 1.2 x 12 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nat Gertler is:
* the founder of 24 Hour Comics Day
* the publisher of About Comics and its Combustoica imprint
* the author or co-author of a couple dozen books (including computer books, books about comics, books of comics) as well as material for television, magazines, and more
* a two-time Eisner Award nominee
* a committed biped
* the owner of over a thousands Peanuts and Peanuts-related books
* a reluctant dancer, with good reason
* a graduate of Simon's Rock College, where he earned his BA at age eighteen
* a little tired of writing autobiographical blurbs in the third person

And how are you?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A treasure for older fans, but won't win any new ones, October 13, 2010

By 

Rich L (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip (Hardcover)

Full disclosure: first off, I'm not a huge fan of these `treasure trove' types of books where the book comes with removable reprints of memorabilia, and second, I love Peanuts. So these two things should even themselves out.

There's something about the antics of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy, et al. that just gets me. Whether it's Charlie Brown's constant underdog status, Snoopy's understated cool, Linus' unshakable belief in things he's told are wrong, or Lucy's cynicism, there are so many elements of the strip that resonate with me and, given it's longevity and popularity, millions of others.

Even accepting my general dislike of this kind of book, this - released to coincide with Peanuts' 60th anniversary - is a nice example of how they should be done. Not every page has something detachable, thankfully, but virtually every page does have several pictures of rare items. Items included include a film cel, some frameable prints, stickers, comics, a Great Pumpkin carol leaflet, early advertising featuring the characters (for the Ford Falcon) and much more.

On the text side, the book is relatively light - but that seems to be par for the course for these things. Yes, there are over 25 `chapters' but each one takes only a page of the book and focuses on one topic. Subjects range from character pieces (why Linus and Lucy get combined on one page I'll never know) to merchandising, animation, and a look at how the character of Franklin broke new ground. Writer Nat Gertler has an amazingly comprehensive knowledge of the strip and it's history so they never fail to be entertaining, if short.

Realistically, this book isn't going to win any new fans to the world of Peanuts but conversely it's probably not aimed at them. For fans of the strip already, there's plenty new here to enjoy - and for those people, I'd highly recommend the book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comment From the Peanut Gallery, October 10, 2010

By 

Tony Medeiros "Sandbox World" (Montreal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip (Hardcover)

Nat Gertler's The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip is perhaps one of the greatest collection of Peanuts memorabilia in book form. This is the ultimate book for the Peanuts enthusiast. If you live in North America it's a good chance that Peanuts has crossed your life at one point or another. The archetypes of the Peanuts universe have touched many facets of the pop culture and is part of the American lexicon fabric. Peanuts has become a security blanket to our youth. That eternal youthful optimism is captured by the strip and gives us hope even if Charlie Brown is doomed to be a failure. Nat Gertler's book is a collection of memories of our own life as we skip through a time capsule of rare time pieces emulated through the Peanuts impact on society. We all have a claim on the Peanuts universe, there is a piece of us in all the characters. The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip is a celebration of our love for the basic fundamentals of a rich comic strip that beats to a universal chord. Peanuts always leaves you with a fuzzy feeling of happiness. After all, happiness is a warm puppy.
Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate collection for Peanuts' fans, October 22, 2010

By 

Leslie (Midwestern USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Peanuts Collection: Treasures from the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip (Hardcover)

The comic strip Peanuts ran for almost 50 years in 2,600 newspapers, a record number. During those years 18,000 strips were published. When Charles Schultz fell ill in 1999 new strips ended. Readers still wanted to see Peanuts in the comic section even if they weren't new. As a result the strip still appears in over 2,200 newspapers. Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the gang are now firmly a part of pop culture. This beautiful book is the ultimate collection for Peanuts' fans.

I grew up reading Peanuts, listening to Snoopy vs the Red Baron, watching the Holiday Specials; I thought I knew everything there was to know about them. Well, I was wrong. This collection is a wealth of information. Longtime fans will find many familiar items plus much new material, some of which has never before been seen by the public.

The book begins with a forward from Schultz's daughter and a note from the author. After that it's divided into about 30 two-page sections. Each section focuses on one of the characters or holidays or something from Peanuts' pop culture. About a third of each section is text with the rest artwork, illustrations, photos and removable materials such as reproductions of sketches, letters, stickers, coloring book, prints of the Peanuts characters and much more. The text is filled with fascinating detail about the creation and evolution of the characters.

We learn that neither Lucy nor Linus was part of the original Peanuts crew. In their early years they were very young children and soon grew up to be an important part of the strip. We also learn that Snoopy started out as just a dog. Not a beagle, not a WWI flying ace, just a dog. Eventually he evolved to be superior to the kids in the strip. It was way back in 1960 when Charles Schultz integrated the comics page by introducing Franklin, a ground breaking move. There's an entire section on the good causes the Peanuts gang promoted. This is just a small sample of what is covered in this collection.

What I found most striking was the high quality artwork and the beautiful layout. If you are of a certain age this book will not only entertain you but will bring back lots of memories. I've read it through twice already and I'm still noticing new things. This is the type of book you need to see to appreciate.

Gallery of photos of some of the pages and removable reproductions: [...]

Highly recommended for Peanuts fans young and old. An excellent gift book.

Disclosure: Review Copy provided by the publisher.