Peanuts Treasury [Hardcover]

Charles M. Schulz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

As the creator of Peanuts, the world's most widely read comic strip, Charles Schulz (1922-2000) touched the hearts and funny bones of millions of people, with his work appearing in more than two thousand newspapers around the world and translated into twenty-one languages. Through such lovable characters as Charlie Brown and Snoopy (not to mention the rest of the Peanuts gang), Schulz created, in the words of Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau, "the uncontested gold standard for comics," and paved the road for future cartoonists. The Peanuts Treasury is a fitting testimony to Charles Schulz's enduring legacy and will stand for years to come as a loving tribute to one of the most influential cartoonists of all time.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: MetroBooks (NY) (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586630687
• ISBN-13: 978-1586630683
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles M. Schulz was born November 25, 1922 in Minneapolis. His destiny was foreshadowed when an uncle gave him, at the age of two days, the nickname Sparky (after the racehorse Spark Plug in the newspaper strip Barney Google).

In his senior year in high school, his mother noticed an ad in a local newspaper for a correspondence school, Federal Schools (later called Art Instruction Schools). Schulz passed the talent test, completed the course and began trying, unsuccessfully, to sell gag cartoons to magazines. (His first published drawing was of his dog, Spike, and appeared in a 1937 Ripley's Believe It Or Not! installment.) Between 1948 and 1950, he succeeded in selling 17 cartoons to the Saturday Evening Post--as well as, to the local St. Paul Pioneer Press, a weekly comic feature called Li'l Folks. It was run in the women's section and paid $10 a week. After writing and drawing the feature for two years, Schulz asked for a better location in the paper or for daily exposure, as well as a raise. When he was turned down on all three counts, he quit.

He started submitting strips to the newspaper syndicates. In the spring of 1950, he received a letter from the United Feature Syndicate, announcing their interest in his submission, Li'l Folks. Schulz boarded a train in June for New York City; more interested in doing a strip than a panel, he also brought along the first installments of what would become Peanuts--and that was what sold. (The title, which Schulz loathed to his dying day, was imposed by the syndicate). The first Peanuts daily appeared October 2, 1950; the first Sunday, January 6, 1952.

Diagnosed with cancer, Schulz retired from Peanuts at the end of 1999. He died on February 13, 2000, the day before Valentine's Day--and the day before his last strip was published--having completed 17,897 daily and Sunday strips, each and every one fully written, drawn, and lettered entirely by his own hand--an unmatched achievement in comics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best "Peanuts" collection on the market, August 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Peanuts Treasury (Hardcover)

Many of Schulz's detractors are quick to point out how much Peanuts seemed to decline over the years; by the end, things were rarely funny and became so repetitive that more than a few columnists accused Schulz of "running on fumes."

Regardless of your opinion, there's no arguing with the strips presented in Peanuts Treasury, originally published in 1968 during what was arguably Schulz's prime. Schulz had spent most of the 50's gradually developing the cast as well as his technique, and by the dawn of the 60's, he was running full steam; it's no wonder that the strip was also at the height of its popularity.

This hardcover collection presents the cream of the crop between 1959 and 1964, and at just $9.98, it's a steal. A rather bare-bones book (the cover is very sparse and the only addition is a brief introduction written back in August of 1968), I was surprised at how funny and sharp Peanuts could be. If you're a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes, you'll definitely see the huge inspiration Schulz served on Watterson. Calvin isn't anything like the Peanuts characters, but a lot of his world views, sarcasm, and humor feel like they evolved from these strips.

The presentation isn't perfect: some of the stories running through a few strips feel like they aren't in correct chronological order, and the Sunday strips aren't in color (a small complaint, though, since the artwork, particularly the use of color, was never that elaborate). Nevertheless, if you're looking for just one Peanuts collection to own, or if you just couldn't understand what the fuss was over this strip, check this collection out.

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Peanuts; Poor Printing; Weird Editing; and Low Price, November 2, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Peanuts Treasury (Hardcover)

This is a series of black and white reproductions of daily and Sunday newspaper strips of Peanuts from the late 1950s through 1968 when this collection was first published. The strips are not put into any sort of chronological sequence, except within some story segments. I did denote an attempt to assemble them in chronological order across a year, as the collection begins with New Year's resolutions and ends with perspectives on the old year.

This collection missed the chance to have a detailed introduction about Charles Schulz and the Peanuts characters. Such an introduction would have added value far beyond its cost.

The printing is so poorly done in places that it is hard to identify Charlie Brown as himself. It felt like reading a comic strip on a light colored paper bag in places.

But, the price is amazingly low. While a quality version of this book would have undoubtedly retailed for ... or more, this one is priced as though it has only 40 pages in it.

So if you want lots of Peanuts for very little money, this is your edition.

You'll find Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Sally, Peppermint Patty, and Violet in these strips. Some of the strips are classics that you have not seen in many years. There are some good ones of Lucy and her lemonade stand/psychiatric clinic, Charlie Brown trying to kick the football while Lucy holds, Snoopy dreaming of being the Red Baron, Halloween and the Great Pumpkin, and Charlie Brown playing on and managing the kids' baseball team.

One of the benefits of this book is that you can read through extended sequences of strips to see their connections in ways that you could not do when you only saw them daily. It helps you appreciate Charles Schulz's narrative ability more. For example, the book starts with Lucy burying Linus' blanket. Separate story lines develop as Linus searches for it, tries to get along without it, Snoopy finds it for him, and Linus deals with the after effects. I remembered the sequence, but not all the ins and outs of the story. That probably means that I had missed some of the strips at the time. Perhaps you did, too.

You will definitely relive your younger days with these strips. If you only know the later Peanuts strips, I think you will like these better. They are fresher and more direct in their stories.

After you have finished reading all about Peanuts, I encourage you to think about all of the ways that we can make life easier or more difficult for each other. If we are like Lucy, we will add more complications than benefits. If we are too trusting and hard on ourselves like Charlie Brown, less will happen than the best also. I suggest that you reframe Lucy and Charlie Brown into one character who is both more aware and more caring than the average of the two. Then imagine how these stories would change.

Next, compare what you did today to what that new character would have done. What opportunities for improvement does that comparison present to you, for your life? Act on them!

Laugh at Peanuts, then at yourself, and then improve!

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for any Peanuts fan, August 14, 2000

By 

Timothy Chow - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Peanuts Treasury (Hardcover)

This book first came out a few decades ago and its republication will be welcomed by all Peanuts fans. Unless you are a fanatical collector, it is unthinkable to try to collect *all* Peanuts books ever published, and so some selection is necessary. _Peanuts_Treasury_ collects a large number of strips from the heyday of Peanuts (the late 1950's to the early 1970's) into one 250-page volume. Along with some of the "anniversary" books (e.g., Around the World in 45 Years, Peanuts Jubilee), this is the book to buy if you want a lot of bang for your buck.

Warning: do not confuse this book with the "Peanuts Treasury" *series* of books that reprint strips from the early 1990's.