The Complete Peanuts

The Complete Peanuts is a series of books containing the entire run of Charles M. Schulz's long-running newspaper comic strip Peanuts. A new book in the series is released every six months, each containing two years of strips (except for the first volume which includes 1950–1952). Slipcased sets of two volumes are also available. The series comprises a total of 26 volumes,^[1] including a bonus book with sketches, interviews, and other extra material. These books were first published from 2004–2016. The companion series Peanuts Every Sunday began in 2013 and is scheduled to run until 2022.

Schulz began to discuss an anthology of his work with Fantagraphics Books in 1997. The idea of a complete compendium of all published Peanuts strips was long resisted by Schulz; he did not want some early strips reprinted as he felt they were not as good as the ones he drew later in his career. Approximately 2,000 of the 17,897 strips had never appeared in a previous U.S. collection.

The first book in the series was published in April 2004 and topped the New York Times Best Seller List.^[2]

Volumes

Besides Schulz's work, each book contains an introduction by an influential individual (often with a connection to Schulz), an index of themes and characters, additional art by designer Seth (all of which is directly based on a specific Peanuts panel), and a biography of Schulz written by series editor Gary Groth. In addition, the first volume contains an interview with Schulz conducted by Groth and an extended biography.^[3] Sunday panels, which originally appeared in color, are presented in black and white in the series (a decision approved by Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz).

All the characters on the covers (and their styles) match the time period each volume represents.

Volume 25, covering the years 1999 and 2000, also includes the complete run of Schulz's 1947–50 strip Li'l Folks. This precursor includes early versions of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. A final volume was announced in 2016 which includes hundreds of miscellaneous sketches, designs, short stories, and covers drawn by Schultz.

Boxed sets

All of the volumes are also being released in boxed sets of two, housed in a specially designed slipcase.^[6]

Peanuts Every Sunday

Peanuts Every Sunday is a series featuring the Peanuts Sunday strips in full color. These books, unlike the Complete Peanuts series, are scheduled to be released one every year, in ten volumes covering half a decade each (except the first book, 1952–55). Slip-cased sets of two are also available.

Both the complete series and the Sunday collections are published in hardback and paperback form, with different covers and supplemental artwork.

International editions

All international editions retain the artwork, layout, and format of the original American version (though some of the German volumes feature the original introductions, such as those by Matt Groening and Whoopi Goldberg, while others feature new ones by Germans such as Robert Gernhardt):

• Canongate Books started publication of a UK edition of the series in October 2007, with twenty four volumes published as of November 2015, with Volume 5 featuring a different introduction from the US edition, by Russell T Davies.^[7]
• Carlsen Comics began publication of a German edition of The Complete Peanuts in October 2006, under the title Peanuts Werkausgabe, with the fifteenth and sixteenth to be released in February and September 2013.^[8]
• The Portuguese release of Peanuts – Obra Completa by Edições Afrontamento published the first two volumes in 2006, with the sixth released in 2011. There is no schedule for the publication of the next volumes.
• Dargaud started publishing The Complete Peanuts in France, under the title Snoopy – Intégrales, in November 2005.^[9] To date, thirteen volumes have been published.
• in Poland, Nasza Księgarnia began publishing the collected edition in 2008, under the title Fistaszki zebrane, with twelve volumes released as of June 2015 – spanning the years from 1950–1974.
• In Spain, Planeta DeAgostini is the publisher of Snoopy y Carlitos, with fifteen volumes published to date.^[10]
• In Brazil, L&PM Editores started publication in November 2009, under the title Peanuts Completo.^[11] Eight volumes have been released so far.
• In Italy, Panini Comics started publication in April 2005, maintaining the original title The Complete Peanuts. To date, twenty volumes have been published.

References

External links

• Official website