In a few words
Part of Canongate’s Complete Peanuts series
Beautifully designed ... One of the high-water marks of post-war popular culture.
These timely re-issues illustrate not only the skill and subtle brilliance of his work but also the origins of the form beyond simple merriment.
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He turns up first as Snoopy’s secretary, then gradually becomes a good friend whom Snoopy helps to fly South . . . but it’s not until 22 June 1970 that the little bird gains a name, in a perfect salute to the decade that ends with this volume: Woodstock!
In other timely stories, Peppermint Patty runs afoul of her school’s dress code (those sandals!), Lucy declares herself a “New Feminist,” and Snoopy’s return to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm on a speaking engagement climaxes in a riot and a new love found amidst the teargas (“She had the softest paws…”).
Speaking of Snoopy, this volume falls under the sign of the Great Beagle, as three separate storylines focus on the mysterious sovereign of Beagledom. First Snoopy is summoned by a wrathful G.B. when Frieda submits a complaint about his (Snoopy’s) desultory rabbit-chasing efforts; then, back in the Great one’s good graces, Snoopy is sent on a secret mission; and finally he himself ascends (briefly!) to the mantle of Great Beagledom.
In other news, an exasperated Lucy throws Schroeder’s piano into the maw of the kite-eating tree, with gruesome results… Miss Othmar goes on strike and Linus gets involved… Charlie Brown’s baseball team has an actual (brief) winning streak… Snoopy’s quest to compete in the Oakland ice skating competition is thwarted by his inability to find a partner… Charlie Brown goes to a banquet to meet his hapless baseball hero Joe Shlabotnik… Snoopy is left in the Van Pelt family’s care as Charlie and Sally Brown head out of town for a vacation… and (alas) the Little Red-Haired Girl moves away…
This volume also features a new introduction by renowned illustrator Mo Willems and, as always, gorgeous design by award-winning cartoonist Seth.
All sorts of important writers have marveled at the glorious simplicity of [Schulz's] draftsmanship and his unerring jokecraft, all underpinned by a quiet melancholy and stoicism . . . by some miracle, the entire Peanuts oeuvre is gradually being republished in this country, by Canongate . . . in lavishly appointed hardback . . . Unlike almost everything you read as a child, they are actually better than you remember them.
The world of Peanuts is a microcosm, a little human comedy for the innocent reader and for the sophisticated.
Umberto Eco
Charles M. Schulz
View profileCharles M. Schulz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1922 and grew up in Saint Paul. He gained a reputation worldwide as a cartoonist for his work on Peanuts. He died in 2000.
