Customer Reviews
Wonderful book, wonderful series - By: J. C. Walker, 12 Aug 2008 
This is a wonderful & beautifully presented series. I highly recommend it. Although some of Peanuts comedy has dated, the vast majority is still as sweet & charming as ever. If you love Calvin & Hobbes, this where it all began. A joyous collection.
THANK YOU SPARKY - By: Hesperus, 17 Dec 2007 I have just finished reading this book & found it wonderful. It is well worth the money.
I was fascinated to see the beginnings of what was to be the most brilliant comic strip the world has seen & certainly recommend it to anyone. I was brought up to believe that comics were inferior to 'real' books but this proves that point of view so wrong.
I just hope we get all the strips over the next few years as promised so that we can enjoy again the world of Sparky Schulz.
Peanuts from birth - By: Leo McMarley, 03 Nov 2007 Until I picked up this beautifully designed & produced edition of Charles Schulz' Peanuts cartoons I hadn't appreciated how Charlie Brown & Snoopy & Lucy & the Gang had evolved over the years. As another reviewer rightly says the humour is already there but Snoopy is still a puppy & Linus a baby & the whole crew that little bit younger. This first volume also has a brilliant & fascinating interview with Charles "Sparky" Schulz which was revelatory.
At £15 a pop the first two volumes are a complete bargain & something that you will treasure for ever. I've also heard that Canongate intend to co-publish with FantaGraphicsin America the complete Peanuts catalogue. All I can say is bring em on & thank you.
About Time, Charlie Brown - By: R. Skelton, 13 Oct 2007 
Although definately not 'Peanuts' as my generation remembers it, with the basicsin place, & definately not a bit of humour lost, this wonderful book takes us through the first 2 years of the longest story ever told. Charlie Brown & Snoopy are there, but few of the 'classic' Peanuts characters we know & love today are, & instead we see more of the 'straight men' Shirmy, Patty (not to be confused with Peppermint Patty) & Violet. Stillin this book we see the first of Charlie Brown, Snoopy & Schroeder, the characters who indeed stood the test of time, & it is fascinating to see all those little developments like the first appearance of Charlie Brown's zig-zag shirt & Snoopy's first ever thought.
Although all of the strips are presented, some may not appearin their original form, & it is my understanding that all of them will bein black & white & not colour, evenin future series. Althoughin the US (where this series of books is produced under 'fantagraphics') volumes of the complete peanuts will be released twice a year (finally endingin 2016) as yet, I have been unable to find any confirmation that canongate will do the same thing. Definately a must for any die-hard Peanuts fan or comic lover, but at the bargain price I found here on Amazon at the time of writing, a great read for anyone who enjoys clever, fun cartoons. Bring on the rest of the series!
This is a must have - By: Mr. John Lovett, 05 Oct 2004 Finally we can see how it al began for Chuck & the gang. This book is the first of 20 that will reprint for the first time all 17,897 'Peanuts' Dallies & Sundays. This covers the first two years. Although ignores the earlier 'Lil'Folks' which first introduces Patty, Charlie Brown & a puppy much like Snoopy. These are reprintedin 'Peanuts the art of Charles Shultz'.
There are some differences between the early 'Peanuts' here & the later ones. For a start both Linus & Lucy debut as babies. Snoopy is a curious puppy, & some characters who later vanish have starring roles. Sharmy, Patty & Violet had all vanished by the end of the `70's (Patty is different to Peppermint Patty who didn't arrive until 1966). But the feel of the strip is there from day one.
Important event'sin the book are Charlie Browns first attempts at kicking the football (but it is Violet & not Lucy who holds it for him. Pulling away because she fears that Charlie will kick her hand) Schroder learns Pianoin a day, & Snoopy thinks his first words.
I personally can't wait till the next book, & will keep on buying till I have the whole lot!
