The Complete Peanuts

The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 (Charlie Brown cover)
Introduction by Garrison Keillor
360-page hardcover $28.95
Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus — initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy! accompanied by an in-depth essay by David Michaelis, a 1987 interview with Schulz, and even an index of characters and subjects.

The Complete Peanuts 1953-1954 (Lucy cover)
Introduction by Walter Cronkite
344-page hardcover $28.95
It begins with Peanuts' third full year and a cast of eight: Charlie Brown, Shermy, Patty, Violet, Schroeder, Lucy, the recently-born Linus, and Snoopy. By the end of 1954, Pigpen and his dust cloud join the crowd. Linus, who still doesn't speak, begins to emerge as one of the most complex and endearing characters in the strip: garrulous and inquisitive yet gentle and tolerant. And, in this volume, he acquires his security blanket! Snoopy's appearances here may come as the biggest surprise: he behaves, for the most part, like a dog! But, although he doesn't yet walk upright, sleep on top of his doghouse, or possess a fantasy life, Snoopy has started thinking for himself and his evolution continues its fascinating course within these pages. Includes a note on one strip that had to be partially reconstructed, and that handy index of characters and topics.

The Complete Peanuts 1955-1956 (Pig-Pen cover)
Introduction by Matt Groening
346-page hardcover $28.95
nus learns to talk, Snoopy begins to explore his eccentricities (including his hilarious first series of impressions), Lucy's unrequited crush on Schroeder takes final shape. This volume the popular Complete Peanuts index, a hit with librarians and collectors alike, and a Charles M. Schulz retrospective by series editor Gary Groth.

4. The Complete Peanuts 1957-1958 (Snoopy cover)
Introduction by Jonathan Franzen (The Corrections)
344-page hardcover $28.95
Also contains a Sunday strip from May 3, 1953, which was discovered after the 1953-54 volume was printed.

5. The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960
Introduction by Whoopi Goldberg
344-page hardcover $28.95
731 Strips
As the first decade of Peanuts closes, it seems only fitting to bid farewell to that halcyon decade with a cover starring Patty, one of the original three Peanuts. Major new additions to classic Peanuts lore come fast and furious here. Snoopy begins to take up residence atop his doghouse, and his repertoire of impressions increases exponentially. Lucy sets up her booth and offers her first five-cent psychiatric counsel. (Her advice to a forlorn Charlie Brown: "Get over it.") For the very first time, Linus spends all night in the pumpkin patch on his lonely vigil for the Great Pumpkin (although he laments that he was a victim of "false doctrine," he's back 12 months later). Charlie Brown's sister Sally makes her appearance – first as an (off-panel) brand new baby for Charlie to gush over, then as a toddler and eventually a real, talking, thinking cast member. (By the end of this volume, she'll already start developing her crush on Linus.) All this, and one of the most famous Peanuts strips ever: "Happiness is a warm puppy."

6. The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962 (Shrowder cover) sp
Introduction by Diana Krall