Monday, December 13, 2010

The Peanuts Collection - Nat Gertler

The Charlie Brown Christmas special was on tv the other night. The very same one since - do you believe this - 1965! Forty five years. And I still enjoy watching it. It's a classic and brings back so many memories.

And memories are the order of the day in Nat Gertler's new book The Peanuts Collection. Subtitled; Treasures From the World's Most Beloved Comic Strip.

And that it is. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone in North America who doesn't recognize the characters. When the strip began it was carried in 7 newspapers and topped out at 2600 papers! Charles Shulz created the Peanuts comic strip and created 18,000 strips over the course of 50 years. Reprints are still carried by over 2200 newspapers.

The introduction by Shulz's daughter Amy says it best..." My dad believed that he was born to draw his comic strip, and his fans refer to him as a genius. If he is a genius, then I believe it is because of his ability to create characters that were loved as thought they were real and to draw fifty year's worth of strips that had relevance in the lives of millions of people."

Gertler has combed through both family mementos and the archives of The Charles M. Shulz Museum  to showcase Peanuts materials, items, stories, pictures and ephemera - many not seen before.

Each of the characters is covered, from their early look to the nineties, complete with their contributions to the strip. There was so much included - toys and games based on the characters, advertising(the amount of products was amazing!) social causes, books, colouring pages, television specials. I appreciated the level of detail.  The book is filled with beautifully glossy pictures. It's an interactive book as well. There are lots of little pockets with reproduction of letters, baseball cards, greeting cards, sketches, songbooks and more. There is even a set of prints included that could be framed. Here's a shot of what's inside. Or check out this slideshow.

It's the season for gorgeous coffee table and collector books and this is one you don't want to miss. Perfect for a Peanuts fan or nostalgia buff. It's a fitting tribute to an American icon.

Now who is your favourite character? I always wanted to see the inside of Snoopy's doghouse. And I always had a soft spot for Peppermint Patty.

3 comments:

Pam said...

Oh I was such a big Lucy fan, always. :O)

bermudaonion said...

I loved this book too! I was a Snoopy fan, but do admit a fondness for Pigpen as well.

Teddy Rose said...

I love this book. It's another book I receive for review but felt like it was a present for a birthday or Christmas.