The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

( 80 )

Overview

Calvin and Hobbes is unquestionably one of the most popular comic strips of all time. The imaginative world of a boy and his real-only-to-him tiger was first syndicated in 1985 and appeared in more than 2,400 newspapers when Bill Watterson retired on January 1, 1996. More than 30 million of the 17 Calvin and Hobbes books (all published by Andrews McMeel) have been sold. And now, we're pleased to announce that the entire body of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons will be published in a truly noteworthy tribute to this ...
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More About This Book

Overview

Calvin and Hobbes is unquestionably one of the most popular comic strips of all time. The imaginative world of a boy and his real-only-to-him tiger was first syndicated in 1985 and appeared in more than 2,400 newspapers when Bill Watterson retired on January 1, 1996. More than 30 million of the 17 Calvin and Hobbes books (all published by Andrews McMeel) have been sold. And now, we're pleased to announce that the entire body of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons will be published in a truly noteworthy tribute to this singular cartoon. Composed of three hardcover, four-color volumes in a sturdy slipcase, this edition will include all Calvin and Hobbes cartoons that ever appeared in syndication. This is the treasure that all Calvin and Hobbes fans will seek.
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Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

On December 31st, 1995, on the principle that "it's always better to leave the party early," cartoonist Bill Watterson announced that he was ending the ten-year run of his beloved Calvin and Hobbes at the height of their popularity. Today the strip about a precocious six-year-old boy and his opinionated stuffed bear continues to gain fans, many of them not yet born when the strips premiered. This handsome 4-paperback slip-cased set collects every weekday and weekend Calvin and Hobbes. In addition, this instant 1456-page collectible contains all the book cover art, the treasuries' extra illustrated stories and poems, and a revealing introduction by the famously reclusive Watterson himself. (P.S. The 2005 hardcover edition of this set sold 600,000 copies and became the most expensive book to ever hit the New York Times bestseller list.)

The Washington Post
…an elegant and hefty box set…mostly in black and white but with plenty of color, too. Rereading the strips provides a nostalgic telescope to a wonderful time.
—Timothy R. Smith
Publishers Weekly
By the 1980s the once glorious newspaper comics section had become a wasteland, ravaged by shrinking space, editorial timidity and other ills. The real excitement in my medium had moved to the fertile margins of the alternative press. Bill Watterson, as uninterested in underground comix as I was in the mass media's bland concoctions, marched directly into the wasteland and made the comatose syndicated strip form kick up its heels and dance.From 1985 until Watterson abandoned it at the height of its popularity 10 years later, Calvin and Hobbes echoed the classic strips the artist most admired. Stirring the richly conceived characters and efficient drawing of Peanuts with the visual virtuosity and linguistic playfulness of Pogo and Krazy Kat, he applied his intelligence and supple cartoon skills to come up with a creation beloved by the millions who still mourn its passing. Now, a decade after his demise, six-year-old Calvin has a fitting monument-a lavishly produced three-volume boxed collection of all the strips, which weighs as much as a tombstone. Following in the wake of Gary Larson's The Complete Far Side, and with a 250,000-copy "limited edition" first printing, the publisher realistically predicts that this book will be "the heaviest and most expensive book ever to hit the New York Times best seller list." While not as exquisitely wrought as Walt and Skeezix, the recently launched reprinting of Frank King's epic run of Gasoline Alley, or as intimate and dignified as Fantagraphics' ongoing republication of all 50 years of Peanuts, this luxurious set is dressed for success and deserves an honored spot on the happily expanding shelves of strip reprints.The Complete Calvin and Hobbes offers two intertwined narratives. One details the friendship between Calvin-the egotistical, feverishly imaginative, wised-up young tyke with the vocabulary of a Yale lit major-and his animal familiar, Hobbes. Hobbes is seen by Calvin's parents as a nondescript plush toy and by Calvin and the reader as a pouncing and amiable "real" tiger-Calvin's slightly-more-sensible better half. The crosscutting between private and shared reality gives the strip its vitality.The autobiographical introduction by the notoriously reclusive Watterson kicks off another tale about the collision of private and shared realities: the story of an ornery artist's battle to explore his craft within the claustrophobic confines of a few inches of newsprint space. The beleaguered Watterson fights the strictures of brutal daily deadlines, skirmishes with editors to win more space for his often graceful Sunday pages, slugs it out with his syndicate to keep his creation from being reduced to a stuffed doll. The later strips begin to dwell obsessively on the horrors of our dumbed-down commodity culture, and there's something poignant about the artist's hopeless struggle to work within the confines of mass culture while simultaneously critiquing it. These books offer a testament to Watterson's dedication and to the medium's ability to keep reinventing itself against all odds. (Oct.)Art Spiegelman is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
From 1985 to 1995, the lovingly remembered, riotously funny adventures of six-year-old hellion Calvin and his great friend Hobbes the tiger kept newspaper readers laughing uproariously (and sometimes thinking, or smiling warmly). This wonderfully lavish three-book hardcover set collects the strip's entire run. From the very beginning, Watterson showed incredible skills as a cartoonist and humorist. Calvin is completely believable as a genuine little boy: irrepressible, argumentative, curious, naive, messy, and sometimes sweet in spite of himself. His marvelously imaginative fantasies of monsters, dinosaurs, spaceships, and heroes, superimposed over the real world, provide endless story ideas that never become tired through repetition. The somewhat more mature but still playful Hobbes, who appears to everyone but Calvin as a stuffed animal, is immensely endearing. This set presents the strips in a large size, with Sunday episodes in full color, and includes all the bonus features from the strip's original paperback collections plus a new introduction by Watterson. Any library owning all of those earlier collections will have every strip here, but this more durable presentation is highly recommended. This is one of the all-time great comic strips, absolutely essential for every library. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781449433253
  • Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
  • Publication date: 11/13/2012
  • Edition description: Original
  • Pages: 1456
  • Sales rank: 16,169
  • Product dimensions: 4.00 (w) x 11.00 (h) x 9.55 (d)

Meet the Author

Bill Watterson is the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, one of the most popular and well-regarded cartoon strips of the twentieth century. Calvin and Hobbes appeared in newspapers from November 1985 until Watterson's retirement in 1996.

Online:

gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 80 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(68)

4 Star

(4)

3 Star

(3)

2 Star

(3)

1 Star

(2)

Your Rating:

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 80 Customer Reviews

  • Posted February 20, 2010

    A true American epic

    I grew up with these characters, and they hold a very special place for me. I have always felt that this simple daily comic strip, looked at as a whole run, becomes a beautiful, hilarious, poignant portrait of an authentically and archetypically American youth.

    And I thought maybe part of that was bias from just my nostalgia for my childhood and the 90s, but I was very happy to discover how untrue that is.

    My little brother turned 7 recently, and between the fact that 7 is a special birthday in my eyes and that fact that he had just gotten some great Christmas gifts two weeks earlier, I decided to get him this as a gift that would keep on giving for years to come.

    When he first saw that the big, heavy, exciting mystery package was just books, he looked utterly disappointed. I saw that and explained to him why I chose the book, and how much I had loved it as a kid, and that he should give it a try even if some of the writing was still a little hard for him to read.

    And nothing could have ever made me happier than when he opened the book, started reading from the beginning, and found himself cracking up so hard that for the rest of the night he couldn't put it down, dragging it all around New York City, trying to scrounge up enough light to read by in the car.

    And after just seeing him several weeks later for the first time since the gift, I am overjoyed and proud to say he's *still* dragging that absurdly huge book around everywhere, finding anyplace to put it down and read it as soon as he's not on the move. My mom says he's been reading it every night before bed, waking up early to read some in the morning, and when I saw him he was already over 200 pages into the first book.

    So there you have it. He doesn't understand all the big words without a little help, and some of the jokes do fly over his head, but he seems to think it's the funniest thing he's ever seen.

    The most honest judge of taste imaginable: a seven-year-old boy, who was really disappointed to get books for his birthday.

    8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted April 21, 2011

    5 stars for the series - 0 stars for quality of the product shipped

    The Calvin and Hobbes series is one of the best comics in North America. Why else would I spend this much money on a classic series?

    My review is to warn online shoppers that you may receive damaged goods for this 24 lbs. item. I received the item covered with plastic air pillows only to discover that a corner of this item is significantly damaged. The cardboard mailbox showed no physical damage. With no exterior damage to the shipping box, one is left to conclude that the item is initially damaged.

    For the price I paid for this item and shipping costs, I expected a high quality item. Lesson learned: this website is not a place to shop online.

    4 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted July 28, 2007

    A reviewer

    For true fans, this collection is a treat. The reproduction of the comic strips are crisp and the Sunday pages come in their full color glory. Watterson chose to retire the strip and he was right to do so. The comic strips of 1995, after an eight-month sabbatical, display the same excellent drawing skills -- but the writing nose-dives and those strips almost seem as if they were scripted by a different person than the clever writer of the earlier years.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 11, 2010

    Worth every penny

    I bought this as my Christmas present to myself. I thought I might regret the expensive purchase, but I have been pleasantly surprised. The cartoons are on high-quality paper, which adds to the pleasure, since Watterson's artwork is top notch. Unlike other "complete" cartoon collections I've seen, Calvin & Hobbes is so consistently funny, well-drawn, and thought-provoking that there are very few duds between the gems.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2010

    Absolutely Fabulous!!!

    Very nicely bound and very good quality. Calvin and Hobbes is very funny and so true. Bill Watteson has an amazing insitght to the thoughts of children. It is a great collection and I am glad we purchased it.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 5, 2009

    A wonderful Idea Gift

    I got this for my husband last Christmas and he love it, it really is a wonderful gift for those fans out there. The presentation is very elegant; I would say impecable. Now we plan to give this to my stepson on his birthday.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 7, 2008

    Long lost friends!

    I felt as if I were empty without my Calvin and Hobbes when publication ceased.I related so much to Calvin as a child.I am 46 now ,but I still love the strips!!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 11, 2012

    I have every book he wrote on Calvin and Hobbs, for a good reaso

    I have every book he wrote on Calvin and Hobbs, for a good reason as he masters childhood at it's best. Imaginanion that is so true of a child that is purhaps the best times in life. As an adult it is so much fun to go back to those times. These books are for adults and children that will have many a laugh! To a very talented writer, thank you Bill Watteson, my hats off to you.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted December 11, 2012

    To whomever wrote the 'Editorial Review' for Barnes and Noble...

    To whomever wrote the 'Editorial Review' for Barnes and Noble.... Hobbes is a tiger....which is a CAT.... *NOT* a bear.

    1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted November 30, 2012

    I was torn with the number of stars to give this. The content d

    I was torn with the number of stars to give this. The content deserves 5 stars, without question.

    I can't imagine anyone is looking into buying this without already being familiar with Calvin and Hobbes. If, however, you are brand new to the strip - BUY THIS. It is one of the greatest comic strips ever, easily within my top three, and possibly number one overall. The presentation is great, the collection looks wonderful on the shelf, and the paper is of a nice quality.

    The reason I thought of dropping the rating was of the quality of the product received. My collection came with numerous dings, crumples, scuffs, and other damage that makes it look like this was thrown against the wall before being shipped. So I give the collection five stars due to the content, as well as the overall presentation. If you get an undamaged one, then this is a six out of five star product. But since it seems that there have been more than a few of these shipped with similar damage, keep your fingers crossed.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 25, 2012

    What an awesome collection!

    If you are a fan of Calvin and Hobbes, then this collection is a MUST for you! The size and weight of these books are just the start of the quality. Opening them displays absolutely beautiful illustrations and the layout is really nice and thought out. On every page the footnote denotes the dates on which the particular strips you are looking at appeared on the newspaper. Plus the Sunday comic strips, in beautiful color, just add to the overall beauty of these volumes.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 17, 2011

    Perfect Collection for a Calvin Fan!

    I loved Calvin and Hobbes growing up and there just hasn't been anything out since. I was excited to finally get this great collection of the series. It looks nice and I love being able to read them in order. Love, Love, Love it!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted February 13, 2010

    Fun - The only way to relive "Calvin & Hobbes"

    I have wanted this complete edition since it was published. I finally received it for Christmas and I am very pleased. The artwork is beautiful and most important I just laugh and laugh!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted January 23, 2010

    A really beautiful set of books

    This three book set is lovingly crafted. The black and white is crisp, the color sharp, the paper luxurious. The full achievement of Calvin and Hobbes can only be appreciated by encountering its totality, and this collection is a wonderful way to savor the experience of it.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 28, 2008

    pure genius

    to me, this comic strip is beyond a comic. it has some of the most profound writing i have ever read, and it doesn't try to be too grownup. even though it was written by an adult, obviously, it shows the true power of child to show you things in a simple way.this collection is pure genius and reading it, i am reminded of the sadness of watching it end,.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 7, 2005

    High praise for high art.

    If you have never read a Calvin and Hobbes strip, I envy the sheer joy you have ahead. There are many still holding vigil that one day Bill Watterson will restart this comic, and once you get a few pages into this collection, you will know why. The art, especially the Sunday pieces, is phenomenal considering the medium intended for was newspaper. And the writing is arguably on a level of any great American novelist. The characters have incredibly deep personalities, coupled with wonderful subplots, intelligence and wit. This collection does justice to the work, collecting every published strip within 3 volumes with some essays sprinkled in. For those that saw how the Far Side Collection was treated and immediately asked when Calvin and Hobbes would get their due, this is it. Heavy stock paper, crisp color reproduction and cloth binding make for a solid boxset and a great display piece- except one of those display pieces you cannot help but flip through every now and then. Highly Recommended.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 31, 2013

    Amazing :)

    I got this collection for my boyfriend, who is a huge calvin and hobbes fan! He absolutely loved it! The pages are so nice and thick and the pictures are so vibrant and clear! Would recommend this book collection to any big Calvin and Hobbes fan! :)

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  • Posted May 2, 2013

    Combining the Good from Childhood

    I have been reading C&H since I learned to read and I love it. I have a C&H tattoo. And now I am so happy that it is combined. Great set. I enjoy the background Watterson gives. If you are a fan of C&H at all get this set.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 17, 2013

    Why is this set 40 dollars cheaper online compared to in store?

    Why is this set 40 dollars cheaper online compared to in store? Makes no sense. Other than that, it's fantastic.

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  • Posted January 12, 2013

    Fine & Hilarious Reading for My 10-year-old

    I purchased the set for my son as a Christmas Gift, and he adores the witty humor. He reads at least one or two of the volumes everyday, and now has dozens of 'sticky tabs' stuck on the edges of the pages that has his favorite strips.

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