Front cover of the first volume of The Complete Peanuts.
The Complete Peanuts is a book series published by Fantagraphics. The series is composed of twenty-six volumes reprinting every Peanuts comic strip in chronological order.
A new book in the series was released every six months and each contains two years of strips except for the first volume which includes strips from 1950 to 1952, just under three months longer. Publication of the series was completed in 2016.
The first book in the series was published in April 2004, and quickly topped the New York Times Best Seller List.
Besides Schulz's work, each book contains an introduction by an influential individual (often one with a connection to Schulz), an index of themes and characters, additional art by designer Seth based on a specific Peanuts panel, and a biography of Schulz written by series editor Gary Groth. In addition, the first volume contains an interview with Schulz conducted by Groth, and an extended biography.
For the hardback edition, the front of each book has a picture of one of the Peanuts characters designed by Canadian indie cartoonist Seth Fisher. Paperback editions began publication in 2013 and have comic strips on the front.
Previous to The Complete Peanuts, many Peanuts reprint books had been released by various publishers.
Sunday strips are reprinted alongside dailies in black and white and on a relatively small page. To address these problems, Fantagraphics began releasing Peanuts Every Sunday in 2014. Each volume has five years' worth of Sunday strips in color on a coffee table-sized page. Ten volumes will complete all of the Sunday strips.
Volume 25 includes the entirety of Lil' Folks and a bonus twenty-sixth includes sketches, interviews, and other material.
Hardcovers
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Cover art | Spine art | Color | Introduction | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Complete Peanuts: 1950 to 1952 | 1-56097-589-X | May 2004 | Charlie Brown | Shermy | Red | Garrison Keillor | 346 |
| 2 | The Complete Peanuts: 1953 to 1954 | 1-56097-614-4 | October 2004 | Lucy van Pelt | Charlotte Braun | Blue | Walter Cronkite | 344 |
| 3 | The Complete Peanuts: 1955 to 1956 | 1-56097-647-0 | May 2005 | "Pig-Pen" | Patty | Golden | Matt Groening | 344 |
| 4 | The Complete Peanuts: 1957 to 1958 | 1-56097-670-5 | October 2005 | Snoopy | Violet Gray | Green | Jonathan Franzen | 344 |
| 5 | The Complete Peanuts: 1959 to 1960 | 1-56097-671-3 | May 2006 | Patty | Schroeder | Grey | Whoopi Goldberg (US edition), Russell T. Davies (UK edition) | 344 |
| 6 | The Complete Peanuts: 1961 to 1962 | 1-56097-672-1 | October 2006 | Schroeder | Snoopy | Red | Diana Krall | 344 |
| 7 | The Complete Peanuts: 1963 to 1964 | 1-56097-723-X | May 2007 | Linus van Pelt | Lucy van Pelt | Turquoise | Bill Melendez | 344 |
| 8 | The Complete Peanuts: 1965 to 1966 | 1-56097-724-8 | August 2007 | Charlie Brown | 555 95472 | Green | Hal Hartley | 344 |
| 9 | The Complete Peanuts: 1967 to 1968 | 1-56097-826-0 | April 2008 | Violet Gray | Linus van Pelt | Pink | John Waters | 344 |
| 10 | The Complete Peanuts: 1969 to 1970 | 1-56097-827-9 | October 2008 | Snoopy (as the World War I Flying Ace) | "Pig-Pen" | Orange | Mo Willems | 344 |
| 11 | The Complete Peanuts: 1971 to 1972 | 1-60699-145-0 | March 2009 | Sally Brown | Thibault | Yellow | Kristin Chenoweth | 344 |
| 12 | The Complete Peanuts: 1973 to 1974 | 1-60699-286-4 | August 2009 | Woodstock | Frieda | Blue | Billie Jean King | 344 |
| 13 | The Complete Peanuts: 1975 to 1976 | 1-60699-345-3 | March 2010 | Frieda | Charlie Brown | Magenta | Robert Smigel | 344 |
| 14 | The Complete Peanuts: 1977 to 1978 | 1-60699-375-5 | September 2010 | Peppermint Patty | Sally Brown | Green | Alec Baldwin | 344 |
| 15 | The Complete Peanuts: 1979 to 1980 | 1-60699-438-7 | April 2011 | Charlie Brown | José Peterson | Orange | Al Roker | 344 |
| 16 | The Complete Peanuts: 1981 to 1982 | 1-60699-471-9 | August 2011 | Linus van Pelt | Eudora | Brown | Lynn Johnston | 344 |
| 17 | The Complete Peanuts: 1983 to 1984 | 1-60699-523-5 | March 2012 | Franklin | Roy | Grey | Leonard Maltin | 344 |
| 18 | The Complete Peanuts: 1985 to 1986 | 1-60699-572-3 | August 2012 | Spike | Marcie | Magenta | Patton Oswalt | 344 |
| 19 | The Complete Peanuts: 1987 to 1988 | 1-60699-634-7 | April 2013 | Lucy van Pelt | Peppermint Patty | Blue | Garry Trudeau | 344 |
| 20 | The Complete Peanuts: 1989 to 1990 | 1-60699-680-0 | October 2013 | Charlie Brown | Franklin | Grey | Lemony Snicket | 344 |
| 21 | The Complete Peanuts: 1991 to 1992 | 1-60699-726-2 | June 2014 | Marcie | Woodstock | Yellow | Tom Tomorrow | 344 |
| 22 | The Complete Peanuts: 1993 to 1994 | 1-60699-773-4 | November 2014 | Peppermint Patty | Molly Volley | Green | Jake Tapper | 344 |
| 23 | The Complete Peanuts: 1995 to 1996 | 1-60699-818-8 | July 2015 | Snoopy (as the "World Famous Attorney") | Spike | Purple | Rifftrax/MST3K | 348 |
| 24 | The Complete Peanuts: 1997 to 1998 | 1-60699-860-9 | September 2015 | Rerun van Pelt | Rerun van Pelt | Light Green | Paul Feig | 344 |
| 25 | The Complete Peanuts: 1999 to 2000 | 1-60699-913-3 | April 2016 | Sally Brown | Truffles | Orange | President Barack Obama | 332 |
| 26 | The Complete Peanuts: Volume 26 | 1-60699-957-5 | November 2016 | Charlie Brown | Charlie Brown | Red | Jean Schulz (afterword) |
344 |
Hard cover boxed sets
All of the volumes are also being released in boxed sets of two, housed in a specially designed slipcase that has a montage of characters' faces on either side. The individual boxes themselves are also available so you can package books that you've purchased.
| Title | ISBN | Release date | Center character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete Peanuts: 1950 to 1954 | 1-56097-632-2 | October 2004 | Charlie Brown (Volume 1 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1955 to 1958 | 1-56097-687-X | November 2005 | Snoopy (Volume 4 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1959 to 1962 | 1-56097-774-4 | October 2006 | Lucy van Pelt |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1963 to 1966 | 1-56097-868-6 | September 2007 | Linus van Pelt (Volume 7 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1967 to 1970 | 1-56097-948-8 | October 2008 | Snoopy (as the World War I Flying Ace) (Volume 10 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1971 to 1974 | 1-60699-287-2 | September 2009 | Woodstock (Volume 12 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1975 to 1978 | 1-60699-376-3 | September 2010 | Peppermint Patty (Volume 14 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1979 to 1982 | 1-60699-472-7 | August 2011 | Schroeder |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1983 to 1986 | 1-60699-573-1 | August 2012 | Spike (Volume 18 cover) |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1987 to 1990 | 1-60699-681-9 | October 2013 | Sally Brown |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1991 to 1994 | 1-60699-774-2 | November 2014 | Woodstock's bird friends |
| The Complete Peanuts: 1995 to 1998 | 1-60699-861-7 | September 2015 | Lucy van Pelt |
Soft covers
In 2013, Fantagraphics started releasing softcover editions of The Complete Peanuts with the same material as the hardcovers but different cover artwork. These covers feature a strip in focus, with three panels on the front. The first volume omits some small drawings that accompanied the essays and the interview has been deleted.
Soft cover boxed sets
The softcover editions also come in boxed sets of two. The slip covers feature a strip wrapped around it, with two panels on the front and two on the back.
Peanuts Every Sunday
Peanuts Every Sunday is a series featuring the Peanuts Sunday strips in full color. These books, unlike the Complete Peanuts series, are scheduled to be released one every year, in ten volumes covering half a decade each [except the first book (1952–55)]. Slip-cased sets will also be available.
| Title | ISBN | Release date | Character(s) in focus | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peanuts Every Sunday: 1952 to 1955 | 1-60699-692-4 | December 2013 | Charlie Brown | 288 |
| Peanuts Every Sunday: 1956 to 1960 | 1-60699-794-7 | November 2014 | Lucy van Pelt | 272 |
| Peanuts Every Sunday: 1961 to 1965 | 1-60699-872-2 | November 2015 | Charlie Brown and Snoopy | 288 |