Synopses & Reviews
This beautiful album will dazzle fans of Charles M. Schulz and his art, providing an unprecedented look at the work of the most brilliant and beloved cartoonist of the twentieth century. Here is the whole gang-Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, and all the others from the original
Peanuts strips.
More than five hundred comic strips are reproduced, as well as such rare or never-before-seen items as a sketchbook from Schulz's army days in the early 1940s; his very first printed strip, Just Keep Laughing; his private scrapbook of pre-Peanuts Li'l Folks strips; developmental sketches for the first versions of Charlie Brown and the other Peanuts characters; a sketchbook from 1963; and many more materials gathered from the Schulz archives in Santa Rosa, California.
The art has been stunningly photographed by Geoff Spear in full color, capturing the subtle textures of paper, ink, and line. The strips-which were shot only from the original art or vintage newsprint-reveal how, from the 1950s through 2000, Schulz's style and the Peanuts world evolved. The book features an introduction by Jean Schulz and has been designed and edited by renowned graphic artist Chip Kidd, who also provides an informed and appreciative commentary.
This celebration of the genius of the most revered cartoonist of our time is a must for anyone who has ever come under the spell of Peanuts.
Synopsis
Charles M. Schulz (1922andndash;2000) believed that the key to cartooning was to take out the extraneous details and leave in only whatandrsquo;s necessary. For 50 years, from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, Schulz wrote and illustrated Peanuts, the single most popular and influential comic strip in the world. In all, 17,897 strips were published, making it andldquo;arguably the longest story ever told by one human being,andrdquo; according to Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. For Only Whatandrsquo;s Necessary: Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts, renowned designer Chip Kidd was granted unprecedented access to the extraordinary archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California. Reproducing the best of the Peanuts newspaper strip,all shot from the original art by award-winning photographer Geoff Spear, Only Whatandrsquo;s Necessary also features exclusive, rare, and unpublished original art and developmental workandmdash;much of which has never been seen before.
About the Author
Chip Kidd is a graphic designer and writer, and editor-at-large for Pantheon. A three-time Eisner Award winner, he has written and designed over a dozen books on comics including
Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz. His novels,
The Cheese Monkeys and
The Learners, were national bestsellers, as was
True Prep: Itandrsquo;s a Whole New Old World (with Lisa Birnbach). Other books include
Go: A Kiddandrsquo;s Guide to Graphic Design and the forthcoming
Judge This. He lives in New York City.
Geoff Spear is an award-winning photographer who has collaborated with Chip Kidd on over a dozen books and numerous book jackets. His compelling photographs have appeared on the cover and in the pages of TIME, Newsweek, Fortune, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, the New York Times Magazine, and many others. He lives in New York City.