The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set)
by Gary Larson, Steve Martin
List Price:
Our Price: $93.00
You Save: $57.00 (38%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $79.36 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Gary Larson, Steve MartinEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10
ISBN: 0740721135
Number of pages: 1272
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Book Reviews of The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set)
Book Review: Sublimely Weird
Summary: 5 Stars
Because Gary Larson's "The Far Side" cartoons didn't appear in my newspaper, I never saw them as they came out. Instead, I'd see them tacked to office cubicle walls, or on greeting cards, or desktop calendars, or coffee mugs -- in short, all over the place. It didn't take me long to become a big Larson fan.
When I first came across "The Complete Far Side" a year ago, in a local book store, it was set up on the kind of display stand normally reserved for encyclopedias, major dictionaries, and other scholarly works of that sort. As I reverently turned the pages, laughing at just about everything I saw, my hands got really sweaty. ("Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease!") It was mighty pricey. It was HUGE. Where am I going to PUT this thing??? No, I really can't .... and I'd walk away, looking back longingly.
So I thought about it for a full year, watching sales come and go, and the books disappear for a time, only to reappear, and finally I broke down and ordered them from Amazon. The shipment box comes with a prominent "warning, heavy contents" sticker. Larson calls it an "18-pound hernia giver". Page "xxi" in Volume One shows a full-page cartoon of the books being assembled with a crane. You get the idea.
And I still had to figure out where to put them. They won't fit on any of my bookshelves. They're much too big for the coffee table. Under my bed? The monsters would eat them, and the crunching would keep me awake. Finally I hit upon the ideal solution: I slung them onto my dresser, between my "Compact Oxford Dictionary" and the filing cabinet.
Interesting note: the two-volume microprint dictionary comes in its own display case, complete with magnifying glass, and turns out to be EXACTLY the same height and depth as "The Complete Far Side". So they look really nice together.
The display case itself is very attractive, with a picture of cooks hunting flying cows on one side, and a "family portrait" of some of Larson's stock characters on the other side: the Neanderthal, the nerdy-looking boy, the mad scientist, the woman with horn-rimmed glasses, a snake, and a praying mantis, to name just a few. The cover of Volume One has a portrait looking like a parody of Queen Elizabeth I or a contemporary, in a stately dress; Volume Two has the same portrait, this time of a cow. Inside the covers of each book are sketches of "Cow Town", sort of what the seedy part of town might look like in a bovine-dominated civilization.
And then there are the cartoons themselves. They're arranged roughly in chronological order. At the start of each year is an essay written by Larson, describing various fascinating aspects of his formative years along with how he came up with some of his ideas. Right before each essay is a two-page panoramic cartoon with the year emblazoned on it. For instance, 1981 has "When Cows Ruled the Earth", one of my favorites.
Interspersed with the daily cartoons are various letters, ranging from the puzzled ("What does the Cow Tools cartoon mean???") to the admiring, to the utterly outraged ("Gary Larson is sick, sick, sick!!!") And then there was the infamous 1987 "Jane Goodall Tramp" cartoon, which, as it turns out, Dr. Goodall enjoyed a great deal. It can be a great honor to find oneself in a "Far Side" cartoon.
True, Larson's cartoons aren't for everyone. Some of them are pretty outrageous, like the one of the alligator being shooed out of the nursery ("Heaven knows how he keeps getting in here, Betty, but you better count 'em"), or the one where the doctors are testing babies for static cling. Any number of animal and human characters throughout the years meet their untimely demise in various bizarre and creepy ways, be it the man-eating mailbox, the giant Venus flytrap disguised as a swing set, or the cows waiting not-so-patiently in line at Anderson's meat-packing plant. ("Hey! You! ... No cutting in!")
As time permits, usually at bedtime, I've been leafing through the books page by page, with note paper handy, writing down the page number and date of any cartoon that strikes my fancy, from my favorite classics to ones I've seen for the very first time. A significant number of them are in color, including hundreds which Larson went back and redid, all the way back to 1980 -- the first year of publication. The color ones tend to be the best, as the details stand out better. As Larson gets more and more comfortable with drawing the cartoons, they tend to get funnier. As a result, I have three pages of notes for Volume One, and twice that many for Volume Two.
There are only two things I wish the books had. The first is, admittedly, unrealistic: an index by cartoon caption and another by topic (cows, chickens, cave men, aliens, etc.) But, they'd probably have to be micro-printed to fit in a two-volume work, so never mind.
My second wish is more doable, and in fact does come with the Oxford: pull tabs, for coaxing the volumes out of the box. As it is, the operation consists of sliding the case to the front of the dresser, tipping it forward ... ever ... so ... gingerly, and trying to catch the books before they fall onto my foot and break a toe or something.
But these are minor quibbles. If you're at all a fan of "The Far Side", and have the money and the room, you'll want these books. They're great for endless hours of entertainment.
My one warning: don't try to read these while you're recovering from abdominal surgery. It will hurt.
Summary of The Complete Far Side 1980-1994 (2 vol set)
New York Times best-seller!
?Every one of these cartoons is just something that drifted into my head when I was alone with my thoughts. And, for better or worse, I ?jotted? them down. It was only later, when perhaps I received an angry letter from someone, that it struck me: Hey! Someone's been reading my diary!?
?Gary Larson, from the preface to The Complete Far Side
Revered by its fans as the funniest, most original, most ?What the ... ??-inspiring cartoon ever, The Far Side® debuted in January 1980 and enjoyed an illustrious 14 years on the world?s comics pages until Gary Larson?s retirement in 1994. The Complete Far Side celebrates Gary?s twisted, irreverent genius in this ultimate Far Side book, a lavish production, which takes its place alongside collector?s-edition art books.
A masterpiece of comic brilliance, The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon every syndicated?over 4,000 if you must know?presented in (more or less) chronological order by year of publication, with more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book. Also included are additional Far Side cartoons Larson created after his retirement: 13 that appeared in the last Far Side book, Last Chapter and Worse, and six cartoons that periodically ran as a special feature in the New York Times Science Times section as The Far Side of Science. Creator Gary Larson offers a rare glimpse into the mind of The Far Side in quirky and thoughtful introductions to each of the 14 chapters. Complaint letters, fan letters, and queries from puzzled readers appear alongside some of the more provocative or elusive panels. Actor, author, and comedian Steve Martin offers his pithy thoughts in a foreword, and Gary Larson?s former editor describes what it was like to be ?the guy who could explain every Far Side cartoon.?
The Complete Far Side © 2003 by FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side® and the Larson® signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc.
Gary Larson calls The Complete Far Side, the massive two-volume collection of his Far Side cartoons, an "18-pound hernia giver." Sure to give any coffee table a solid workout, the handsome and heavy 1,272-page "legacy book" is a must for fervent fans; over 4,300 single-panel comics with more than half in color and 1,100 that have not appeared in any book form before (the popular--and far less weighty--paperback collections).
Set in rough chronological order, the comics share pages with occasional letters from fans, detractors, editors, folks made famous by a particular cartoon, and those begging for explanations. Though few explanations are provided (Larson personally supplies merely one, plus a single apology), this collection helps answer the inevitable "how do you think up these things" conundrum. Before each year's cartoons, Larson provides insight with essays about his childhood, various travels, occupational hazards, and his official rules for dealing with bedtime monsters (which often turned out to be his older brother). Most wonderful is the first essay on how the comic started. (His longtime editor Jake Morrissey's long introduction is a must read on The Far Side's story).
Despite no central characters, it's easy to spot patterns in Larson's wild and wacky cartoons. Animals, insects, and inanimate objects often exhibit all-too-human impulses. Larson's subjects are often in scenes of peril--disasters, visits to hell, and perhaps a hundred cartoons set on a one-palm tree deserted island. It is what Larson's fertile imagination mined from those situations that created fans and enemies for 14 years. (Larson retired at his peak and then went into jazz music). The comics are not indexed (how could they be--first lines? listings of cartoons with cows?); finding a favorite requires a great memory for its publication date. Best simply to peruse the pages of this beautiful collection in which you will certainly find more than a few new chuckles before landing on your beloved Larson sketch. --Doug Thomas
Comic Strips Books
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
The Best of Sudhir Darby Sudhir Dar
Penguin Books Australia; Published: 2003-03-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.20
Petty's Australia - and How It Worksby Bruce Petty
Penguin Putnam~trade; Published: 1978-09-28; Paperback; Book
Best of Laxman: The Common Man Balances His Budgetby R. K. Laxman
Penguin Books Australia; Published: 2000-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.50
Laugh with Laxmanby R.K. Laxman
Penguin Books Australia; Published: 1999-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.47
The " Simpsons " - " Futurama " Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis (The " Simpsons " )by Matt Groening
HarperCollins Entertainment; Published: 2007-01-02; Paperback; Book
Binky's Guide to Love: A Little Book of Hell by Matt Groeningby Matt Groening
HarperCollins Entertainment; Published: 2006-01-03; Hardcover; Book
Love Is Hellby Matt Groening
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2004-01-19; Paperback; Book
Cartoon Workshopby Joel Mishon
Harper Collins; Published: 2003-02-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.89
Homer Simpson's Guide to Being a Manby Matt Groening
Harper Collins; Published: 2004-12-31; Hardcover; Book
Snoopy: Not Your Average Dogby Charles M. Schulz
HarperEntertainment; Published: 1996-10-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $32.00
Bloom County: The Complete Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984 (Bloom County Library)by Berkeley Breathed
IDW Publishing; Published: 2010-05-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $26.39
Price in other shops:
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends: Complete SeriesRocky; Release date: 2011-01-04; DVD
Best price: $59.99
Price in other shops:
Berkeley Breathed - Bloom County: The Complete Library, Vol. 3: 1984-1986 (Bloom County Library)by Berkeley Breathed
Idea & Design Works, LLC; Published: 2010-10-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.10
Price in other shops:
Last Chapter and Worseby Gary Larson
Andrews McMeel Publishing; Published: 1996-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.44
Price in other shops:
40: A Doonesbury Retrospectiveby G. B. Trudeau
Andrews McMeel Publishing; Published: 2010-10-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $49.95
Price in other shops:
Wiener Dog Art: A Far Side Collectionby Gary Larson
Andrews McMeel Publishing; Published: 1990-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.58
Price in other shops:
Muppet Five-Pack With Tin (Muppet Treasure Island / The Muppet Movie / The Muppet Show: Season One / The Muppet Show: Season Two / The Muppet Show: Season Three) (Amazon.com Exclusive)Release date: 2010-10-01; DVD
Best price: $99.75
Price in other shops:
Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbertby Scott Adams
Andrews McMeel Publishing; Published: 2008-10-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $39.97
Price in other shops:
The PreHistory of The Far Side:: A 10th Anniversary Exhibitby Gary Larson
Andrews and McMeel Publishing; Published: 1989-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.24
Price in other shops:
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes) (v. 1, 2, 3)by Bill Watterson
Andrews McMeel Publishing; Published: 2005-10-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $91.77
Price in other shops: