Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"Readers...will surely enjoy flipping through the slick, full-colored pages of this mammoth treasury, a lavish (and heavy!) collector's item that is the perfect gift for Far Side fans." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[T]hink of this...as the book equivalent to the sumptuous DVD treatment of a favorite television series....The Far Side remains a magnificent contribution to popular culture, and Gary Larson stands...among the great masters of macabre whimsy..." Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
About the Author
The Far Side was syndicated in more than 1,900 daily newspapers from 1980 to 1995, when Gary Larson retired. During its run, the cartoon spawned 22 books from AMP, which were translated into a total of 17 different languages. For his work with The Far Side, Larson was awarded the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist from the National Cartoonists Society in 1991 and 1994. The group also named The Far Side Best Syndicated Panel in both 1985 and 1987.
Table of Contents
v. 1. 1980-1986 -- v. 2. 1987-1994.