The Complete Far Side (1 Viewer)

[Kevin Porter]

Has anyone even considered purchasing this bad boy? $94 at Amazon with 2 volumes containing over 4,000 cartoons (1,100 of them never appearing in a book before). I heard this thing is heavy but I can't get enough of that Gary Larson goodness. I've bought a couple of Far Side books (2 treasuries and 3 normal ones) so I'm wondering if it would be worth it to go for the definitive gold here. Any thoughts?

 

[Jason Seaver]

I've seen one at the local comic shop; someone had special-ordered it and not yet picked it up. Unfortunately, it's wrapped in plastic so neither I nor the staff was able to preview it, but it looks like something that's well worth the purchase for a big Far Side fan - a very slick looking pair of slipcased hardcovers.

I'm not quite a big enough fan of The Far Side to get it at my current financial state, but when Fantagraphics starts releasing The Complete Peanuts next year...

 

[Seth--L]

It pretty much sells itself.

I'm going to hold off buying it to see if any of my local bookstores sell it for a super discounted price for the holidays. It seems like one of those items that will eventually significantly drop in price.

 

[Dan D.]

I got to flip through one of the volumes and it is very nicely done. The pages are glossy stock and have a colored background. Cartoons are organized by date. Definitely a handsome set, done in a classic slipcovered reference book style. For those who haven't seen it, it's huge and very heavy. It might prove to be a problem fitting on some book shelves.

FYI, I saw it at my local Costco for $80. If I hadn't been picking up the big Cylon-head Battlestar Galactica DVD set, I might have considered it.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

I heard it's just shy of 20lbs. I'm going to get it. I'm trying to decide if I should just order it now or wait for Christmas. Amazon has a deluxe leather bound edition for $750. I think I'll pass on that one.

 

[Paul D Young]

I think this thing would be a perfect Christmas gift! For someone to give to me.
A little too expensive for me to just buy it without a special occasion.:frowning:

 

[Rob Lutter]

Wow. I'm a huge Far Side fan, so I am gonna have to pick this up once I have a spare $80 in my pocket (or even better, Christmas, so I can sucker someone else into buying it )

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Amazon has a deluxe leather bound edition for $750

Ffffffu-ah!

I love Gary Larson. Awesome stuff. Hilarious. I'll have to check to see if these are available in the UK as there is no way I am importing this! I shudder at the thought of the Airmail charge!

Thanks for pointing this out, Kevin.


Gordy

 

[Chris Farmer]

I'll get the hardback set eventually, once I have a bit more cash. Far Side is way to brilliant to not have the complete collection. Are the cartoons still in black and white or have they been colorized? I'll buy either way, but they definitely worked better in B&W, Larson wasn't very good at using color.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I'd love to own this as well but not till the price drops a lot

 

[alan halvorson]

Someone mentioned in another thread that they ordered a copy, and then I saw it in Barnes & Noble and it went to the top of my must have list. My local Sam's didn't carry it (damn! I should have looked online!) so I ordered it from Amazon; ought to be here Wednesday or Thursday.

If you're a Far Side enthusiast, you simply must own this set. It includes not only every published Far Side cartoon, but many others that never were. Plus, occasionally, letters from folks who objected to some of the cartoons - some of these are priceless.

 

[Scott Ware]

A quick question: Being a Far Side fan, I've purchased the Galleries 1-5, the Last Chapter and Worse, and the Pre-History. Is there anything in this collection that isn't found in what I listed above (I don't want to spend $95 only to find out that I've already bought everything in it in one form or another).

 

[Kevin Porter]

Well according to the description on Amazon, there are more 1,100 cartoons that have never appeared in any Far Side book ever. Plus it includes six cartoons that periodically ran as a special feature in The New York Times' Science Times section as The Far Side of Science.

Seeing as how I only have 2 of the galleries and 3 of the regular books, this would probably more of a deal for me than it would be for you. But you would be getting more than 1,106 cartoons you know for sure you don't have.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

According to www.bestwebbuys.com/books/ "A1Techbooks" has the best price at $70. (However that vendor has lots of complaints in feedback.) You may want to bookmark this bot as it has saved me a lot of money on books.

 

[Matt Gordon]

I saw this at Sam's Warehouse Club for $79 just tonight. I'd bought it at a local bookstore (which shall remain nameless because they sold it to me a few days before street date) a week ago.

Many of the cartoons are in color, and the book set is everything it's cracked up to be. The highest quality of materials and design, etc., etc.

I highly recommend it, especially for $80.

 

[Todd K]

So 1/4-1/5 of all his cartoons never appeared in any book? I was always under the impression that the Far Side Galleries were the whole deal. I have all 5 of those, plus the Pre-history book, and Last Chapter and worse. I wonder if a lot of the Prehistory stuff made it into this new volume.

 

[Kevin Porter]

I'm still on the fence on this one. I have:

The Far Side Gallery 2 and 5

Unnatural Selections

Weiner Dog Art

Last Chapter and Worse

I don't want to spend $80 to rebuy what I already might have. Does anyone in a similar situation have any advice? Would it be worth the $80 to get the 1100 extra cartoons? Any anecdotes from any pleased buyers of the book? I just need a little push that will get me to fall off the fence. This really needs to be a justified purchase for me.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Sounds like roughly half of it will be new content for you, Kevin. Is that worth $80 to you? If it were me I'd say yes, but I don't know your financial situation.

I'm going to hold off buying it to see if any of my local bookstores sell it for a super discounted price for the holidays. It seems like one of those items that will eventually significantly drop in price.

Or it could be one of those items that isn't reprinted and skyrockets in price and when it's $450 on eBay you're kicking yourself. It's a close call, but I'd lean toward the latter. These are pretty classy volumes and I don't see them staying in print indefinitely like the paperbacks.

 

[Kevin Porter]

Half the content you say? Hmmm. Well, I think you just pushed me off the fence and into Far Side heaven. Thank you Mark. I picked it up at Sam's but I think I'm going to wait and open it at Christmas.

 

[andrew markworthy]

I'll have to check to see if these are available in the UK

You can breath easy, Gordon - they are (circa 70 quid). Well, that sorts out what my wife buys me for my birthday.