GB Trudeau, 40 Years of Doonesbury, and my Christmas Present...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

This weighty tome (at least ten pounds!) came to me, thanks to my husband's efforts, and per my request, for Christmas...

I have always read, and loved, Doonesbury. I grew up with it. The original cast of characters is dear to me...

So, when I found out that this retrospective was coming out, I knew I had to have it.

It is a GREAT read.

He has a chapter for every original character, and these chapters are filled with selected strips that are appropriate. Trudeau prefaces every chapter with information about that character.

In the middle of this book is a double fold-out that shows a family tree....sort of. It allows you to see what's going on, well, sort of. I haven't studied that part too much, just yet...

This is a book to savor, to linger over, to dip into as you're inclined...

Highly recommended!

[Tikki]

1. Sounds amazing,...kinda like a Michener book gone wild..

:hi:


Tikki

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. It IS amazing!

The case is about 10" by 14"!

It's a monster, and damned heavy to boot!

:hi:

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. What's the title????

I too am a die hard Doonesbury fan. Have all of the books from the 70's and 80's and even have the short cartoon film.

Tell ya a funny story.
My youngest son, around age 16, super smart, super lazy, was getting bad grades in school.
This is mid 1980's....

One day he comes home proudly with an A in "current history".
I asked him how the hell he managed to do that.
He said " I have read all your Doonesbury books, Mom".

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Title?

Um....well, I carried the slip case up here to refer to...

The book is too heavy to carry around!

I think the title goes something like this: 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective.

Good for your son! That's a great story, lol!

:rofl:

[hfojvt]

3. it has a 29.95 cover price doesn't it?

it sounds pretty neat. I think I have a 25 year retrospective around here somewhere.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Nope, it was more than that...

My husband got it on Amazon, but even so I think it was more than that...

It is well worth it, whatever the price is. I think the retail was $100.00.

I didn't ask my husband what he paid...:P

[Atman]

16. Yeah...

$100, or signed by G. B. Trudeau for $130.

[The Straight Story]

4. Awesome! Here is an idea

Call me up later and read me to sleep with it ;)

Hiya Peggy, hope the holidays have been good to you!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. And just how do you read a comic strip??? lol...

It has to be seen, silly!

Hey, babe...the holidays have indeed been good to me, and my whole family!

I hope yours were excellent too..

:hug:

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. My dear CaliforniaPeggy!

.
.
.
.
What a GREAT present!!!
.
I have always loved Doonesbury -- I seem to remember Trudeau's
first really REALLY controversial comic was when the radio D.J.
was commenting on Nixon during the Watergate era and simply said:
.
"GUILTY!!! GUILTY!!! GUILTY!!!"
.
.
.
.
He lost a lot of ignant newspapers that day... but gained a lot of
credibility as a sociopolitical commentator -- KIND of the Jon
Stewart of his day.
.
.
.
.
And of COURSE you can read comics to someone over the phone --
I think it was the 40's (and probably beyond) where it was common
for someone to read the Sunday funnies over the air every week.
.
.
There was also during that era (I think this was it) a MAGICIAN with
a radio show -- how that one was portrayed sight-unseen... I could
never figure out.
.
.
.
.
.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. My dear MiddleFingerMom!

And you're right, of course!

I believe it was the mayor (then) of New York, who read the comics to the kids during a newspaper strike...

La Guardia? I'm not sure.

I'm loving my present!

:hi:

[eppur_se_muova]

19. You have crafted a new word, "ignant" ...

since it simultaneously suggests both "indignant" and "ignorant", I propose it be kept and nurtured. :)

[MiddleFingerMom]

20. I can't claim this one, though I actually HAVE crafted a few (forgot 'em)...

.
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It's been a Southern colloquialism that I've always liked... seems
to imply "willful" ignorance.
.
.
.

[spanone]

11. beware of doug

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. Doug?

:shrug:

I seem to dimly remember...

[MiddleFingerMom]

21. My dear CaliforniaPeggy!

.
.
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.
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That cryptic comment woulda had me stymied, too... if I hadn't
stumbled across it in a recent picture search.
.
.
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It's a t-shirt with an intentional misspelling -- I'da actually gotten
one if my name were "Doug" (not that I could afford to).
.
.
.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

22. My dear MiddleFingerMom!

Ah, thank you!

I really had no idea. I thought maybe it was a minor character in the Doonesbury chronicles...


And thank you for tending my thread, sweetie!

:hug:

[tularetom]

13. Our stupid newspaper keeps moving the strip around

I think they do that in the hopes readers will give up on it and they can remove it from the paper completely.

First they had it on the comics page, then they moved it to the op ed pages, then the business section, then they stuck it smack in the middle of the now almost empty classified ads. Somewhere in this game of hide and seek I lost track of the strip. And new characters and situations were introduced. but they moved it one time too many. Recently it's been on the page with the crossword puzzle and the sudoku which is the only reason I keep subscribing to the worthless republican rag in the first place. And I found it again. So I have rediscovered Doonesbury.

But there is a big gap in my understanding of the stories so as soon as I can scrape up the dough I may buy the book.

Thanks for cluing me in, CP.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. What a dreadful thing for your paper to do!

Keep persevering! As you know, it's well worth it.

The book is simply amazing...

Glad to clue you in!

[pacalo]

18. Your newspaper does that, too!

On any given day, except Sunday, Doonesbury can be found in the classified, sports, or travel section, along with a just a few other comics.

[Atman]

14. My wife gave it to me for Christmas. It is a very, very impressive volume.

This ain't no coffee table book...it's about as big as a coffee table and weighs about as much. But it is BEAUTIFUL!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. My impressions exactly!

[CTyankee]

23. Trudeau was autographing his book downtown New Haven last month.

I almost went and picked up a volume for my son in law,but the price was pretty steep. It would have been cool to talk to him, tho. He and Jane have a summer house on one of the Thimble Islands close to New Haven...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. How very cool!

I would have loved to talk to him too...

The way he writes seems to indicate he's pretty approachable too.

:hi:

[CTyankee]

25. His roommate at Yale for whom Doonesbury gets its name lives here.

He's Charlie Pillsbury and he recently retired as the head of a nonprofit organization he started that does mediation to resolve issues outside of the courts. Charlie has run for mayor of New Haven as a Green Party candidate. He hopes to keep a spot for the party on the ballot.

I love that Trudeau persistently highlights the problems that face our wounded service men and women. He seems to be truly moved and saddened by the terrible toll these two wars have inflicted on these young Americans.

He and Charlie are like two peas in a pod to me...both from great wealth who decided early in life to devote themselves to bettering society...

[gmoney]

26. scored it for $40 at B&N tonight, signed!

They have a number of things marked 50% off, plus 10% more if you're a member, so I got mine for $40 plus tax.

However, I do believe that the "Doonesbury 40" DOES refer to the weight... I spotted it when I first got there, and it was the only one I saw with that markdown, so I ended up hauling it with me around the store. Ugh... my back still hurts!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

28. My dear gmoney!

Oh, how lucky!

I don't really think it's 40 POUNDS, lol!

However, I'm leaving mine on the couch where I read. It's just too darned heavy for carting around...

I know you'll love it!

:hi:

[applegrove]

27. I wanted that big coffee table book on the 'far side'. I asked my dad for it

for christmas but he didn't want to get me a glorified comic book.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. I"m sorry, my dear applegrove...

Save your money, and buy it yourself...

[applegrove]

30. Oh I could have bought it at the time. But I didn't. I don't think it is available anymore. No big

deal.

[KittyLover]

31. I've always been a BIG Calvin & Hobbes fan

but I'll check it out if ever I'm in a book store. If you reccomend it, it HAS to be good. Have a restful night, Peg. :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

32. My dear KittyLover!

I too have always been a big Calvin and Hobbes fan...

But before them was Doonesbury. As I said, I grew up with that strip.

And of course, you can love both of them!

I do...

Thanks for the good wishes and the compliments...I wish the same for you!

:hug: