PDF The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson 9781449433253 Books

Product details Paperback 1456 pages Publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing (November 13, 2012) Language English ISBN-10 1449433251

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Bill Watterson 9781449433253 Books Reviews

• Something that other reviews don't seem to be saying the issues with pages falling out seems to have been resolved.
  
  The original problem was that the pages were glued together instead of sewn. THIS HAS BEEN CORRECTED with a subsequent printing. That being said, I would strongly recommend against purchasing a used copy of this set unless you've verified with the seller that the binding is SEWN binding.
  
  A little background being aware of the issues surrounding the glued binding, I did a little research on internet forums to see if the issue had been corrected. The only evidence I could find was one random poster on a random forum saying that they "thought" the issue had been corrected.
  
  So I took matters into my own hands and called the publisher. It took forever to get through to them (the number seems to be intended for wholesalers looking to purchase in bulk), but the lady that helped me was able to call back and confirm that the binding is now sewn rather than glued. I asked when the most recent printing had been, and her (now undoubtedly out-of-date) answer gave me confidence that it was far enough back to reassure me that most retailers would have cleared out their stock of the first edition printing. Reassured by this (and 's return policy), I went ahead and purchased after it went on sale. And I can now confirm sewn binding.
  
  As an aside, as others are saying, the collection is quite heavy—but I wouldn't say that the individual books are too heavy to read if you've propped the book against your legs, etc.
  
  The quality of this collection is (finally) worthy of such a great and timeless comic strip. Calvin & Hobbes stands alone at the top of best comic strip of all time, and nothing else even comes close. Everyone can enjoy this strip, from young kids to adults (though adult fans likely won't want to let their kids touch the books lol)
• I will keep this brief
  
  1) This has every weekday strip, weekend comic, and extra creation for the books that Bill Watterson ever created on "Calvin and Hobbes."
  2) It is ordered and labeled chronologically.
  3) I have the 5th edition. I expect this is in its 17th printing or so now. The hardcovers and slipcase are high quality. The pages are strong and durable, and the colors from the Sundays are very vibrant.
  4) There is a short essay in the front of the first volume. After that, there are no comments.
  5) If you are looking for Bill Watterson's comments on his work, you should go buy the 10th Anniversary book.
• There's not much praise I can give this set that hasn't already been said. It's a wonderful collection of one of the best comic strips of all time. The construction is great, the presentation is great, and I'm very happy to own it.
  
  HOWEVER, as I'm reading through the first volume, I've already noticed two changes made to the comic strips. The first, and most obvious, is that the early strip where Calvin asks his mom if he was adopted, if they're going to make him work in a cannery, and if they're planning on eating him has been altered. The question in the first panel has now been changed (not so subtly either, I might add) to "Mom, was I genetically engineered or cloned?" The original wording can be found in the original books, as well as the 10th anniversary collection, so I doubt this was Watterson's intent. The second change I noticed, and the far more minor one, is in a strip where Calvin is grumpy because it's rained the entire camping trip, and his dad tries to encourage him. The original line from the dad is "Some trouper you are!" but an editor has changed it to "Some trooper you are!" despite "trouper" actually being the correct spelling in that instance.
  
  I haven't noticed any other issues like that, and I certainly enjoy the box set, but it's disappointing that someone felt the need to meddle with such a great comic before printing it in such an authoritative treasury.
• The ‘Hardcover - 3 volume edition’ is perfect! Beautiful art reproduction, quality paper and sewn binding! I just wanted to point it out, because I got the impression that the binding was only glued, but I guess that must refer to the ‘Softcover – 4 volume edition’. Also, the picture in front and back of the books are a part of the whole red cover, and not glued on, which other reviews mention. Highly recommended! -)
• Heavy, beautifully bound (pages are sewn, not glued) using quality paper in a protective slip case. Book one starts out with a lengthy, and very interesting, write up by the strip's author Bill Watterson. The printing is flawless and every page lists the date each strip appeared. If you are a veteran Calvin and Hobbies reader this will bring back hours of fond memories. If you are new to the strip you're in for a treat. I have absolutely no regrets buying these wonderful volumes. Thank you Mr. Watterson for a ton of great laughs and great memories.