Rating: 
Summary: A Great Addition to any Bookcase
Review: This book, written to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of "Peanuts" had the unfortunate distinction to be published shortly before the unexpected death of the strip's creator Charles Schultz. As such, it becomes more then just a book about a celebration, but a lasting tribute to what is undoubtedly THE defining modern comic strip.The book itself is fantastic. It brings together selected strips from throughout the strip's history and as you read through it, you see not only the classic strips, the great visual gags of the missed kickoffs and the kite eating trees, but you also get a sense for the strip's gradual growth and development. If there is one problem with "Peanuts," it is that over the course of the years, there have been many so many anthologies and collections of the strip published by so many different companies and sources, that it is almost impossible to get some sort of definitive set of "Peanuts" comic strip work. With that said, however, if you do ever own just one Peanuts book through which to relive those days of flipping through the newspaper for the comic page, make this one that book.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Good Grief! Fifty years of Peanuts!
Review: I can't believe it's been that long. Although I'm nowhere near 50 years of age, I enjoy the Peanuts comic strip and I've read it for as long as I can remember. This is a wonderful book to read to kids or to yourself. It's a great compilation of Charles Schulz's creative genius. It may be...but it's worth the cost.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but bad Editing
Review: Peanuts is a great strip, and this is a great collection. The fact that one or two strips appear twice is more than made up for in Shulz's auto-biography, and looking into the history of a true piece of American literature is more fun than I've had in a while. Here we learn about Shulz's hardships in getting started, and about the critics that followed hims afterward (who would've thought you could read so much into Lucy pulling the football away?) Shulz gives details of his inspiration and his style. Definitely a top-rate piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it
Review: This is a great collection. I couldn't put it down. The little commentaries were nice and I loved the layout of other srips with Peanuts characters. I do wish, however, that a presentable volume of all the Peanut strips was published. I would gladly pay any price just to be transported back to the world of Snoopy, the Great Pumpkin, 40-0 baseball games, Schroeder's......
Rating:
Summary: A TREASURE
Review: DELIGHTFUL. A TREASURE. WE GAVE AT CRISTMAS TO FORMER RESIDENTS OF CHARLIE BROWN'S HOMETOWN, MUCH APPRECIATED.
Rating:
Summary: Best loved comic strip for a good reason
Review: Issued shortly before Charles Schulz's death, Peanuts: A Golden Celebration gives the true Peanuts fan a look at all five decades of Peanuts' history. From "Lil Folks," Schulz's original one panel cartoon to the latest strips, this book is a delightful journey through the years. Interspersed throughout is commentary by Schulz himself, which adds to the enjoyment of reading (or re-reading) these strips and understanding why it was one of the greatest comic strips of all times. With a few lines, Schulz was able to capture emotions that others couldn't do with thousands of words. Until the day it is decided to reproduce all the strips in collectable form, this is the one indispensable Peanuts collection.
Rating:
Summary: A must have !!
Review: This is a very good compilation of the strip with a lot of strips on 'The Flying Ace' and other unforgettable characters that Snoopy assumes.
The compilation runs through the inception of the strip 50 years ago when the artwork was quite different right to the present day. I have spent many delightful hours browsing through this archive of the greatest character in pencil. There are ample accompanying notes of significance in the history of Peanuts and 'first appearance' strips as well. Let me place this volume in a more prominent place on my bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Charlie Brown will always RULE!
Review: I have been a Peanuts fan since before I could read and 20 some years later, they never fail to make me laugh or cheer me up when I'm sad. Charles Schultz will remain an American icon for years to come and Charlie Brown will NEVER be forgotten along with the Red Baron, Joe Cool, Lucy's Psych booth, Linus' blanket, Schroeder's piano and the many many other Peanuts characters. This book is an excellent addition to any Peanuts fan's collection. It surely was to mine. I love seeing the early Charlie Brown and the silent "normal" Snoopy. Linus as a tike is adorable as is Sally when Charlie Brown announces he's a "father"! I get many a strange look from my family as I sit and laugh out loud while reading my Peanuts treasures. Long live the Peanuts!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: While there is much anecdotal information of interest here -- the letters of protest are especially enlightening -- the focus should be on the comic strip itself. Unfortunately, it is presented shabbily at best. Continuing stories in the daily strips are somtimes printed out of sequence or, on a couple of highly embarrassing occasions, even repeated. Moreover, the color on the Sunday strips is of extremely poor quality and greatly diminishes their impact. If your interest is in adding to your collection of Peanuts lore, this book has a lot of worthwhile historical information. If your interest is in enjoying the strips, you would be much better served trying to find an out-of-print copy of PEANUTS CLASSICS (color reproduction on the Sunday strips is superb) or the recent reprint of the PEANUTS TREASURY. I challenge Those In Charge to present us with a high-quality hardbound series of all of the PEANUTS strips in chronological order, from beginning to end, with correct color for the Sunday strips. As creator of one of the most influential comic strips and recognizable cultural icons of the 20th century, Charles Schulz deserves nothing less.
Rating:
Summary: Peanuts deserves better, we deserve better
Review: This is a delightful book. The photos and information of Charles Schulz (allow me an aside:: I think that Charlie "BROWN" is a smokescreen: the main character of this strip is Charlie SCHULZ), his background, and his studio are wonderful for a lifelong fan (I'm a year younger than Linus). The commentary and selection are superb, and it's even fun to shake your head over some of the 'fan' mail he got. Allow me a sour note: the editing is sloppy. Strip #5 on page 15 appears again on page 16. The lower four strips on page 149 are out of order: they should go #6, #3, #5, #4. Good grief! Confused order on page 168 threatens to ruin the story line. #5 on page 168 belongs on page 170. Line 4 on page 171 appears again on page 236 (not that I minded seeing it again, but it means one less strip for us to enjoy.) You may think I've got too much time on my hands, to go through a comic collection so carefully, but come on! This *is* Peanuts, after all! What could matter more?
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