Rating: 
Summary: Awesome -- and painful!
Review: Okay, this book is a must for any Larson fan -- I mean, how can you resist EVERY SINGLE FAR SIDE in one big box? You can't.At 22 pounds, though, it's a beast. I wonder if it's possible to hurt yourself reading an 11 pound book (lap damage?) It's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: I'd rate it higher if I could.
Review: With much fanfare, Gary Larson stopped publishing The Far Side in 1994, ending an institution that began fourteen years earlier. It is a real testament to Larson's genius that his wit and insights never weakened during that time, and this collection--a sumptuous box set that has it all--puts in amazing display perhaps the best cartoonist in recorded history. The only thing that rivals this book was the Smithsonian's display of Larson's comics at the Museum of Natural History more than a decade ago--when many of his wonderful comics were placed throughout the museum to commemorate his wonderful sense of humor and view of the natural world. That was the last time I saw so many of Larson's comics in one place, and the effect was astonishing. I'll give Gary the benefit of the doubt that he knew when to quit. But, it's easy to see that he wasn't slipping at the end, and perhaps he simply wanted a rest. He deserved it. Now Gary: Get back to work!!!
Rating:
Summary: More than a book set ... an event!
Review: I first saw this book series at a local bookstore. I've never seen a release attract the attention and outright giggles of glee from shoppers like I've seen from this. It's an absolutely beautiful set, extremely well produced on large high quality paper and hardbound, like a great coffee table book, and the ultimate collectible for any Larson fan. An excellent high-quality present.
Rating:
Summary: LOVE LARSON BY THE POUND!!!!
Review: I remember the very first Larson cartoon I ever saw; it was "The Holsteins visit the Grand Canyon" and showed 4 Holsteins with their backs to the Grand Canyon, mother, father, sister and brother and the brother, who had his hoof behind his sister's head...pure joy! Larson's world is our own, we feel an immediate kinship with his magical POV on everyday things, and immerse ourselves in delight at his keen eye and ability to tell a story in a (deceptively!)simple line drawing. This humor is the pure, unadulterated joy you had as a child, and haven't quite forgotten yet. Bobbing for Poodles (changed from Bobbing for Babies!) and the alligators resting on the bank of the lake having just consumed an unwary swimmer...the dog hiding behind the washing machine and the wall, with his "CAT FUD" signs leading the family cat right into his trap...saying "Oh please, oh please..." The hunter with his enormous, oversized head walking right into a headhunters tribe in the remote jungle of Larson Land...the snake on the chair in his living room, a huge pig, half consumed, sticking out of his mouth, and the phone ringing...and the caption: "DANG"...etc., etc. No matter how many times you see the cartoons, you enjoy them just as much the subsequent times; they actually hold up over time/repeated viewings, they are that good. You marvel at the genius of someone who can take ordinary things and turn them into such hilarious, universal jokes. Everyone appreciates them; (everyone with any sense of humor, that is...)and somehow you could never get enough Larson...until now. I am luxuriating in the perusing of these weighty books, and I know, that when I finish them, I will start all over again at the beginning...and hope there will be enough material, someday, for a Larson 2, just as weighty. The quality is astonishing, and I am quite a bibliophile, fortunate enough to be blessed with a large number of books, but have never seen any quite like this, or of this quality. Extraordinary. The pages are beautiful, as is the binding, and the color and text are showcased as never before; this is the ultimate gift for any Larson fan. I have, so far, ordered two, and am about to order a third; the UPS driver has been glaring at me with undisguised hatred in his eyes, yet I must have extra copies for those friends and relatives who share my enthusiasm for this incredibly gifted artist and his quirky, marvelous vision of the world. With all due apologies to the UPS guy, Larson, you are the best!
Rating:
Summary: But you have to have this...
Review: 14.25" high & 10" deep. About the weight of a cement block. Each, for the two of them. Why can't people make books that fit on bookshelves anymore? But you know you have to have the complete Far Side, right? Some day it'll be out of print, just like the Pogos drawn and written by Walt Kelly. (No, I don't mean the fake Walt Kelly's Original Pogo his greedy kids licensed, "original" as in Original Swiss Army Knife, a new knockoff not to be confused with Victorinox, which is the original maker of Swiss Army knives. But I flame.) The page stock is quite heavy, and the color pages look absolutely magnificent. To an untrained eye such as mine, the binding looks unusually good. Buy it, you silly person!
Rating:
Summary: 20 Lbs. of forgotten humor!
Review: I'm not kidding when I say make sure your coffee table is sturdy and your postal delivery person is hernia-free, this two volume collected work of Gary Larson's THE FAR SIDE is amazing..amazingly heavy. But, despair not valiant reader, the pain of this massive tome digging into your thighs as you meander through it's pages is at best causing severe nerve damage and at the very least taking you away from the horribly crushing depression that you suffer most of the time anyway. Why, do you say? Becuase Mr. Larson has devoted his entire life, all thirteen years of it, to drawing poorly constructed, one-frame cartoons, that are sure to make you either giggle or guffaw, with enough of the good ol' "oh my God, that's sick" thrown in for balance. Let's face it, you need this. Seriously. Yes, you. C'mon, your looks are fading, the years havn't been kind, and you are starting to smell funny. Wouldn't it be nice if you could somehow, magically, travel back in time, thirteen years ago, when your teenage dreams were brought to life in every new paperback edition of THE FAR SIDE? Remember how mad you were at your parents when they threw them all out, along with you, after you dropped out of the technical college for the third time? Well, you'll show them now. YOU'LL SHOW ALL OF THEM!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A must own
Review: Gary Larson's bizzare sense of humor entertained the world for years. However, even if you own every single far side book, this remains a must own. As funny as the cartoons are, even more hillarious are the letters frustrated people with too much time on their hands sent into complain about them. These letters, printed alongside the cartoons, can only be described as side splitting. While the cost is high, everyone should put this on their christmas list.
Rating:
Summary: Cow Heaven
Review: As a professional comedian (www.HaHaHa.com.au) I have always appreciated...no LOVED...Larson's work and thought "this will be nice, a couple of little books with cartoons". It just arrived in Australia only five days after I placed the order with Amazon and I am soooo excited. It is so much better than I imagined. BIG, hard cover, lovely paper, bautifully printed, Cow Heaven! I really had no idea what I was buying, it is sensational and is one of those things that is guaranteed to generate enough envy to make it worth twice the price. For an idea of just how big it is and how excited I am - www.HaHaHa.com.au/weblog/index.asp?blognote=78
Rating: 
Summary: this guy is weird
Review: a lot of people get crushed by animals and there are many cows. and aliens. he says egad and cummings a lot. these pictures are funny and they make me laugh
Rating:
Summary: To laugh with things no man has laughed before
Review: My acquaintance with Gary Larson's comics was more or less accidental. I bought (out of pure curiosity) his "Far side Gallery 5". The rest was basically the same that happened to anyone who ever came into contact with the Far Side: i became a harcore addict. I've read all the collections i could get my hands on and eversince Larson retired his pen I haven't been able to find a comic as subversive as this or as funny as this (with the possible exception of Dilbert but on a different dimension). This box containing all the far Sides plus a whooping 1100 unpublished strips must be the wet dream of every Larson fan.
Gary Larson has got the charisma that all great comic makers have: he has the ability to see the world from a completely different angle, may that be upside down, inside-out, from above or from way below. Whichever the case, those that are well broken into the Far Side sense of humor know well what I mean.
For those that are not familiar with Larson (and man, if i ever said you're missing out and meant it big time then this is the time) do yourself a massive favor and pick this up. It's the only drug i know printed on paper. Other than that, and considering the rather juicy price this gorgeously packaged collection is rather intended for the die-hard fans, allthough i know no Far Side fan who's anything less than die-hard.
I also predict that even though most of us Larsonites probably own most if not all of the stuff on the market by Larson this box will achieve some bulky sales too. Possibly the funniest comic series in recent memory (and, uhm, my memory goes way back) and at the same time the work of a great artist (great drawing) and a master with plots as his captions are exemplary of making your comic idea work.
A super-must...
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