united states

A truly amazing piece of modern literature... if a picture is worth a thousand words, then this collection is worth 4.3 million of 'em! If you've been a Larson fan, then you know what you're in for... whacky animals and insects that are usually smarter than their human counterparts, light handed commentary on the workings of life and nature, and an incredible wit that captures appeals to everyone and offends no one (except maybe cows or chickens). These cartoons will take you back to where you were the first time you read them.

If you've never read Larson, then you need to pick up this collection immediately (be careful and don't hurt your back... 18 pounds of books is a heavy load). Enjoy the fit and finish of the slipcase and covers of the books. Feel the weight of the high-quality artbook-grade coated paper, smell the fresh ink... and then dig in to the BEST cartoons ever created!

This collection is worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY you spend on it. I have every Larson book ever published, and they don't hold a candle to these books. The introductions to the individual chapters are worth the price alone. Because of this collection, the Far Side will be enjoyed by future generations to come.

No one is funnier than Larson (and he has very few peers) on a roll. For those whose day was cheered simply by seeing what dark, irreverent, or otherwise totally off the wall idea he had created, the lack of Larson on a daily basis has left a huge hole that no one following him has been able to fill.

Far Side addicts, rejoice! This is a complete compliation of many old friends and a some not previously published ones, and if one reads these tomes slowly, it's almost like having a daily Far Side fix again. The books are of wonderful quality and the drawings are beautifully reproduced, well worth every penny! Plus there are fascinating essays by Larson that aren't available in any of the other compilations of The Far Side.

My only complaint is that the books are very large, heavy (each one weighs about 10 pounds -- I weighed them on my scale; in fact, there was a warning from Amazon about the weight on the package containing them) and a bit cumbersome to manage. Three or four volumes would have been better. But this is not an impediment to purchasing these books, because the content and the quality overcome this slight deficiency.

Enjoy!

First of all, you'll need to take steriods just to lift this collection. But it's worth every pound. The quality is remarkable, with color cartoons and brilliant and witty comments every now and then. The detractors who've written into the papers over the years also make an appearance, looking more foolish than ever. If you're one for great humor (think Sedaris in his "Me Talk Pretty" or McCrae in his "Bark of the Dogwood"), humor that is sometimes dark and multi-layered, then you'll love Gary Larson. This, of course, if you've never been exposed to him, in which case you're probably fodder for one of his cartoons. A++++++ material and presentation on this one.