Gary Larson

I have a few more years until my daughter reaches adulthood, but I am confident in her future to continue the legacy of book love. I did all the right things early on--I read to her, I surrounded her with books, and right now we have a semi-regular date together at the local bookstore. So far it is working. Although gone are the days when I can recommend books and authors to her. If I buy her a book or check out a book from the library that is a guarantee that the poor book/author will sit show more in a corner unread. It is best for her to discover them on her own. She is less of an omnivore than I and is the first to admit she is a "picky" book reader. But when she discovers something she likes she jumps in feet first.

Right now she is really into humor and cartoon collections. When she was little, she liked Snoopy and Charlie Brown. The past year or so she discovered Calvin and Hobbes and had been collecting C&H collections. She told a stranger yesterday a quote from the Oatmeal and calls him one of her favorite authors. I was surprised to find in her purchase pile yesterday that she has discovered the Far Side. YES! I have succeeded.

What she didn't know is that I snuck that book out of her pile last evening and perused through it. I've missed Gary Larson, who was a big part of my early adulthood. Does he still have his section at the California Academy of Sciences--because that exhibit was fun. I think he was a first harbinger for those of us who identify themselves as tech/science geeks. But then Larson appealed to the everyman.

The mid-section of this book contains Larson's Wiener Dog Art through the Ages which is fun. And the index is awesome. The entire alphabet with nothing in it and then you get to the Ts. And then each entry is titled, "The one about..." as in "The one about the accountants." and "The one about the desert island." It was fun to take a trip down memory lane. Although this collection was missing my favorite of all time--the one about the boneless chicken ranch. show less

Its a Far Side book- and its way better than the yearly compilations that have come out. While this book only contains a small selection of Gary Larson's Output, it contains some of his best work. The commentary adds so much to the book, as well as his first draft sketch. He even alluded to the caption mix with Dennis the Menace, which is hilarious. I found it sad that some of the comics had hate mail, which makes no sense for a goofy comic.

If I am ever feeling shitty, I know I can laugh my brains out of my ears if I pick up this 2-volume set. Sure, it is pretty heavy and it kind of cuts off my circulation when I leave it on my lap for too long, but that is the only negative about this collection. [a:Gary Larson|19928|Gary Larson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1213672623p2/19928.jpg] is a comedic genius and The Far Side is one of the only comics I think is even remotely funny. (how does the Garfield writer keep winning show more awards? I am baffled.)If you are thinking of purchasing this set, DO IT. You won't regret it. It truly never gets old. show less

Save this for the older kiddos who can read this on their own and not be put off by a couple of curses in the side cartoons. You definitely need a Larson-esque sense of humor to enjoy this oddball story-within-a-story that a father worm tells his son worm to make him appreciate his place in nature--and the hair in his dirt.

A maiden named Harriet enjoys her walk through the woods, appreciating nature but not understanding it. Here's a taste of the humor:

"To be sure, these furry creatures had show more the 'cute' thing down real good--regrettably. You see, Harriet was feeding Gray Squirrels, a large, aggressive species that had been introduced to this forest and were taking it over from the native Red Squirrels, a smaller, more timid species. All squirrels are rodents, but in the wrong place and time, some are rats."

Cue picture of tough-guy gray squirrels sticking up a red squirrel for its acorn.

Harriet goes on her way, causing harm with better intentions than intelligence...but the lack of the latter has, well, consequences.

Amusing for adults, but don't mistake it for a kids story! show less