Peanuts Comic Reading Order: (Re)Discover Charles M. Schulz influencial Comic Strips

Before Calvin and Hobbes, there was Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts which is actually one of the influences of Bill Watterson’s creation.

One of the most popular and influential comic strips, Peanuts was a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz between 1950 and 2000. It has also been described as “the longest story ever told by one human being”.

Peanuts tells the story of a young boy named Charlie Brown, his dog Snoopy and his friends. Philosophical, psychological, and sociological overtones with complex humor made Peanuts one of the most celebrated comic strips.

You can now have the complete collection thanks to publisher Fantagraphics!

Peanuts Books in Order:

The Complete Peanuts

From 2004 to 2016, Fantagraphics published The Complete Peanuts, a book series reprinting all the Peanuts comic strips in chronological order. Each book contains an introduction by a well-known figure or influential person, often with a connection to Shulz, an index of themes and characters, additional art by designer Seth based on a specific Peanuts panel, and a biography of Schulz written by series editor Gary Groth. The first volume is rounded out with Garrison Keillor’s introduction, a biographical essay by David Michaelis (Schulz and Peanuts), and an in-depth interview with Schulz conducted in 1987 by Gary Groth and Rick Marschall, 

In 2013, Fantagraphics started releasing softcover editions of The Complete Peanuts with the same material as the hardcovers but different cover artwork (The first volume omits some small drawings that accompanied the essays and the interview).

• The Complete Peanuts: 1950 to 1952 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1953 to 1954 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1955 to 1956 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1957 to 1958 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1959 to 1960 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1961 to 1962 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1963 to 1964 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1965 to 1966 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1967 to 1968 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1969 to 1970 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1971 to 1972 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1973 to 1974 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1975 to 1976 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1977 to 1978
• The Complete Peanuts: 1979 to 1980 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1981 to 1982 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1983 to 1984
• The Complete Peanuts: 1985 to 1986 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1987 to 1988 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1989 to 1990 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1991 to 1992 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1993 to 1994 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1995 to 1996 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1997 to 1998 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1999 to 2000
• The Complete Peanuts: Comics & Stories

Fantagraphics also released those volumes in box sets of two (also exists in paperback):

• The Complete Peanuts: 1950 to 1954: Box Set Hardcover 
• The Complete Peanuts: 1955 to 1958: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1959 to 1962: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1963 to 1966: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1967 to 1970: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1971 to 1974: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1975 to 1978: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1979 to 1982: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1983 to 1986: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1987 to 1990: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1991 to 1994: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1995 to 1998: Box Set Hardcover
• The Complete Peanuts: 1999 to 2000 and Comics and Stories: Box Set Hardcover

Peanuts Every Sunday

Sunday strips are reprinted in The Complete Peanuts collection, but in black and white and on a relatively small page. If you want them in vivid color, Fantagraphics released since 2013 Peanuts Every Sunday. Each volume contains five years of Sunday strips in color on a coffee table-sized page. This collection is not yet completed.

• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1952 to 1955
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1956 to 1960
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1961 to 1965
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1966 to 1970
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1971 to 1975
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1976 to 1980
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1981 to 1985
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1986 to 1990
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1991 to 1995 (released on November 2, 2021)
• Peanuts Every Sunday: 1996 to 2000 (released on November 1st, 2022)

Also in Box sets of two:

• Peanuts Every Sunday: The 1950s Gift Box Set
• Peanuts Every Sunday: The 1960s Gift Box Set
• Peanuts Every Sunday: The 1970s Gift Box Set
• Peanuts Every Sunday: The 1980s Gift Box Set

Seasonal Peanuts

If you’re a festive Peanuts person, Fantagraphics has your back! The publisher also released a themed Peanuts collection, with each book around 64 pages, gathering the most memorable strips centered around a common theme (holidays, sports, and more).

• Batter Up, Charlie Brown!
• Charlie Brown’s Christmas Stocking
• Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron
• Snoopy’s Thanksgiving
• A Valentine for Charlie Brown
• Waiting for the Great Pumpkin