The Complete Far Side : Two Huge Hardbacks in One Slipcased Boxed Set

Let the fanfare begin!

The crowning glory of Gary Larson's cartooning career and the publishing event of 2002 is brewing right now in The Far Side; laboratory, and what a masterpiece it will be.

Surpassing the standards of any luxury art book, this sumptuous, full-color, two-volume slipcased set will feature custom-milled paper and an elegant design, making it an automatic collector's edition.

Every single Far Side; cartoon (4,081 to be exact) will be included by year, including more than 1,100 that have never been published in a book.

Gary Larson is writing a comprehensive introduction to the book, original essays to kick off each of the 14 chapters, and random annotations throughout.

The wild 'n' crazy Steve Martin shares his pithy thoughts on The Far Side; in "The First Word."

Fan letters, outraged letters to the editor, and snippets of reviews are sprinkled throughout.

The Far Side; holds a unique place in the history of cartooning, one that makes it incomparable to any other comic.

Far Side fans are like no others; six years after its end, they still clamor for calendars and books, as reflected in phenomenal lifetime sales: more than 40 million books and 60 million calendars have been sold.

New York Times" best-seller!

"Every one of these cartoons is just something that drifted into my head when I was alone with my thoughts. And, for better or worse, I 'jotted' them down. It was only later, when perhaps I received an angry letter from someone, that it struck me: Hey! Someone's been reading my diary!" Gary Larson, from the preface to "The Complete Far Side"

Revered by its fans as the funniest, most original, most "What the ... ?" inspiring cartoon ever, "The Far Side" debuted in January 1980 and enjoyed an illustrious 14 years on the world's comics pages until Gary Larson's retirement in 1994.

"The Complete Far Side" celebrates Gary's twisted, irreverent genius in this ultimate "Far Side" book, a lavish production, which takes its place alongside collector's edition art books.

A masterpiece of comic brilliance, "The Complete Far Side" contains every "Far Side" cartoon ever syndicated, over 4,000 if you must know, presented in (more or less) chronological order by year of publication, with more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book.

Also included are additional "Far Side" cartoons Larson created after his retirement: 13 that appeared in the last "Far Side" book, "Last Chapter and Worse," and six cartoons that periodically ran as a special feature in the" New York Times" Science Times section as "The Far Side of Science."

Creator Gary Larson offers a rare glimpse into the mind of "The Far Side" in quirky and thoughtful introductions to each of the 14 chapters.

Complaint letters, fan letters, and queries from puzzled readers appear alongside some of the more provocative or elusive panels.

Actor, author, and comedian Steve Martin offers his pithy thoughts in a foreword, and Gary Larson's former editor describes what it was like to be the guy who could explain every "Far Side" cartoon."