{"product_id":"the-complete-far-side-9780740721137","title":"The Complete Far Side","description":"\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best-seller \u003cbr\u003e\"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 \u003ci\u003eThe Complete Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRevered by its fans as the funniest, most original, most \"What the ... ?\"-inspiring cartoon ever, \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e debuted in January 1980 and enjoyed an illustrious 14 years on the world's comics pages until Gary Larson's retirement in 1994. \u003ci\u003eThe Complete Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e celebrates Gary's twisted, irreverent genius in this ultimate \u003ci\u003eFar Side\u003c\/i\u003e book, a lavish production which takes its place alongside collector's-edition art books. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA masterpiece of comic brilliance, \u003ci\u003eThe Complete Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e contains every \u003ci\u003eFar Side\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eFar Side\u003c\/i\u003e cartoons Larson created after his retirement: 13 that appeared in the last \u003ci\u003eFar Side\u003c\/i\u003e book, \u003ci\u003eLast Chapter and Worse\u003c\/i\u003e, and six cartoons that periodically ran as a special feature in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Science Times section as \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side of Science\u003c\/i\u003e. Creator Gary Larson offers a rare glimpse into the mind of \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eFar Side\u003c\/i\u003e cartoon.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDuring its 14-year run, \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e was syndicated internationally to over 1,900 daily newspapers. It spawned 22 books and has been translated into a total of 17 different languages. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor his work with \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e, Gary Larson received the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society in both 1991 and 1994. The National Cartoonists Society also named \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e Best Syndicated Panel in 1985 and 1987. In 1993, \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e was awarded the Max and Moritz Prize for Best International Comic Strip\/Panel by the International Comics Salon. In 1995, Larson's animated film \u003ci\u003eGary Larson's Tales from The Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e won the Grand Prix at the Annecy International Festival in Annecy, France. His second animated film, \u003ci\u003eGary Larson's Tales from The Far Side II\u003c\/i\u003e, premiered in 1997 in the United States at the Telluride Film Festival and in Europe at the Venice International Film Festival.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGary Larson was born August 14, 1950, in Tacoma, Washington. Always drawn to nature, he and his older brother spent much of their youth exploring the woods and swamps of the Pacific Northwest, and the tidelands and waters of Puget Sound. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThough he loved to draw as a child, Larson didn't formally study art, nor did he consider being a cartoonist. He graduated in 1972 from Washington State University with a degree in communications but took many classes in the sciences. In 1990, Larson received the Regents' Distinguished Alumnus Award and was the centennial commencement speaker. His talk was titled \"The Importance of Being Weird.\" His interest in science was a frequent topic in many of \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R) cartoons, which he created for fifteen years, from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1985, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco premiered a collection of four hundred of Larson's originals in \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R)\u003ci\u003e of Science\u003c\/i\u003e exhibit, which later traveled to science venues across North America, including the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History. In 1988, Harvard professor Stephen Jay Gould, a prominent science writer and a member of the museum's Division of Invertebrate Zoology, dubbed Larson \"the national humorist of natural history\" in his foreword to \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R)\u003ci\u003e Gallery 3\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn another fitting tribute, the scientific community named a chewing louse after Larson (\u003ci\u003eStrigiphilus garylarsoni\u003c\/i\u003e), and paleontologists refer to the distinctive array of previously unnamed tail spikes on a stegosaurus as the \"thagomizer,\" thanks to one of his cartoons. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLarson's work on \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side(R)\u003c\/i\u003e has earned him numerous awards, including the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society in 1990 and 1994. The National Cartoonists Society also named Larson Best Syndicated Panel Cartoonist in both 1985 and 1988. In 1993, \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R) was awarded the Max and Moritz Award for Best International Comic Strip\/Panel by the International Comic Salon. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1994, Larson debuted a twenty-two-minute version of his first animated film, \u003ci\u003eGary Larson's Tales From The Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R), as a Halloween special on CBS television, and it quickly became a cult favorite. The film won the Grand Prix at the 1995 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France. That film and its sequel, \u003ci\u003eGary Larson's Tales From The Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R)\u003ci\u003e II\u003c\/i\u003e, were selected for numerous international film festivals, including Venice, Brussels, and Telluride, and were broadcast in various foreign countries. Both were produced with traditional cel animation, completely hand-inked and painted. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMusic has also been an important part of Larson's life. He started playing the guitar at an early age, moved to the banjo for a few years, and then ultimately returned to the guitar. Since retiring from daily newspaper syndication, Larson has focused his creative efforts on the guitar and his passion for jazz. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the end of its run, \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R) appeared in nearly two thousand newspapers. It in turn spawned twenty-three \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R) books, including sixteen collections, five anthologies, and two retrospectives, twenty-two of which appeared on the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Sellers list. Over the years, more than forty-one million books and seventy-nine million calendars have been sold, and \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R) has been translated into more than seventeen languages. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs for his inspiration, Larson often cites his family's \"morbid sense of humor\" growing up and how his older brother loved to scare him whenever he got the chance. He was also once quoted as saying, \"You know those little snow globes that you shake up? I always thought my brain was sort of like that. You know, where you just give it a shake and watch what comes out and shake it again.\" He attributes much of his success to the caffeine in the coffee he drinks daily. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLarson currently lives in the coffee capital of the United States--Seattle, Washington--with his wife, Toni. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCopyright (c) 2019 FarWorks, Inc. All rights reserved. \u003ci\u003eThe Far Side\u003c\/i\u003e(R) and the \u003ci\u003eLarson\u003c\/i\u003e(R) signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. in certain countries.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Andrews McMeel Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50485201895698,"sku":"9780740721137","price":161.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0ed11f7a-32b4-4beb-9e29-cb41c70a10dc.jpg?v=1730399838","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-complete-far-side-9780740721137","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}