Saturday Evening Post Comics by Charles Schulz

The Peanuts© comic strip, drawn by Charles Schulz, has been my lifetime favorite. That it is also the world's favorite strip is no wonder. Now that I have crossed the half-century threshold, I tend to look back at the innocence and complexity of the themes with a perspective other than simply entertainment - although I still thoroughly enjoy reading them just to get a few good laughs.

Since Charles Schulz's death in 2000, books have been published documenting his life and how his experiences influenced Peanuts characters' appearances and behaviors. It is apparent from the content that Mr. Schulz hearkened from an era much different from today. It is hard to imagine a start-up comic akin to Peanuts being accepted in the much cruder, meaner, and less polite world of 2009.

In case you are also a Peanuts fan and have not already assimilated your own collection of books and paraphernalia, here are a few that I recommend.

      

One interesting tidbit that I found in Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz, is a list of the edition of The Saturday Evening Post where Schulz's first for-pay comics appeared. Here are a few of the comics that I scanned from editions of The Saturday Evening Post purchased on eBay.


May 29, 1948 - page 116
July 17, 1948 - page 42
September 25, 1948 - page 152
November 6, 1948 - page 91
November 13, 1948 - page179
January 1, 1949 - page 60
February 19, 1949 - page 119
May 21, 1949 - pages 72 & 166
July 16, 1949 - page 114
November 19, 1949 - page 132
February 11, 1950 - page 45
February 18, 1950 - page 129
April 19, 1950 - page 140
April 29, 1950 - page 87
May 6, 1950 - page 79
July 8, 1950 - page 54


Webmaster: Kirt Blattenberger, BSEE, UVM 1989