The AAUGH blog

*REVIEW: CHARLES SCHULZ BIO FOR KIDS
*SCHULZ MUSEUM OPENING
*MY BOOK NOW AVAILABLE
*MORE ON CONVERSATION SCHOOL BOOKS
*BEWARE "COLLECTIBLE EDITIONS"
*ODD PEANUTS BOOK: ANOTHER DOG’S LIFE
*CLOSING THE UK SHOPPE?
REVIEW: CHARLES SCHULZ BIO FOR KIDS
A while back, I reviewed a Charles Schulz biography aimed at school libraries, noting that with less than 2000 words, it had less information than many of the obituaries that were run about Schulz.

Well, I now have my hands on another such biography, entitled simply CHARLES SCHULZ. This one is part of the Wonders Of Reading series from the publisher The Child’s World. And if you thought the last one was short — the main text of this book has less than 200 words. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, as it is aimed at beginning readers. But doggone it, if you’re going to have only 200 words, at least make sure those words are accurate! "After high school, Charles spent time in the army and worked at many different jobs. He also married his wife, Jean. Charles began drawing cartoons of children." Well, technically yes, Sparky did marry Jeannie (a bright and dear lady) after high school. Long after high school. In fact, Sparky was in his fifties when he married her. The authors seem to be confusing his first marriage with his second…
but the first marriage took place in April 1951, after he had been drawing cartoons of children for years (Li’l Folks had come and gone, the cartoons for the Post were all done, and Peanuts had been in print for half a year.)

Yes, I said "authors". Apparently this two hundred word tome was too much for one author, so Cynthia Klingel and Robert B. Noyed share the credit.

The book’s 24 pages alternate text pages with photographic pages. There’s some nice (but not new) shots of Schulz. The book even has an index in the back, because it would be a shame to have to reread all 200 words to find which five out of the ten text pages reference "Peanuts."
You would do more for kids as readers to give them books of Peanuts cartoons, and you can teach them more about Schulz in a 3 minute conversation. The only folks I recommend this to is are obsessive collectors of all things Schulz, and that recommendation merely attest to the fact that the book exists. Order this book: http://AAUGH.com/go.htm?1567669506 In the UK: http://AAUGH.com/uk/go.htm?1567669506
=============================================================
SCHULZ MUSEUM OPENING
The opening dates for the Charles M. Schulz Museum have been announced. The doors open to the general public on August 17th. Want to get in that extra day earlier? Head over to http://www.charlesmschulzmuseum.org and buy yourself a membership in the museum, and you’ll be able to get in on the 16th!
=============================================================
MY BOOK NOW AVAILABLE
PANEL ONE, my book of scripts by various well-known comic book writers, is now available to order at http://AAUGH.com/go.htm?0971633800 Don’t believe Amazon if they say it takes 8 to 14 days to ship this; they actually have copies in stock, their computers just haven’t registered that fact yet.

This is likely the last time I will mention this book in the newsletter (since it’s not Peanuts), so if you’re interested, buy it now!
=============================================================
MORE ON CONVERSATION SCHOOL BOOKS
My Japanese Peanuts book collectin’ pal Satoshi got me some more info on the Conversation School books that I discussed last newsletter. Apparently, there are *seven* books in this series, not four…
but only four feature Peanuts characters (the Lucy and Snoopy books mentioned in the review, plus Charlie Brown’s English Conversation School and Linus’s English Conversation School.) The other three star Blondie, Dennis The Menace, and Beetle Bailey.

There were two editions of this series. I have the older edition, with English language front covers. Satoshi showed me a shot of a newer edition book, with Japanese language covers. (He also peppered his message with "AAUGH!" and "Good Grief", as anyone who learned English via Peanuts strips would!)
=============================================================
BEWARE "COLLECTIBLE EDITIONS"
If you’re looking at Amazon’s listings for books, you will sometimes see "Collectible" editions available for a price. These aren’t actually offered by Amazon, but rather are Amazon running a listing for some other seller. Beware of these. The "collectible" editions are often the exact same book as the edition that Amazon sells directly, only at a higher price. Oh, there will be some excuse that makes them "collectible", such as being a "first edition" (for books that only have had a single printing). I recently corrected a seller who was selling a "signed" copy of PEANUTS: THE ART OF CHARLES M. SCHULZ, the same problem I’d seen crop up on eBay listings earlier (although in this case, the lister was honest and removed the listing once his error had been pointed out.) My favorite "collectible" listings are from sellers who list "British edition" for many books, in some cases where the edition being sold in Britain is the U.S. edition which has been shipped over. That’s right, you pay extra money just to get a copy that’s made a transatlantic round trip!
As long as I’m mentioning Amazon, let me note that from time to time you may get email from them, suggesting new titles based on what you’ve already ordered from them. If you get such an email advertising a Peanuts book you want, do me a favor: instead of clicking through on the link in the email, go to http://AAUGH.com and click through on the book’s listing there. It won’t cost you a penny more, and Amazon kicks back some of the money to me. This really helps justify the time I spend on the website and the newsletter.
=============================================================
ODD PEANUTS BOOK: ANOTHER DOG’S LIFE
Sitting beside me is a Peanuts book. Okay, sitting all around me are Peanuts books, but there’s a particular one at my left. In big letters atop the front cover are the words A PEANUTS BOOK featuring SNOOPY. The title of the book is in small letters below: IT’S A DOG’S LIFE.

Now, this isn’t IT’S A DOG’S LIFE, SNOOPY, the recent book reprinting the strips from 1998. Nor is it IT’S A DOG’S LIFE, CHARLIE BROWN, the 1960s book, nor is it the 1970′s abridged version of that same title. It’s not even the British book "IT’S A DOG’S LIFE". (And people wonder why I need a list to keep my books sorted out!)

In fact, despite the fact that the cover is entirely in English, this is not a book aimed at the English reader at all. The only clue to that is the last line of text on the cover, under Schulz’s credit: "Translated by STEVE JACKOWICZ". Jackowicz, hmmm….
Polish, perhaps? No, the book is a Korean edition. The English is left in place in the panels, with Korean translation (and occasional footnotes, such as an explanation of who Bill Mauldin is) beside each panel. This book has all the daily strips from September 1st, 1986 through April 2nd, 1987.

This 1994 volumes is the first book of at least 10 in this series, with later volumes having such unlikely titles as LOVE IS LIKING PEOPLE, SHE LIKES MARSHMALLOWS IN HER HOT CHOCOLATE, and RERUN LIKES HIM! Steve Jackowicz was actually an American in Korea to study martial arts and Asian medicine. He told me "The Korean translators couldn’t understand why the strips were funny so I wound up getting contracted for the translations."
=============================================================
CLOSING THE UK SHOPPE?
I’m thinking of closing down AAUGH.com’s UK catalog. I thought it would draw a mix of UK Peanuts fans shopping for all their Peanuts books and North American Peanuts fans shopping for books unavailable here. Alas, only about one item per month is ordered through the catalog, so I can’t say it’s doing anyone much good, and I either invest time keeping it pointlessly up to date or I feel guilty because it’s out of date.

I will, of course, continue to announce new British books in the newsletter and provide ordering links for those (not that anyone uses them!)

If anyone has any thoughts on the matter, let me know. (And if you haven’t checked out the UK catalog, head on over to http://AAUGH.com/uk/ right now!)
……………………………………………………
That’s the news for tonight. Spread the word to your friends and keep those change-of-email-address notes coming! Have a happy Easter, a fiendish April Fool’s Day, and if there’s any way we can have a peaceful Passover, that would be a blessing.

I’ll type at you when there’s more news.

–Nat proprietor http://AAUGH.com

*A THANKSGIVING FOR THE BOOKS
*FREE ONLINE SCHULZ DOCUMENTARY
*IS IT 2003 ALREADY?
*ANOTHER SCHULZ BIO FOR KIDS
*WHERE ARE THE FEBRUARY BOOKS?
*ODD PEANUTS BOOKS: CONVERSATION SCHOOLS
*INTERESTING FIND: GOOD MAN SOUVENIR BOOK
*NAT’S BOOK
*RECENT QUESTIONS
========================================================
A THANKSGIVING FOR THE BOOKS
The classic animated special A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING has been added to the list of specials being turned into kids books. Expect this book to come out in October. It’s not available for preorder yet.

Meanwhile, it looks like there will be an upscale edition of the A Charlie Brown Christmas adaptation, with retouched art. (Paige has gotten better at these adaptations as the series continues, and she wants this to look as good as it can.)
========================================================
FREE ONLINE SCHULZ DOCUMENTARY
The latest addition to the AAUGH.com guide is pretty neat — I’m hooking you up with an online video documentary about Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz! This documentary from the Roland Collection Of Films & Videos On Art is about a decade old, and runs close to half an hour in length.

Who says I don’t take care of my readers? http://AAUGH.com/guide/document.htm
========================================================
IS IT 2003 ALREADY?
I don’t have a 2002 calendar yet, but there’s a couple of 2003 Peanuts calendars already available for preorder for July shipping! There’s a mini-calendar: http://AAUGH.com/go.htm?0740724770 And then there’s the page-a-day calendar: http://AAUGH.com/go.htm?0740724010
========================================================
ANOTHER SCHULZ BIO FOR KIDS
Charles Schulz has been a popular topic for biographies aimed at school libraries recently. Now I get news of one more. A book entitled CHARLES SCHULZ is coming from Mitchell Lane Publishing in May. The author is Jim Whiting…
but *not* the same Jim Whiting who is president of the Southern California Cartoonists Society. The name is a coincidence.

This book is not yet available for preorder.
========================================================
WHERE ARE THE FEBRUARY BOOKS?
In February, Andrews McMeel was supposed to release a couple little miniature pocket-sized Peanuts books, MY SWEET BABBOO and OH FRIEND OF FRIENDS. Well, February has come and gone, and these books went from "coming soon" to "no longer available" without ever actually shipping!
What happened? I don’t know. I’m trying to find out if they were cancelled, or if they were published in some form that limits their distribution (such as only being available to retailers in large lots of books), or if they’re just delayed.

If you ordered several books including these, you may want to cancel your order for them so that the books you ordered will ship.

But if anyone sees these on the racks somewhere, let me know!
========================================================
ODD PEANUTS BOOKS: CONVERSATION SCHOOLS
The newest additions to the AAUGH.com reference library are SNOOPY’S ENGLISH CONVERSATION SCHOOL and LUCY’S ENGLISH CONVERSATION SCHOOL. These are books for Japanese readers who want to learn to practical English by reading Peanuts. Published by Tsuru in the early 1970s, these books contain strips printed in English, with translation beside them, and then a discussion of the phrases used in the strip and similar English usages. Most of the text is in black, but the strip and some decorative page elements are in another color.

Frankly, I think this is a great way to learn practical English, but I can’t help but to think of students in Tokyo puntuating all their conversations with "Good grief!" and "AAUGH!" And, as I’ve often found to be true of English phrasebooks and the like, sometimes the English is wrong. "Would you like to have a coffee?" "I’m dating her with no thought of marring her." "The sea works high." "When it is night with you, it is day with us."
My favorite part of either of these two books is toward the back of the Snoopy volume: Snoopy’s English-Sound Dictionary. This section reprints a lot of individual panels featuring sound effects and onamotapoeia. So if you want to know how to translate (or at least transliterate) EEK!, AAUGH! WOOP!, OOF! CLICK, SNAP, TEAR, or DLUM TDLUM TLUM into Japanese, this is what you need. It even has a page just on the sounds of laughter.

There appear to be 4 books in the series. The titles are in English on the cover, but the list of titles in the back is in Japanese, so I don’t know what the other two titles are (not being able to read Japanese.)
========================================================
INTERESTING FIND: GOOD MAN SOUVENIR BOOK
Another recent addition to the AAUGH.com reference library is a copy of the souvenir book for YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN. This 11" by 8.5" 20 page booklet with a cardboard cover consists primarily of lines of dialog and lyrics, with Schulz illustrations on each page (apparently recycled strip art.) There are also pictures of not only the original New York cast, but also the original casts of Boston, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oslo! An article on how the play came about is written by "John Gordon", the pseudonym credited for the show’s libretto (the non-singing portions of the play.) "Gordon" is really just a collection of the various folks who were involved in the play as it evolved. (Apparently, the show launched without a written script; scenes had evolved around the songs, and it wasn’t until the play had been running for a while that someone bothered to make a written record of all the dialog they had come up with!)

This booklet appears to be from 1966 or ’67, and was likely sold at venues where the play was being performed. It was published by The Peanuts Company, of course!
========================================================
NAT’S BOOK
I promised to let everyone know when PANEL ONE: COMIC BOOK SCRIPTS BY TOP WRITERS was coming out. Well, it hits better U.S. comic book shops this Wednesday, and we’ll be offering it through AAUGH.com later this month. This is a collection of comic book scripts by various writers, and it should be of interest to would-be comics creators. I’m editor and publisher of this book. The authors include myself, Neil Gaiman (best-selling author of American Gods and Sandman), Kurt Busiek, Dwayne McDuffie, Trina Robbins, Greg Rucka, Jeff "Bone" Smith, Kevin "Chasing Amy" Smith (a Jay & Silent Bob story!) and Marv Wolfman. For more info, see http://www.aboutcomics.com I’ll let you know when it’s available for online ordering.
========================================================
RECENT QUESTIONS
Not long ago, someone asked me whether PEANUTS, the first book in the Holt reprint series, ever appeared with the white cover design that Holt was issuing books in during the early 1970s. That was an easy one for me to answer; I happen to have a copy of the 32nd printing of that book, issued in November of 1972. It does indeed have a white border design around a full-color image rather than the two-color cover design of earlier printings. Today, however, I got an inquiry from another source, someone who owns what appears to be one of the production mock-ups made when preparing the 32nd printing. What is interesting is that his mock-up is made from a copy of the previous printing, which has the old cover design. This means the 32nd printing was the first one to bear the new cover design. Since Holt stopped issuing the full books in 1975 when they switched to the Peanuts Parade reprint format, and since it was 4 years between the 31st printing (November 1968) and the 32nd (November 1972) it is quite possible that this is also the last printing of the book, and thus the only one with the white cover design (and the only one to have an ISBN number.) Does anyone out there have a copy of any printing after the thirty-second? If so, let me know!
========================================================
Well, that’s all the news and bits o’ trivia for today. I hope you found something worth reading in this issue; it started out to be a short one and ended up being a long one. When I think I have enough stuff again, you’ll get another issue!
In the meantime: remember to keep me up-to-date with your changing email addresses! I just lost a cadre of subscribers who never update their addresses when @Home went under. Now that various AT&T Broadband subscribers have to change their addresses as well, I’m afraid I’ll lose a few more.