Last week, I got a copy of a Peanuts book I’d not heard of before, called A Friend Is…. Yesterday, I got a copy of a Peanuts book I’d not heard of before, called A Friend Is…., and no, I did not buy the same book twice.

In the 1970s, Hallmark put out a mess of little hardcovers meant to be mailed as high-end greeting cards. I’m still trying to work out all of what volumes exist. This one, A Friend Is…, was part of Hallmark’s “Thoughtfulness Library” line, which included many non-Peanuts books as well.

This is an “adages” book, not unlike Happiness is a Warm Puppy and such things. Each spread has text on the left, talking about friendship, and a full color, relevant illustration of Snoopy and Woodstock on the right. It’s a cute but minor little item. It cost a buck, back in the day. Now, it’s on the shelf next to a bunch of other examples of this line, in the AAUGH.com Reference Library.

And a few days after receiving that, from an eBay auction, I’m out shopping at the local Dollar Tree, when I find a stash of Peanuts coloring books. They’re the same line that I discussed in 2011, only with some new titles added with 2014 copyright dates, and the publishing imprint having been changed from Dalmation Press to Bendon. In among them is A Friend Is…, which gives images and descriptions of what a friend is not on facing pages (because who wants a coloring book where half the pages are just text), but with that descriptor under the images. (It, too, cost a buck, but a 2014 buck instead of a 1972 buck.)

Now, should you think it odd that you live in a world where there are two seemingly unrelated Peanuts books that nonetheless have the same title and basically same concept with being an apparent intentional copying of the content, well, then all I can do to assuage your concern is to show you this 2005 British book, published by Ravette:

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