Mystery solved

book adaptations of A Charlie Brown Christmas

Up until today, I only had a guess of the year that this boxed set, With LOVE from Charlie Brown, collecting six World Publishing adaptations of animated Peanuts specials was issued.

Picture of boxed set of Peanuts books, with a copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas book sitting out.
(Thanks fot Peanuts collectibles seller C. Pilgrim for the photo.)

But today, I found this ad, which ran in the magazine insert Family Weekly, which was included in various newspapers on November 8, 1970.

$12.95 — and if you pay for the whole set up front, they’ll cover the postage! Obviously, this was meant to land under some people’s Christmas tree. The firm selling the books, Grolier Enterprises, are better remember for their encyclopedia.

1970 seemed to be the year for the phrase “With Love from Charlie Brown,” because in February that was used as the title of a musical performed at the Wichita State University Experimental Theater. The show was just an abridged version of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and it received a mixed review.

book adaptations of A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas Ornament Book

This year’s first (and only??) new book edition of A Charlie Brown Christmas is here, and it’s not just a reprint of an existing one. No, the A Charlie Brown Christmas Ornament Book is a thing of its own… a board book with removable cardboard ornaments. That’s right, on each of …

book adaptations of A Charlie Brown Christmas
The little big Charlie Brown Christmas is back

Last year, I managed to slip up and not order the year’s new Hallmark book adaptation of A Charlie Brown Christmas… which was just a reduced-size version of giant lights-and-sounds-and-pop-ups version that Hallmark had released in 2021. I had counted on them discounting the expensive book in their usual post-Christmas …

book adaptations of A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Hallmark pop-up slims down

Hallmark is offering a new edition adapting A Charlie Brown Christmas, and it’s a mite disappointing. That because it appears to be a reissuing of 2021’s giant lights-and-sounds edition, only smaller — where the previous book was 13.5″ by 16″, this one is only 11″ by 13.5″ – still large, …