AAUGH.com Web

Notations used in this guide:

* = There's a copy of this book in the AAUGH.com reference library.

(HB) = The copy in the reference library is a hardcover (may not be noted on books available solely in hardcover.)

CB = Charlie Brown

Copyright 1992-2005 Nat Gertler
All rights reserved.
This is a work-in-progress, and may contain errors or omissions. We accept no responsibility for any actions taken on the basis of this information.

The AAUGH blog:

Museum of Odd Peanuts Books

Oddities and endities

The American Brotherhood for the Blind produced what was probably the first series of cartoon books for the blind. In the 1960s they took standard print editions of the Security is a Thumb and a Blanket and four other Peanuts text-and-picture books and cut them open. Into each two-page spread they inserted a page with a Braille version of the text and a description of the accompanying picture, followed by a page with a raised version of the picture. About 100 copies of each volume were made and distributed to libraries for the blind.

What makes Security Is An Eyepatch interesting is not the words "lazy eye" repeated almost hypnotically in the background of its cover. No, those words are applicable - this 1968 pamphlet collects the strips that tell the story of Sally getting an eyepatch to fight the eye condition amblyopia, better known as lazy eye.

The truly interesting aspect of this booklet is its publisher, the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. That's right, the federal government got into the Peanuts book publishing game! What a shame it no longer follows those policies. Why, for less than the cost of a single stealth bomber, we could give every student in America copies of It's Show Time, Snoopy and It's Chow Time, Snoopy, so that they could learn differentiate between the sh and ch digraphs.

The amazing thing about Wonder Books's Charles Schulz bio, a 2002 release aimed at school libraries, is not that they manage to fit his life into 178 words. No, it's that they don't manage to fit his life into it. It shouldn't be too hard to produce 178 accurate words about Schulz. Sure, you could say that the page that claims "After high school, Charles spent time in the army and worked at many different jobs. He also married his wife, Jean" is technically correct, as he did marry Jeannie after high school. Given that the wedding took place more than 30 years after high school, however, the statement is of limited usefulness.

The other amazing thing is that it took two authors (Cynthia Klingel and Robert B. Noyed) to turn out this mighty mini message of misinformation! If you want to know more about these powerful authors, just buy a copy of the book; at 158 words, the "About the Authors" section is nearly as informative about them as the book was about Schulz.

Over the years, there have been many coloring books featuring the Peanuts characters, often with stories told in a one panel per page format. However, The Colorful Story of Avon Toys tells a tale not of the characters, but of the merchandise! The Linus Gel Bubble Bath And Washcloth Holder has lost his blanket (washcloth), and with the help of the Charlie Brown Non-Tear Shampoo Bottle, goes asking the other Avon hygiene products (such as Mary and her Little Lamb Shampoo and Baby Lotion, and Clarence the Sea Serpent Sponge Mitt) if they have seen the blanket. Only Mr. Presto-Chango the Non-Tear Shampoo Bottle knows where it is!

The volume Dr. Snoopy's Advice to Pet Owners collects the pet questions and responses from the pages of The Beagle Bugle. Of course, Snoopy is not a license veterinarian or even an actual being, so his lighthearted advice should be taken with a big ol' grain of salt.

For some reason, the apostrophes are missing from some pages of the text. Generally, this is harmless. However, Dan and Kent Wooldridge of Chico, California might have been surprised at the answer to their question about their dog Willie, who barks at men in uniform. Even mild cussing is shocking when coming from a cartoon doctor dog.