Later this year, October 20th, 2015 to be exact, the Publisher Abrams ComicArts will release a brand-new book by Chip Kidd and Geoff Spear titled, “ONLY WHAT’S NECESSARY: CHARLES M. SCHULZ AND THE ART OF PEANUTS” (Abrams).
Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) believed that the key to cartooning was to take out the extraneous details and leave in only what’s necessary. For 50 years, from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, Schulz wrote and illustrated Peanuts, the single most popular and influential comic strip in the world. In all, 17,897 strips were published, making it “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being,” according to Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University.
To create this book designer Chip Kidd was granted unprecedented access to the extraordinary archives of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, California. Reproducing the best of the Peanuts newspaper strip, all shot from the original art by award-winning photographer Geoff Spear, “Only What’s Necessary” will also feature exclusive, rare, and unpublished original art and developmental work, much of which has never been seen before.
The 304 page hardcover book will be released on October 20, 2015. We plan on sharing more news about this in the near future (this is just a heads-up) so please stay tuned to CHIPKIDD.COM, Thanks!