Early Peanuts First Editions
The definitive guide to identifying early [first edition] Peanuts strip reprint softcovers and hardcovers, published by Rinehart & Co. from 1952 -1960 and by Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Inc. from 1960 – 1974
Lowell Wilson has set up a guide to the early Peanuts books from Rinehart/Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
From Lowell’s introduction and history of the early Peanuts First Editions:
the Peanuts publication history has inauspicious beginnings. The first book was simply titled “Peanuts” and was printed as a digest sized paperback with blue wrappers featuring Charlie Brown, Schroeder, Snoopy and Patty.
The first printing of the book was printed without any price on the cover. Most extant copies have $1.00 hand stamped on the cover with a rubber stamp, a somewhat homely and folksy reminder of the humble launch of the Peanuts paperback juggernaut…
In 1960, Rinehart merged with Henry Holt and Company and the John C. Winston Company to form Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. From that point forward, the Rinehart “R in circle” colophon was no longer used to denote first printings by the company.
The first printing of the first book after the merger, “Go Fly A Kite Charlie Brown” had no colophon and also no first printing marking noted on the copyright page, although later printings still noted the later printing number. It should be considered a transitional title since all the subsequent titles printed by Holt, Rinehart & Winston , Inc. noted “First Edition” on the copyright page to indicate that it was the first printing of the first edition.
Lowell’s complete Rinehart and Holt, RInehart and Winston Peanuts First Edition Points.
hat tip to Good Ol’ Nat Gertler for making us aware of this Peanuts treasure.
I have the first two and grew up reading them in the ’60’s. They were my Dad’s.