The tenth volume of this wonderful series focuses more on Snoopy than anyone, though there are still plenty of strips featuring Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally, Lucy, Schroeder and Peppermint Patty. (Actually the only way to know this is the tenth volume is to count the previous ones on the inside back jacket flap. I guess that’s a marketing decision, to make any single volume more appealing, I don’t know.)

Snoopy has some funny moments as the Head Beagle, baseball outfielder, first beagle on the moon, ace supermarket checkout guy, ice skater, bird friend, and best of all, author, as he begins writing the Great American Novel. And his bird companion finally gets a name in this volume: Woodstock. I seem to recall this was the result of a naming contest at the time, but I could be wrong.

Meanwhile, if any of those topics don’t interest you in particular, there are bound to be some gags or strips that do. This lettering gag is right up MY alley. And Schulz is in fine form throughout this book, balancing wry humor, irony, pathos, physical comedy, and above all, a deep understanding of human nature. Reading these collections continues to be a great joy. Highly recommended.