What You Actually Get With the Complete Collection
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Hardcover is a thirteen-volume boxed set that collects every daily and Sunday strip Bill Watterson drew between 1985 and 1995. It's published by Andrews McMeel. The boxes are substantial. Each volume runs roughly 224 pages and the complete set takes up a decent shelf. That's the simple version. The real version involves some complications you won't find on Amazon's product page. I picked up the set back when it first came out in the early 2000s, and I've re-evaluated it a couple times since then because the condition of these books changes depending on how you store them. The paper stock they used is decent quality for a mass-market hardcover, but it's not archival-grade. If you leave the books in direct sunlight or near a heat source, the spines will fade and the dust jackets will yellow within a few years. I learned this the hard way with volume three. The spine had a visible color shift from sitting on a bookshelf above a radiators that ran intermittently through the winter.
Where to Find the Complete Calvin And Hobbes Hardcover
You can order it new from Andrews McMeel directly, from bookchains like Barnes and Noble, or from Amazon. New copies run anywhere from $150 to $200 depending on the seller and whether it's still in print at the time you buy it. Sometimes it goes out of print temporarily and then comes back. The last time I checked, it was available new at most major retailers. Used copies show up on AbeBooks, ThriftBooks, and eBay regularly. A complete used set in good condition typically runs $60 to $100. The problem with buying used is that the boxed set is shipped in a large outer sleeve, and that sleeve gets beat up. More importantly, individual volumes inside can get warped if the box was stored flat under weight for extended periods. I bought a used set once and two of the volumes had bent covers because the box had been tossed in a storage unit where someone stacked heavy items on top of it. You have to inspect the spines. If they're not perfectly straight, walk away or negotiate the price down hard. There's also the earlier nine-volume hardcover edition that came out before the complete set existed. Some people confuse the two. The nine-volume set only covers strips through a certain point and doesn't include everything Watterson drew. Make sure you're actually getting the thirteen-volume complete edition and not a partial collection. The ISBN for the current complete set varies by printing, so checking the volume count is the only reliable way to verify.
How to Read It Without Losing Your Mind
The biggest issue people have with this set isn't the comics themselves. It's the sheer volume of material. Thirteen thick hardcovers is a lot to commit to, and Watterson's run is dense with philosophical jokes, surreal visual gags, and running subplots that span months. If you just open it randomly, you'll miss the connective tissue. The Tomachino segments, the Spooky Tale stories, the existential dread episodes where Calvin questions reality — they build on each other. I read through the entire set cover to cover in about three weeks. That meant reading maybe one or two strips per sitting, which sounds slow but it's the right pace. Watterson's work rewards attention. The Sunday pages are full-page illustrations sometimes with four or five panels, and they're easy to rush past. I'd suggest reading the Sundays first when you're fresh and the dailies when you're just looking to kill some time. That's my method anyway and it kept me from burning out halfway through. One practical problem I ran into that nobody talks about: the binding on these hardcovers is tight. Really tight. The books don't lay flat. When I was reading through Volume 7 during a long weekend, I found myself constantly pressing the pages down with my hands just to keep the book open past the center fold. It's not a dealbreaker, but after reading thirty pages in a single sitting, your thumbs will hurt. I ended up using cheap book cradles from a craft store and that made a noticeable difference. The books stayed open without damage to the spine.
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What People Get Wrong About This Collection
Most people think the Complete Calvin And Hobbes Hardcover is a straightforward reprint of the comic strip. It's not. Watterson was very particular about layout and presentation, and he made changes when the strips were compiled into book form. Some panels get repositioned. Some gags that relied on a specific newspaper layout get slightly adjusted for the book format. A few strips that appeared in the newspaper were omitted from the complete set entirely. Watterson was known to exclude things he considered filler or that didn't meet his standards for the permanent record. Another thing people miss: the coloring in the Sunday strips is sometimes off from the original newspaper print. The newspapers used cheap newsprint that absorbed ink differently. The hardcover editions use better paper, which means the colors don't spread the same way. In a few cases this actually improves the look, but in other cases the contrast is flattened and certain visual gags lose their punch. I noticed this specifically in the later volumes where Watterson started using more saturated colors in the original strips. The book reproduction doesn't quite capture the intensity. Here's a counter-intuitive point that might annoy some collectors: the complete hardcover set is actually worse for studying the artwork than the individual paperback collections Watterson also released. The hardcovers are scaled down. The paperbacks are larger and show more detail in the line work. If you're reading this for the art, grab the paperback Omnibus editions instead. They cost less and present the artwork more faithfully. The hardcover complete set is better if you want one tidy box on your shelf and don't mind the smaller print size.
Storage and Preservation
If you're buying this set to keep it long-term, don't store it in the outer cardboard sleeve that the thirteen volumes come in. That sleeve isn't designed for long-term storage. The adhesive in the glue used to construct it breaks down over time and can bond to the dust jackets. I've seen this happen with other boxed sets I've collected. The solution is simple: remove the books from the sleeve and store them separately in a cool, dry place. Put acid-free tissue paper between the boxes if you're stacking them. Don't put anything heavier on top. The dust jackets are the weakest point of this entire set. They're thin and they tear easily. I'd recommend getting custom-sized Mylar slipcovers for each jacket if you plan to handle the books frequently. They cost about ten dollars each online and they protect the jackets from fingerprints and edge wear. This isn't paranoia. After a year of regular handling, the jackets on my set showed noticeable wear on the top and bottom edges of the spines. The Mylar stopped that completely.
Who This Is Actually For
This set works well if you're a fan who wants a complete, permanent collection on a shelf. It works if you're introducing someone to the comic and want a single purchase that covers everything. It does not work if you're buying it as an investment. The resale value has been flat to declining for years. The market for complete comic strip hardcovers is small and saturated. If you spend $180 new, you might resell it for $120 ten years from now if you're lucky and the condition is pristine. The complete set is also heavy. Like, genuinely heavy. Thirteen hardcovers plus a box sleeve weighs probably twelve to fourteen pounds total. If you're moving houses, this set is a pain. I had to double-box it when I moved and it still cracked one of the volume spines slightly during transit. Wrap each book individually and use a rigid box, not a regular cardboard shipping box. That'll save you from having a crooked spine on Volume 12. Bottom line: the Complete Calvin And Hobbes Hardcover is a solid collection if you want everything in one place. The reproduction quality is good, not great. The binding is tight. The dust jackets need protection. And you should read it slowly. The comics are better than most people remember, but only if you give them the time they actually require.
