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The Complete Calvin and Hobbes #3
The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury
Calvin, the six-year-old dirty tricksmeister and master of indignation and his warm, cuddly philosopher sidekick and Hobbes, a tiger whose idea of adventure is to lie on his back by the fire and have his stomach rubbed. This unlikely due captured the hearts, the minds, and, most of all, the funny bones of America. The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes contains an original full-color section, as well as all the cartoons appearing in The Revenge of the Baby-Sat and Scientific Progress Goes "Boink." All Sunday cartoons are presented in full-color.
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1992
1106 people are currently reading
3909 people want to read
About the author
Bill Watterson
399 books4,874 followersBill Watterson (born William Boyd Watterson II) is an American cartoonist, and the author of the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes". His career as a syndicated cartoonist ran from 1985 to 1995; he stopped drawing "Calvin and Hobbes" at the end of 1995 with a short statement to newspaper editors and his fans that he felt he had achieved all he could in the comic strip medium. During the early years of his career he produced several drawings and additional contributions for "Target: The Political Cartoon Quarterly". Watterson is known for his views on licensing and comic syndication, as well as for his reclusive nature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews
October 8, 2019
UPDATED! What can I possibly say? I love C&H. My kids love C&H. My daughter wants me to find her a Hobbes doll and REFUSES to accept Tigger as a substitute! Spaceman Spiff! Stupendous Man! Susie Derkins! Mom and Dad! Rosalyn! Miss Wormwood! A true classic and tickles your funny bones cover to cover!
Based on the comments below. I felt I needed to define the Holy Trinity of Intelligent Comics for Old Nincompoops (ICON) which for me would consist of Bill Watterson, the father and son, Berke Breathed -ACK!!, and Gary Larson the spirit of the absurd. Perhaps readers like me that grew up in the 70s and 80s to have a trait seemingly lost in the generations X++, perhaps some of you learned as much about critical thinking from C&H, The Far Side and Bloom County than you did in your University classes on Philosophy and 20th C American Literature.
Based on the comments below. I felt I needed to define the Holy Trinity of Intelligent Comics for Old Nincompoops (ICON) which for me would consist of Bill Watterson, the father and son, Berke Breathed -ACK!!, and Gary Larson the spirit of the absurd. Perhaps readers like me that grew up in the 70s and 80s to have a trait seemingly lost in the generations X++, perhaps some of you learned as much about critical thinking from C&H, The Far Side and Bloom County than you did in your University classes on Philosophy and 20th C American Literature.
March 1, 2021
I'm not really in the habit of opening the front door to my dwelling, stepping into the foyer, and loudly announcing, "I'm ho-ome!"
But lately I wish that I were; and furthermore, that every time I did, a tiger would come bounding down the stairs and tackle me, sending us both rolling out to the sidewalk in a crumpled heap. I believe I would find that most invigorating.
Read
January 22, 2021Get ready for a rollicking good time with this comic classic from Bill Watterson. Ride along (perhaps down a bumpy hill into a conveniently placed ravine) as Calvin and Hobbes build killer zombie snowmen, try to get rid of slimy girls, and philosophize about the meaning of life. Calvin and Hobbes have never been so fresh as the present day, where the point of our existence is called into question daily from so many sectors.
This collection proves that there's nothing a good laugh can't cure. - Karen
This collection proves that there's nothing a good laugh can't cure. - Karen
March 8, 2015
I have an uncle who I’ll call Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob is an extremely tall man; he has a booming voice and commanding presence. When he’s in the room, it’s hard not to pay attention to Uncle Bob. And that’s good for him, because he likes the attention; he laughs and jokes constantly, and loves a good audience. In short, he’s a natural born salesman. So Uncle Bob naturally excelled when he got his first job out of college selling tractors. In fact, he was so good that now he trains everyone else. His company is very fond of him, so he has plenty of vacation, which he uses to fish, to play card games, and to snowmobile. He is not a man of literature.
So I was naturally intrigued to find him, one day, curled up over a book, snickering loudly. What book could it be? None other than this one. Curious, I started leafing through it when he left it on the table. I loved it. I showed it to my brother, and he loved it too. What a great comic! Maybe Uncle Bob’s a man of literature after all.
So I was naturally intrigued to find him, one day, curled up over a book, snickering loudly. What book could it be? None other than this one. Curious, I started leafing through it when he left it on the table. I loved it. I showed it to my brother, and he loved it too. What a great comic! Maybe Uncle Bob’s a man of literature after all.
June 4, 2025
During my younger years, my family and I spent almost every Sunday visiting grandparents. I would stop in the kitchen first to give grandma a huge hug, before making my way into the living room where grandpa and great grandma were. After their hugs were lovingly given, I would snag the comics and a spot on the hearth to read them. Calvin and Hobbes was always my favorite thanks to a dad who was a huge fan himself. He was the one who gave me the idea of taking Silly Putty with me on one of those trips, so I could test it out on the comics.
Later in life when I was helping my husband unpack his things at our first place together, I was surprised to find this book stashed away in one of his keepsake totes. It was more proof that I had married the right person.
Well enough with the “all about me” memory stuff, it is time to do a little reviewing. This is a great collection. It works for new readers of the comic and old readers of the comic looking for a stroll down memory lane. Unfortunately, it does not work for those wanting to test out Silly Putty.
Five stars to a book that makes me yearn for one more Sunday at my grandparents’ house.
Later in life when I was helping my husband unpack his things at our first place together, I was surprised to find this book stashed away in one of his keepsake totes. It was more proof that I had married the right person.
Well enough with the “all about me” memory stuff, it is time to do a little reviewing. This is a great collection. It works for new readers of the comic and old readers of the comic looking for a stroll down memory lane. Unfortunately, it does not work for those wanting to test out Silly Putty.
Five stars to a book that makes me yearn for one more Sunday at my grandparents’ house.
December 4, 2013
It most definitely is Indispensable! The best cartoon of all time (Far Side a close second). Now that this in eBook I have it on my phone and can cheer myself up at any time.
August 18, 2015
There is nothing to not love about Calvin and Hobbes.
Especially the snowmen.
Especially the snowmen.
January 12, 2023
"Calvin y Hobbes" es uno de mis cómics favoritos. Me encanta tanto la limpieza, a la vez que la expresividad del dibujo, como los guiones.
Y aunque sé que Calvin es un niño horrible que no soportaría en la vida real, su mezcla de travesura, imaginación e inocencia me parece preciosa (y divertidísima, claro).
Y aunque sé que Calvin es un niño horrible que no soportaría en la vida real, su mezcla de travesura, imaginación e inocencia me parece preciosa (y divertidísima, claro).
June 11, 2010
5.0 stars. Second only to Gary Larson's "The Far Side" as my favorite cartoon series of all time. Always clever, always funny and always leaves you in a better mood.
July 28, 2018
My favorite comic strip ever, now in book form! Hilarious 6 year old boy(Calvin) and his adventures with his stuffed toy tiger(Hobbs).
June 1, 2024
Somehow, this has been and probably always will be the most sacred book to me.
When you think about it a bit, the meaning of Calvin and Hobbes becomes quite a lot deeper than you would first expect. I’m always struck by how alone Calvin is. An only child and a six year old, he has no particular friends. His world is limited to his exasperated parents, occasional encounters with his neighbor Susie, a school-life that he constantly rejects, and his stuffed animal Hobbes. I don’t mean to garner sympathy for some poor lonely six year old, that’s completely against the point of quite a joyful comic series. Instead, I mean to call attention to how Calvin’s relative solitude highlights a pure engagement with the world that all humans fundamentally undertake on their own. The comic is a window into a young boy’s consciousness as he navigates the world around him and extends it over his surroundings. Hobbes, Calvin’s imaginary best friend and favorite interlocutor, is one such extension of Calvin’s consciousness that allows the reader to see the type of self-conversation at the heart of our condition. The pair have such a charismatic dynamic that you completely forget Hobbes is imaginary, this revealing the vibrant creativity and complexity in who we are, and our remarkable ability to derive companionship and comfort from ourselves. The over-the-top imaginary adventures Calvin and Hobbes proceed to go on serve to celebrate how ripe the world is for our mental shaping.
Ok, look, applying half-baked literary analysis to this is leaving a gross taste in my mouth. It’s such an uninspiring way to get such a profound point across. Calvin and Hobbes is a comic about a six year old navigating an expansive world by himself, who makes it his own. The comic is an ode to childhood, freedom, independence, creativity, joy, mischief, companionship, and more. It’s human and it’s life. As the pages turn and the motifs of the comics go from snowball fights and sledding to summer break and camping and then straight back to snowball fights and sledding again, each season feeling like a parody of the last and yet altogether new, I feel such a childlike wonder for the world that will never cease to remind me that even now, laden with conflated idealisms and stressful desires for the future, on some level I’ll always just be Spaceman Spiff running in circles around my backyard.
A final note: I don’t remember much of my childhood, but every-time I read Calvin and Hobbes I recall a certain other six year old only-child driving his parents crazy, talking to stuffed animals, and formulating wild adventures from the comforts (or confines) of his bathtub and backyard.
When you think about it a bit, the meaning of Calvin and Hobbes becomes quite a lot deeper than you would first expect. I’m always struck by how alone Calvin is. An only child and a six year old, he has no particular friends. His world is limited to his exasperated parents, occasional encounters with his neighbor Susie, a school-life that he constantly rejects, and his stuffed animal Hobbes. I don’t mean to garner sympathy for some poor lonely six year old, that’s completely against the point of quite a joyful comic series. Instead, I mean to call attention to how Calvin’s relative solitude highlights a pure engagement with the world that all humans fundamentally undertake on their own. The comic is a window into a young boy’s consciousness as he navigates the world around him and extends it over his surroundings. Hobbes, Calvin’s imaginary best friend and favorite interlocutor, is one such extension of Calvin’s consciousness that allows the reader to see the type of self-conversation at the heart of our condition. The pair have such a charismatic dynamic that you completely forget Hobbes is imaginary, this revealing the vibrant creativity and complexity in who we are, and our remarkable ability to derive companionship and comfort from ourselves. The over-the-top imaginary adventures Calvin and Hobbes proceed to go on serve to celebrate how ripe the world is for our mental shaping.
Ok, look, applying half-baked literary analysis to this is leaving a gross taste in my mouth. It’s such an uninspiring way to get such a profound point across. Calvin and Hobbes is a comic about a six year old navigating an expansive world by himself, who makes it his own. The comic is an ode to childhood, freedom, independence, creativity, joy, mischief, companionship, and more. It’s human and it’s life. As the pages turn and the motifs of the comics go from snowball fights and sledding to summer break and camping and then straight back to snowball fights and sledding again, each season feeling like a parody of the last and yet altogether new, I feel such a childlike wonder for the world that will never cease to remind me that even now, laden with conflated idealisms and stressful desires for the future, on some level I’ll always just be Spaceman Spiff running in circles around my backyard.
A final note: I don’t remember much of my childhood, but every-time I read Calvin and Hobbes I recall a certain other six year old only-child driving his parents crazy, talking to stuffed animals, and formulating wild adventures from the comforts (or confines) of his bathtub and backyard.
February 22, 2015
The best thing about the Calvin and Hobbes books is that I grew up just looking at the pictures because I didn't read English, but found them so funny nevertheless. Then, when I learned English and was finally able to read them, they were even funnier because I could finally understand what the characters were saying. And as I grow a bit older and wiser, I still laugh whenever I crack one open, but for entirely different reasons. I love how there is something for every age in these books.
May 15, 2025
THE best book on philosophy out there. Why is this book so much more deep and wholesome than I remember. Also is actually funny and clever. Simply the goat. 8 year old me was onto something.
May 29, 2015
I just happened to pick this book up while visiting a friend, and, the next thing I knew, it was hours later. I read these when they were originally syndicated in my hometown newspaper, and I read Scientific Progress Goes "Boink" and The Revenge of the Baby-Sat. I could read these a million times and still want to read them again.
These are definitely written to be appreciated on several levels, which is what makes them so rereadable. I had one perspective on them when I was young, and another now that I'm all grown up, myself. Calvin's antics aren't laugh-out-loud funny anymore, but bittersweet now that I can imagine raising such a holy terror. And the section about the break-in at their home, instead of inspiring boredom, seems very apt, and I can sympathize with the parents. I finally see the humor in Calvin's declaration that this is the coolest thing to happen to him.
Most interesting is that I never understood how a bright kid like Calvin could do so poorly in school. It makes sense now, and I even understand why I didn't see it, before. Calvin's school isn't about nurturing creativity or teaching children to use their gifts. It's about teaching kids to sit down, shut up, and do their homework. Calvin is at his worst when he's told to obey for reasons that make no sense to him, and so of course he's going to the principal's office daily.
Watterson also manages to paint a decent view of the female perspective, despite Calvin's view of girls as gross and slimy, and his mother as a dispenser of disgusting food, clean laundry, and torturous baths. I got the feeling that he really gets it.
I need to remember to brighten my view with one of these books from time to time. We all need a little more imagination in our lives.
These are definitely written to be appreciated on several levels, which is what makes them so rereadable. I had one perspective on them when I was young, and another now that I'm all grown up, myself. Calvin's antics aren't laugh-out-loud funny anymore, but bittersweet now that I can imagine raising such a holy terror. And the section about the break-in at their home, instead of inspiring boredom, seems very apt, and I can sympathize with the parents. I finally see the humor in Calvin's declaration that this is the coolest thing to happen to him.
Most interesting is that I never understood how a bright kid like Calvin could do so poorly in school. It makes sense now, and I even understand why I didn't see it, before. Calvin's school isn't about nurturing creativity or teaching children to use their gifts. It's about teaching kids to sit down, shut up, and do their homework. Calvin is at his worst when he's told to obey for reasons that make no sense to him, and so of course he's going to the principal's office daily.
Watterson also manages to paint a decent view of the female perspective, despite Calvin's view of girls as gross and slimy, and his mother as a dispenser of disgusting food, clean laundry, and torturous baths. I got the feeling that he really gets it.
I need to remember to brighten my view with one of these books from time to time. We all need a little more imagination in our lives.
January 6, 2012
Trying to choose a favorite Calvin and Hobbes book really is not entirely unlike trying to choose a favorite child. These books were a seminal part of my childhood; I've reread them so many times throughout childhood, the teen years, and adulthood that I'm not exaggerating when I say that if you start quoting one of the strips, I can almost guarantee that I'll be able to give you the punchline from memory.
"The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes" is a treasury made up of what may be my two favorite Calvin and Hobbes books: "Revenge of the Baby-Sat" and "Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink'." I think the bulk of all my all-time favorite C&H storylines are in here, including Calvin forgetting his bug report until the last minute (literally, the last minute), the Garage-as-Clubhouse incident (probably when I laughed the hardest at the strip), their first time-traveling adventure ("You mean we went into the past because we were FACING THE WRONG WAY??"), the army of Calvin clones, Calvin signing up to play baseball at recess (all my inner childhood angst about organized sports seemed to have been poured upon the page for this storyline) ... and my absolute all-time favorite, which I still relate to so strongly today: Calvin's mail-order beanie.
If I could only have one Calvin and Hobbes book, it would be this collection. Thankfully, I'm pleased to say I've got them all! (Although, I really need to start buying new copies. A lot of them are falling apart from being reread so often ...)
"The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes" is a treasury made up of what may be my two favorite Calvin and Hobbes books: "Revenge of the Baby-Sat" and "Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink'." I think the bulk of all my all-time favorite C&H storylines are in here, including Calvin forgetting his bug report until the last minute (literally, the last minute), the Garage-as-Clubhouse incident (probably when I laughed the hardest at the strip), their first time-traveling adventure ("You mean we went into the past because we were FACING THE WRONG WAY??"), the army of Calvin clones, Calvin signing up to play baseball at recess (all my inner childhood angst about organized sports seemed to have been poured upon the page for this storyline) ... and my absolute all-time favorite, which I still relate to so strongly today: Calvin's mail-order beanie.
If I could only have one Calvin and Hobbes book, it would be this collection. Thankfully, I'm pleased to say I've got them all! (Although, I really need to start buying new copies. A lot of them are falling apart from being reread so often ...)
December 10, 2007
Love this! Read it. Over and over again.
October 10, 2025
Overall Rating : A
September 7, 2017
Always a pleasure, always relatable.
July 7, 2016
A Thousand, Million Goodreads stars.
I couple of years ago, I reread all of The Far Side Gallaries. (Or so I had thought... Apparently, I missed Gallery 5...)
But when it comes to my life, no comic/cartoon/Sunday Funny has been read by me more than Calvin and Hobbes. Indeed, Watterson may be the most influential writer in my life. I have more "goodreads quotes" in my goodreads quote section than any other author. And it's not even close.
I want to retell the story of being banned from reading, or tell about the game my college roommate and I played where we'd flip open to any random page in any Calvin and Hobbes book and start a quote, and the other would have to finish it.
Calvin improved my vocabulary, taught me subtlety (from his lack), and how sometimes friends are jerks. And often you're the jerk, but you can't recognize it in yourself.
At this moment in my life, though, when I read it I came away with something else. I finished this at the end of June, 2016. Here in the U.S. we're in the middle of a... ...an interesting presidential cycle.
I noticed that Calvin is Donald Trump.
Now, who knows? Maybe Trump will turn out to be a fine president. But Calvin seems to often match up with the persona Trump is creating. I was so taken by this revelation that I took a bunch of screen shots and posted it to Facebook. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who noticed.
As I said in my post, I feel bad about tying one of my childhood heroes to a person I personally don't care for. (True, on Facebook I was a little more direct in my feelings toward Mr. Trump...) But, lots of people took notice and have been photoshopping Trump's face over Calvin's face. I'm still not sure how to take it.
Check it out.
Here's a preview:
.
I couple of years ago, I reread all of The Far Side Gallaries. (Or so I had thought... Apparently, I missed Gallery 5...)
But when it comes to my life, no comic/cartoon/Sunday Funny has been read by me more than Calvin and Hobbes. Indeed, Watterson may be the most influential writer in my life. I have more "goodreads quotes" in my goodreads quote section than any other author. And it's not even close.
I want to retell the story of being banned from reading, or tell about the game my college roommate and I played where we'd flip open to any random page in any Calvin and Hobbes book and start a quote, and the other would have to finish it.
Calvin improved my vocabulary, taught me subtlety (from his lack), and how sometimes friends are jerks. And often you're the jerk, but you can't recognize it in yourself.
At this moment in my life, though, when I read it I came away with something else. I finished this at the end of June, 2016. Here in the U.S. we're in the middle of a... ...an interesting presidential cycle.
I noticed that Calvin is Donald Trump.
Now, who knows? Maybe Trump will turn out to be a fine president. But Calvin seems to often match up with the persona Trump is creating. I was so taken by this revelation that I took a bunch of screen shots and posted it to Facebook. As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who noticed.
As I said in my post, I feel bad about tying one of my childhood heroes to a person I personally don't care for. (True, on Facebook I was a little more direct in my feelings toward Mr. Trump...) But, lots of people took notice and have been photoshopping Trump's face over Calvin's face. I'm still not sure how to take it.
Check it out.
Here's a preview:
.
June 25, 2007
wisdom from the mouths of precocious babes (yeah, I know, really from some dude), hilarious, *love* all C&H collections
January 19, 2020
Now here's the Calvin and Hobbes collection to read during the Winter months! Calvin spends so much of his time wishing for winter to come, and it's finally here - complete with monstrous snowmen, snowball fights, and plenty of sledding mishaps! While Calvin revels in the glory of a 12 inch snowfall and warming up in front of the fire, the overall tone of the volume was a bit darker than some of the other collections. Not only does Calvin himself have a few moments where he laments the fate of the bullied, wasting his childhood with homework, and the struggles of team sports, we are also treated to a few comics which are told from the perspective of his father. Unlike Calvin, his father is a realist, and this makes his outlook a lot more dour even if he does take a few moments to distance himself from his adult life to play with Calvin. In terms of the chronology of Calvin's life, this collection is comprised of his later years, so maybe this is the turning point where we see Calvin starting to grow up and out of his childhood innocence. He has to grow up eventually, doesn't he? Or maybe not, since Calvin and Hobbes are kind of in the same league as Peter Pan and seem to stay childlike forever.
April 10, 2018
the theme is to be yourself
February 10, 2021
just brilliant.
October 16, 2020
The family’s favorite comic strip.
July 24, 2022
I don't remember when I last sat down with this book and read the whole thing. I hardly ever read the poems in the front. Maybe eighth grade.
I think it's nice how Watterson (presumably) insisted on not having promotional text on the back of the book, letting an illustration occupy the whole cover instead.
(Sun 24 Jul 2022 07:38:30 AM CDT)
I think it's nice how Watterson (presumably) insisted on not having promotional text on the back of the book, letting an illustration occupy the whole cover instead.
(Sun 24 Jul 2022 07:38:30 AM CDT)
August 22, 2023
finishing this book T minus 1hr before moving out of my childhood home
November 24, 2022
It's been a while since I read some Calvin and Hobbes, and I wonder why. It's always so good in so many ways! I should make more of an effort to reread frequently. I also wonder if reading this so much as a teen is why I decided I didn't want children. What if I ended up with a Calvin?!
November 1, 2025
My daughter found my copy of this book from when I was a kid, and it was such a blast re-reading it together. These are such wonderful, sophisticated, heartfelt comics. True art.
February 21, 2023
Divertido y entrañable. 🦖
Calvin es un gamberrete al que le gustan los dinosaurios, las galletas y ver mucho la tele. Pero sobre todo jugar con su tigre Hobbes en la nieve. Odia ir al colegio, hacer los deberes y quedarse con su cuidadora.
En sus aventuras cotidianas se hace preguntas sobre todo lo que le gusta y lo que no, planteando cuestiones y teorías varias a su gran amigo Hobbes y a sus padres. Y con ello nos hace reflexionar sobre las mismas mientras nos saca una sonrisa.
(Con apariciones estelares de Estupendoman)
Calvin es un gamberrete al que le gustan los dinosaurios, las galletas y ver mucho la tele. Pero sobre todo jugar con su tigre Hobbes en la nieve. Odia ir al colegio, hacer los deberes y quedarse con su cuidadora.
En sus aventuras cotidianas se hace preguntas sobre todo lo que le gusta y lo que no, planteando cuestiones y teorías varias a su gran amigo Hobbes y a sus padres. Y con ello nos hace reflexionar sobre las mismas mientras nos saca una sonrisa.
(Con apariciones estelares de Estupendoman)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 522 reviews