Winsor McCay: The Complete Little Nemo, 2 Volumes XL Hardcover – December 5, 2014

I own both Sunday Press volumes of selected 'Little Nemo' pages. As someone who loves cartooning and believes Winsor McCay was the Michelangelo of cartoonists, I was excited to know that there were even more 'Little Nemo' pages that were not include in the Sunday Press books and that these were now available in one oversize, deluxe volume. Though, some years ago Fantagraphics put out a multivolume complete set, the page size is woefully inadequate to properly capture the detail and majestic splendor of this opus. Plus, these out of print volumes have become excruciatingly expensive. So when I found out about the Taschen double volume set, I had to have it.On the positive side, Amazon does a thorough job of packaging for shipping this very large and heavy book, not always a given with other sellers. Once the packaging and carrying case is opened, I found first the softbound book which details McCay's life and work while putting it in context of the early Twentieth Century. It is well researched and has many illustrations and photos. Then there is the hardbound volume that contains all of "Little Nemo in Slumberland" and "In the Land of Wonderful Dreams" and is a thing of beauty; the paper, the binding, the way it is designed along with the work displayed are breathtaking. But, while the black line work of the drawings are printed crisply, the colorwork is, for the most part, clearly inferior to the Sunday Press books - which is a crying shame. All the work that went into this lavish volume yet the scans did not appear to be worked on or cleaned up at all. You see creases more than a few times and badly registered color many times. To be sure, some the pages came out perfectly but, by and large, the pages that can be compared with its Sunday Press counterparts usually suffer in comparison.I'm still very glad I possess this complete version so I have all the work but then I'm a fanatic about this stuff. If you only require about 110 of the best of Nemo, by all means get the first volume of the Sunday Press book.

It is very big and very nice. "Sundays" is 21" x 16"; Tashen is 17.5" x 14". Tashen is slightly lower resolution than the "So Many Peasant Sundays" edition in which someone has selected their considered "120" best: the 2nd volume by them has 120 more. The complete Tashen has a great many more, I think more than twice as many as the two "Sundays" combined. Page texture is the same. The Tashen pictures, being slightly smaller seem slightly darker but more detailed or one could say the "Sundays" is brighter but very, very slightly less detailed. Text is clear in both and obviously slightly larger in the "Sundays".The Tashen includes a separate Large format PB about McCay and his books, 144 pages--very fine addition to this package. Being complete, I would chose it over the "Sundays" side by side. Will try to add some photos-if my text for them does not appear, the lighter picture is from Sundays the "darker" from Tashen. Last picture is showing the outer box where I messed it up opening it from its tight fit-pull the tap shown in my left hand first before trying to lift out the side tabs. That slip case is packed in an outer publishers box and then an outer Amazon box. The slipcase is shrink wrapped as well as the two books inside. GET IT!=I will have to resend or add the pictures later, Amazon did not like a common UK, BBC England English Language verb I used that might be misconstrued. In the meantime, let me add that my despair over tearing the slip case and reading the star review has led me to see this case as an oportunity to make my own re-enforced slip case. Hope this goes through. (I deleted "bugger" and entered "messed up")=Trying to add photos without comparison photos (wink, wink):

This is a hard review to write. I wish Amazon had a star choice which read non-applicable. On the one hand this is a gorgeous book. On the other hand I am returning it immediately. I guess that it comes down to a question of form vs. function. I had purchased this to be a readable book on a strip which I enjoy and own in many other, oversized volumes. But a book, to be a readable book, must function as that. This is too huge, too poorly designed in look, feel and utility to be considered a book which is readable. If what you are looking for is an eye-catching, wow-inspiring collectible to sit on display then add at least two stars to this review. I want people to understand why I am negative about this so bear with me a few minutes.The book is, first off, really two books. It includes a large softcover volume which is apparently on McCay's life. Both books are packaged in a clamshell-like cardboard case. This is the first major problem. The case is cute with a plastic luggage handle. But just opening it one time was very much a hassle trying to be certain that I did not rip an interlocking tab nor damage the cardboard in any way. Why they did it this way instead of a slipcase can only be because it would cost more to make a slipcase then to print a foldable, cardboard box. But if you buy this you should know that it is impossible (in my estimation as a person who has thousands of books of every design) that the box for this book will last through numerous opening and closing sequences no matter how breathtakingly careful you may be.Now we come to form vs. function. I found that the only table in my house that would accommodate this should I open the pages (I left the glassine on as it was obvious it was going back) would be the main dining room table. I do have other books that I need to read there (a huge Walt and Skeezix Sundays, "Society is Nix" and so on). But in the other such cases the thickness and weight are considerable but not implausible. With this book, and again this is based on my collector's desire to keep items I own as pristine as I can, the simple act of turning pages would be challenging to both the pages and to the spine. For the softcover volume to open that up and read it cover to cover would have to malform the covers and spine. The weight is as stated on the description but until you actually pick it up you don't realize just how hefty this volume is. It is, and again in my opinion, heavier than a book should be when considered as a book rather than as a not-to-be-read but collectible item.I think that if you are going to buy this book you need to be aware of this more than just the description implies. I guess I could have just said the book is too big. But that seemed a rather silly review of an expensive item that I am sure some people are going to wildly love. I hope this review will, at least, help somewhat in presenting at least one reader's view.

I had never heard of Little Nemo (or Winsor McCay) until this new Taschen release came up in my recommendations. It is, quite simply, superb. It comes with a terrific large format paperback biography (in pseudo-newspaper slyle) but the star is the hardcover collected comic strips. These are works of art, and surrealist "art nouveau" art at that (the first strips drawn as long ago as 1905). This is a man who it seems had a significant influence not only on important future cartoonists (including Walt Disney) but also film makers (Fellini especially, according to the latter's biographer) and you can see why. This strip was produced in an age when cinema was only in its infancy (remember that the first full time Nickelodeon cinema theatre was established in Pittsburgh only in 1905 as well), and it captures something of the innocence of the world as it then was (blissfully ignorant of the horrors of the twentieth century still to come). The imaginative drawing and the use of colour are a powerful combination. However, what sets this apart from the likes of the later Marvel and DC comics is the delightful humour in the text and storylines. It is not simply an escapist adventure strip for kids, it is a journey back to the gentle childhood we might all have liked for ourselves and would wish for future generations. It is an absolute delight, it really is.

Great, complete collection of a masterpiece of a cartoon. The binding is high-quality and the original-size format, abeit quite challenging to flip through, adds up to a great reading experience. The only flaw is color: the publisher clearly made a big effort in restoring the original printings, but coloring looks a bit sloppy compared to what can be found at the The Comic Strip Library online.

The biggest, heaviest wonderful fantasy. Outstanding edition work.

excelent quality. full size pictures. prompt delivery

A great book. It replicates the original newspaper size of the original publication.