The third volume in Canongate's acclaimed series, with a specially commissioned introduction from The Simpsons' Matt Groening. We travel into the mid-1950s as Linus learns to talk, Snoopy begins to explore his eccentricities, Lucy's unrequited crush on Schroeder takes final shape, and Charlie Brown becomes ... well, even more Charlie Brown-ish.

As Peanuts concludes its first decade, a new character makes her appearance: Charlie Brown's little sister Sally. This volume covers her earliest days, from her proud brother's announcement of her birth to her first words (and crush on Linus)! Also: the initial 'Great Pumpkin' sequence; Lucy's first appearance as a nickel psychiatrist; Linus's short-lived and one-sided romance with his beloved teacher Miss Othmar; and Snoopy's battle with the doghouse-destroying freeway bypass. All this, plus two of the most famous Peanuts strips of all time: the 'clouds' Sunday that Schulz cites as his personal favourite and 'Happiness is a warm puppy'.

'I have naturally curly hair.' With those fateful words, The Complete Peanuts introduces another main character to the gang, the vain Frieda (not to mention her cat Faron). Also in this volume, which collects two full years from the early 1960s - one of Schulz's most fertile periods - Sally begins to grow up, Snoopy endures an avian family crisis, Linus develops a crush on Miss Othmar and loses his blanket again (when Lucy turns it into a kite and then lets it fly away), and more baseball routs. Aaaugh!!

As the 1950s close, Peanuts enters its golden age. Linus, who had just learned to speak in the previous volume, becomes downright eloquent. Charlie Brown cascades further down the hill to loserdom. But the rising star is undoubtedly Snoopy. He's at the centre of the most action-packed episodes. Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections and life-long Peanuts fan, introduces the collection.