As a Peanut Fan, This book is just too short. It ends when you're just about to get started. It make you yearn for more and more..Peppermint, one of my favorite and mercy went on the camping trip with Our Guide Snoopy !

This book is so sweet and nice. A pity it is a bit too short. Couldn't get the hang out of it. I had also bought another book' "Nice Shot, Snoopy" which is another of my favourite. I have difficulty in finding another book, " You are the Greatest, Charlie Brown!" Its a short story. Its about the whole school involving in a school meets and of course, Charlie Brown was involved also and almost won a medal! So, if you know of any copies of this book available, please let me know. Thanks!

This book, 'Lead On, Snoopy' was fantastic, just like any other Peanuts books I have read. I am only 12 years of age but I love any books that have humour in them. Lead On, Snoopy was very entertaining and I had lots of fun reading it. I would recommend this book to anybody at all, wether you are a Peanuts fan or not, a young child or an adult or anything else that knows how to read!

"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness." Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, "Paul Clifford" (1830).

Who would have thought that when Charles M. Schulz had Snoopy sit atop his dog house and type those immortal opening words "It was a dark and stormy night," that it would not only result in this cute little book but would see the rediscovery of Edward George Bulwer-Lytton and the creation of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, where writers intentionally trying to create a wretched opening line of epic proportions. Of course the difference between Bulwer-Lytton and Snoopy is that the former would never dare insert a period only seven words into a sentence and the latter has cover art by Lucy Van Pelt.

Did Schulz know that he was borrowing the opening line from one of Bulwer-Lytton's novels? Well, anyone who has ever read one of that particular author's opening lines would probably never forget it and who knows what some English teacher did to the young Schulz once upon a time.

Of course, fans of "Peanuts" do not need to concern themselves with the almost forgotten author of "The Last Days of Pompeii," "Eugene Aram" and other uncollected works. Here is both the anguish of an author trying to get published plus the completed 1971 novel with shots ringing out, a pirate ship appearing on the horizon, and a boy growing up on a small farm in Kansas. But Part I of Snoopy's novel is only prelude for the intense excitement of Part II. In the end, that small boy grows up to not only learn something about medicine, but also about life.

Throughout his career as Charlie Brown's dog, Snoopy took on many important projects. Periodically, he could be seen beginning work on a new novel, which invariably began with, "It was a dark and stormy night." This fun book shows Snoopy's work, from beginning the project, through his finding a publisher, and on to the inevitable autograph parties. As an added bonus, Snoopy's whole novel is included for the reader's perusal.

As with all of Charles M. Schulz's work, this Peanuts book is extremely funny. I mean, it stars Snoopy, what can be better that that? This is a great Peanuts book, and a nice addition to anyone's library. If you can buy it then do so, you won't regret it!

Snoopy is trying to write a book. He starts with the phrase "It was a dark and stormy night," and it just keeps getting better from there! Snoopy makes a great author! He's so cool sitting on his doghouse with his typewriter! Good job, Snoopy!

Even Scrooge would get a chuckle from this humorous look at Christmas. Read this anytime of the year if you want to get back into the Christmas spirit.

It couldn't be better! Must read book!!

This is a new edition of a book originally published in 1968. As such, many readers are probably already familiar with this title. I, however, had never seen it before. As a Christian and a fan of Peanuts, I found it to be a very good book.

One of the reasons I think I like it is that, since it was written in 1968, it's not one of these wishy-washy new-age/ spirituality books that have become so common. Someone looking for "inspiration" should look elsewhere. This book is a serious theological tract that uses Peanuts cartoons to illustrate various points. I found this to be a very clever approach with which Charles Schulz himself "could not be more pleased."

I also like the fact that Short is not afraid to come out and say what he thinks. He tackles the tough questions of Christianity and gives the answers he believes are true. He doesn't try to sugar-coat the cross that a Christian is required to carry and he tries to make his way down to the very core of Christian belief. This is a worthwhile task.

On the other hand, I did find Short to be a bit repetitive in his writing. He hammers away his points over and over. Additionally, I have to say that I'm not a believer in everything he has to say. That, in and of itself, is fine with me. People willing to state their convictions make me willing to examine my own more deeply. This is something we all--even Mr. Short--need to do from time to time if we are to keep our faith strong.

Robert L. Short uses Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" cartoons to illustrate his theology, which is broadly speaking, Calvinist. As he is aware, his interpretations are not the only ones possible, but he has the merit of showing the depths of Schulz's work. He cites various thinkers and writers to illustrate his points, such as Kierkegaard, Barth, Bonhoefer, Pascal, Herman Melville, Kafka, Einstein, T. S. Eliot, and Paul Tillich. He takes account of modern biblical scholarship and theology on such things as original sin and hell. It is a very good book, which describes and illustrates many features of human life and the need for saving grace. The fact that I disagree with some of the theology doesn't change that. I will contrast some of his theology with more Catholic views.

Short points out that Schulz quite explicitly communicated Christian themes in his cartoons, but knew well he could not impose his own interpretations on them. As Jacques Maritain pointed out long ago, if art is to be Christian, it must be real art. Having read enough devotional and didactic stories and pictures in my life, I can attest to their general dullness. In great part, I think, Schulz has created real art in his Peanuts cartoons. As Short points out, they say something; they are more than mere entertainment.

Short summarizes the freedoms offered by Christian faith: first, the freedom from worship of false gods, idols; second the dreadful freedom of being deprived of being left with nothing to hold on to; third, the freedom of living under the easy yoke of Jesus Christ; and fourth, the freedom to use any legitimate means to spread the message of Christ. This can serve as a summary of the many descriptive themes of the book. One can see that in many ways, Christian faith lights up reality, the world as it is. However, he regards doctrines of free will as illusions.

Short is convinced that human beings are basically depraved, and that one must discover this fact before one can become a Christian. Along with this is predestination, although he conceives God's love as so universal as to preclude final damnation. This is hard to argue with, for there is nothing in Christian belief that implies that anyone has ever been consigned to Hell.

There is no question that human beings can be very evil indeed. Schulz was a master in showing the self-deception, arrogance, and confusion to which we are prone. The Peanuts are often quite cruel to one another. Short quite skilfully uses various cartoons to illustrate many aspects of human life in the light of the Gospel, and this is one of the great strengths of the book. However, people often do a great deal of good, and sometimes this comes out even in "Peanuts." Does it make sense to consider human beings as totally depraved? Not really. For one thing, evil is a deformation or misuse of something good. It has no independent existence. While one can agree that wounded human nature cannot attain the salvation without God's help, there are serious objections to removing all goodness.

As well, to whom would the Christian message be preached if human nature were totally depraved? Preaching would respond to nothing in human nature. Only if we were created for something better does salvation make sense. Short evidently sees the force of this objection and cites Pascal, who follows Aristotle and St. Thomas here, that human beings desire happiness, something Short does not elucidate. For Aristotle, happiness was eudemonia, well being. Short points out that Jesus wished to bring new life and joy. He finds support in T. S. Eliot, among others, to the effect that only God is capable of giving full happiness and that human beings are prone to seeking happiness in the wrong places and in the wrong ways. In other words, if there were not tendency to good in human beings, there would be nothing in them to respond to Christian teaching. But then what becomes of the doctrine of total depravity?

Following on his view of human nature, Short also proposes that human beings must be driven to despair before they can become Christians, a view historically reflected in much evangelical preaching. What this really means is that only persons of the right psychological types with the right experiences can become Christians.

Short accepts predestination of a deterministic kind. In particular, in the chapter, "Just Who's in Charge Here?", Short proposes that doctrines of free will are simply attempts to assert our independence from God. This appeal to a motive is not a valid argument against free will. Technically, it is a circumstantial ad hominem. As well, he opposes free will to the sovereignty of God. The view that the more one attributes to the creatures, the less one attributes to God has antecedents has antecedents in St. Bonaventure, Luther, Barth and others. But really, how grand is it when God can only create puppets? Thomists such as Etienne Gilson and existential ontologists such as Paul Tillich and John MacQuarrie point out that this is to treat human beings as things rather than persons, and misrepresents the relationships between human beings and God. On a more theoretical theological plane, they also hold that the creation of free beings shows the wisdom and majesty of God far better than the creation of mere things. For myself, I would rather worship a God who can create free beings, rather than one who cannot.

The Parables of Peanuts is a very effective popular presentation of a particular sort of Christian theology. I have tried to indicate some the areas I think the theology falls short, but there is so much good in it that I give it a top rating. After all, there is nothing else quite like Short's way with "Peanuts."

It's an old Snoopy book from my childhood. My 4 year old son loves it. We only wish that Charles Schulz would have written more like it. We keep wondering when and if Snoopy ever will get that Red Baron.

I love this book. Snoopy makes a great aviator, and he knows that real world war I flying aces don't say "Nyah, nyah, nyah," and he says it anyway. Snoopy's fight against the Red Baron is one that I'd never want to miss! Way to go, Snoopy!

This "Peanuts" book was valuable to me as the parent of two children with amblyopia. There is an episode where Sally Brown (Charlie's sister) gets amblyopia and has to wear an eyepatch. My kids really enjoyed reading about a child in a similar situation to theirs.

I think Peanuts was at a transitional phase at this point. Linus and Lucy had temporarily moved away in 1966 (when most of the cartoons in this book were originally published). Also, Peppermint Patty (the stringy haired tomboy who had a crush on "Chuck", whooped his tail at baseball, and got straight D-minuses) emerged this year- one of the 1st more "modern" characters- she would later introduce Franklin and "Sir" Marcie. If any character proved that Peanuts was progressing forward, it was Peppermint Patty.

This is a nicely made gift book. The quality of paper and construction is excellent. A name tag and piece of "Peanuts" wrapping paper are even included in the back. Also, each page is artistically presented and not simply a page of comics. However, it takes about 3 minutes to read the whole book. I was rather disappointed with the skimpy number of comics in it--the cover is thicker than the whole content.

You're The Tops, Pops! is a sweet look at fathers from the Peanuts gang in the Passionate Peanuts collection. Each section has a heading page, then strips that follow featuring Peppermint Patty and Marcie, Lucy and Pig Pen, Charlie Brown and Sally, and Snoopy and Spike. It is in color and black and white, with neat Schulz graphics throughout. While short in pages, it is long in Sparky's appreciation of fathers.

The Peanuts gang is at it again. The story starts off with Snoopy at the emergency room after injuring his knee in a hockey accident.

Sally tells Charlie Brown where Snoopy is and he goes down to the hospital. Meanwhile, Marcie hears about Snoopy and decides to go to the hospital to be supportive of Charlie Brown. While waiting Marcie and Charlie realize something very important about dogs. With this discovery, Snoopy is rescued from surgery.

This book is a good introduction into humor for children. As an adult, I was smiling throughout the book. The drawings are clear and colorful.

The Peanuts Gang makes you smile.

This cute little book (30 pages, excluding the title page and so forth) is another excellent example of the work of the incomparable Charles M. Schulz. In this book, Charlie Brown receives a phone call telling him that Snoopy is in the emergency room of the local hospital. Snoopy maintains that he was playing hockey, and was tripped by Wayne Gretzky! Regardless of how he was hurt, the doctors want to operate on his knee. But, do dogs have knees?

When I was a child, I absolutely loved the Peanuts, and I am so pleased that my own children have now fallen in love with those same funny characters. This book is large and attractive, with brightly colored pictures that are sure to please the young reader (and Peanuts fans of all ages)! My children and I highly recommend this book to you!

This wonderful book was created to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Charles Schulz's creation of the Peanuts. The book starts out with several salutes to Charles Schulz, and then moves on to Schulz's reminisces of his life with the Peanuts. And then, the pièce de résistance, 153 pages of Peanuts cartoons! All of the normal gang is here, and we even get to meet Snoopy's brothers: Andy, Spike and Olaf.

This is a very nice book. My daughter found it, and bought it with her own money, and she is very happy with her purchase. We both highly recommend it to everyone. Buy this book!

A work by Schulz. The cover art alone make the book worth having. Great cartoons and words of wisdom from the best.

I absolutely adored this book and so would any true fan of Charles Schulz! I enjoyed the text that went along with his cartoons in explaining how he got his ideas and how the Peanuts gang came to be. I feel that the cartoons chosen for this book are wonderful and this book remains a very special part of my collection!

I found this book in a church Library and fell in love with it. the more I read the more I realize Short's Excelent perception on human nature and Christianity. I was especially fond of the titles of the chapters including: "The Wages of Sin is "Aaaughh"", and "Good Grief". These Titles and the titles of the book however are going to be offencive to some Fundimentalist Christians. That is a shame because if they read this book they would see how good of an evangelical tool it could be. I hope anyone struggling with their own faith could read this book. It really Pokes fun at human nature.

It is, surely, a matter of basic courtesy to an author to read his or her book before reviewing it. The pseudonymous "lexo-2" (see below, six reviews down) knows his Peanuts and his Preachers, and his verdict on Short is "Wrong, wrong, wrong." Well, six months after reading that review I have at last got around to finishing my used-bookstore copy of "The Gospel," and I find myself feeling so annoyed that I simply must respond.

"Whether or not Schulz is a devout Christian I could not say," writes lexo-2. If he had taken the trouble to actually read Short's book, however, he would have found numerous quotations from Schulz himself concerning his religious views. Speaking of a Bible-study group he attended shortly after his return from the Second World War, Schulz says, "The more I thought about it during those study times, the more I realized that I really loved God" (quoted on p. 70). Or again, "I don't even like the expression 'take communion.' You cannot 'take' communion. You are a part of the communion. You are communing with Christ; you are a part of the community of saints" (p. 80). The rhetoric, complete with its anti-Catholic bias against the notion of "taking" communion, is clearly that of a born-again evangelical (in Schulz's case, Church of God). And lest there be any doubt of Schulz's authorial intentions, he is quoted in the very first chapter as saying, "I have a message that I want to present, but I would rather bend a little to put over a point than to have the whole strip dropped because it is too obvious. As a result . . . all sorts of people in religious work have written to thank me for preaching in my own way through the strips. That is one of the things that keeps me going" (p. 20).

Schulz was worried about being too obvious. Clearly he wasn't obvious enough.

Short's book is cogent and well argued; it certainly is not a collection of "homilies." Contrary to what lexo-2 implies, Short does not ignore the darker side of the Peanuts world. Indeed, of lexo- 2's "three phrases," Short uses two or them in chapter titles: "The Wages of Sin Is 'Aaaugh!'" and "Good Grief!" Good grief! Read before you review!

Yes, lexo-2 is quite right that the world of Peanuts is a "sunlit hell, in which the characters never grow, never change, etc." Where he goes wrong is in assuming that Short--a Ph.D. in literature and theology, a man who had taken the trouble to study the cartoon in depth and even write a book about it--couldn't see that for himself. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Short's whole point is that we all live in a "sunlit hell," suffering "unimaginable fears" and "wreaking appalling cruelties on each other," and that we will never escape that hell unless we can find . . . (you guessed it!) the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The salvationist message does not come across too strongly in the cartoon (Schulz did not want to be "obvious") but it just as surely is there, between the lines, in the occasional epiphanies of love and reconciliation that illuminate the otherwise bleak moral landscape of Peanutopia.

You can agree or disagree with the Short-Schulz analysis of the human predicament. Personally, I disagree strongly. But in a world in which evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity have so much influence and power, it simply will not do to be idly dismissive. Indeed, I particularly recommend Short's book to freethinkers of every stripe, if only that they may remind themselves just how subtle and persuasive evangelical discourse can be. There is more, much more, to Short's little book than "pious ramblings" and that is precisely what makes it, depending on your point of view, so inspiring or so insidious.

This is the first book of theology that I ever read - and what a great introduction to theology! Short pulls out the theology of love and grace, the very human-ness of Christian faith (rightly understood), from the cartoon Peanuts, written by the unique Charles Schultz. This is actually the best introduction to real Christian theology that is available. Tillich, Kierkegaard, Niebuhr, Luther, Kafka, T. S. Eliot, and Karl Barth are only of the people you'll encounter in this splendid summary of essential Christian thought. I have valued this book for years, from when I first read it in high school to when I gave it as a gift to a lay minister in the diocese that I serve when I was consecrated as a bishop. Of all the dull and boring books of theology out there, this one is fun, and one of the best ever!