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A perfect present for me

This year, my wife put me in charge of choosing and buying presents from her to me. It made sense, for several reasons. I would get to it sooner and it would avoid problems connected with her misunderstanding what I wanted. So I got to would a little late, but I got my Hanukkah present yesterday, one day after the last day of Hanukkah. It was My Crowd, by Charles Addams. This book is a coffee table book of cartoons, most of which were from the New Yorker, reproduced at large size. most of these were actually printed at a size larger than the artist intended (most of his published cartoons that I have seen or reproduced at a size smaller than he intended). Consequently, they look best held at arm's length, which is less than ideal. if you hold the book closer, you see individual brushstrokes creating faces and other elements of the cartoons. On the plus side, I noticed quite a few details in these pictures that I had not seen when I looked at these cartoons in other places (for instance, the CD accompanying the book containing all of the cartoons from the New Yorker, from 1925 through 2004, which I strongly recommend). these details included small faces peering down at the action and architectural details of the Addams family's incredible house. There was one cartoon that I have never seen before, but unfortunately it is not one of his best. I am an Addams family completist; if I was not, I might have been disappointed with this book. If you don't have very many of his books, and especially if your vision isn't that great, this one is a good choice.

I don't have anywhere near all of his books. I have a really big fat white hardback, I forget the name. I have three of those little mustard colored paperbacks, which reproduce the cartoons at a very small size, and which I think were reprints of larger editions. Even though I want to have all of his books, I have made no serious effort to complete my collection. By contrast, I think I have everything by Walt Kelly except a few of the comics from the 40s, the Pogo songbook, and songs of the Pogo. I think those were two different books, but I am no singer and just wasn't very interested. I think I have everything connected with the Far Side, except for the animated TV movie (I don't know if one can get that anywhere; I couldn't find it on YouTube). I think I have all of the Sylvia books by Nicole Hollander. I know I don't have all of the pearls before swine books, Calvin and Hobbes, or the Tom tomorrow books. I need to work on that.