This book has been a long time coming. Way back in 1995, Mr. Carl Richter, in collaboration with Robert Crumb himself, produced Crumb-Ology: The Works of Robert Crumb 1981-1994, an 81-page hardcover published by Water Row Press. Four years later, he followed up with a supplement covering another four years.
Now, at last, Fantagraphics is publishing Mr. Richter's vastly expanded 320-page work, The Crumb Compendium, and the book will be officially released either Oct. 31 or Nov. 6, depending which website you look at. It's now available for pre-order.
I have no idea what illustrations will be included, so I googled up a few strange and wondrous things to whet your appetite (and mine).
Here's a description of the book, gleaned from the blog of the same (just a coincidence, I'm told) name:
The Crumb Compendium lists and organizes all of Crumb’s published work to date: comics, papers and other periodicals, books, catalogs, posters, juvenilia, cards and all other printed ephemera. Records and CDs as well as merchandise like buttons, statues and shirts are also included, as well as listings of articles and interviews, characters and comic strip titles and published photographs.
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Richter’s research is impeccable — he has been a valued consultant on The Complete Crumb Comics library since its inception — and virtually all listed items were examined first hand without relying on the research of others. Most of the material is from the author’s own collection; other items were examined in private collections and university archives. In a few cases photostats or scans from other collections and institutions were acquired, and Crumb himself served as a consultant to ensure the most accurate information.
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The Crumb Compendium will be heavily illustrated with rare pieces from Crumb’s career, making this an essential text for all Crumb collectors and scholars. 320 pages of black-and-white comics and illustrations.
Richter’s research is impeccable — he has been a valued consultant on The Complete Crumb Comics library since its inception — and virtually all listed items were examined first hand without relying on the research of others. Most of the material is from the author’s own collection; other items were examined in private collections and university archives. In a few cases photostats or scans from other collections and institutions were acquired, and Crumb himself served as a consultant to ensure the most accurate information.
The Crumb Compendium will be heavily illustrated with rare pieces from Crumb’s career, making this an essential text for all Crumb collectors and scholars. 320 pages of black-and-white comics and illustrations.
The Crumb Compendium lists and organizes all of Crumb's published work to date and serves as the definitive guide to the work of greatest cartoonist of all time. Comics, periodicals, books, catalogs, posters, juvenilia, cards and all other printed ephemera are included along with records and CD's, buttons, statues and shirts plus listings of articles and interviews. It will be heavily illustrated, making this an essential text for all Crumb collectors and scholars and having had Crumb himself serve as a consultant ensured the most accurate information.
