Family CircusFor 50 years we have grown up with The Family Circus. Cartoonist Bil Keane has drawn endless inspiration from his own real-life family since this classic American comic strip began in 1960. As long as there are families, these comics will remain as true and endearing as when they were originally published.

    Family Circus Vol. 1: 1960-1961

    by Bil Keane
    Edited by Scott Dunbier, Designed by Dean Mullaney. Introduction by Chris Keane.

    Drawing inspiration from his own family's antics, Bil Keane brought the charming adventures of Billy, Dolly, Jeffy & PJ to life where they have been beloved by millions of readers ever since. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Family Circus, this initial book collects the first two years of daily and Sunday strips, starting from the very beginning.

    Oblong 11" x 7.5" hardcover, 236 pp., $39.99. ISBN: 978-1-60010-140-3.

    Family Circus Vol. 2: 1962-1963

    by Bil Keane
    Edited by Scott Dunbier, Designed by Dean Mullaney. Introduction by Chris Keane.

    A new baby joins the family in the continuing collection of the strip's early years, presented chronologically and in full color for the first time. Contains the daily and Sunday comics from January 1962 through the end of June 1963.

    Oblong 11" x 7.5" hardcover, 258 pp., $39.99. ISBN: 978-1-60010-657-6.

Bill Keane

A self-taught artist, Bil Keane was already an established syndicated cartoonist with Channel Chuckles when The Family Circle debuted on February 29, 1960. Soon after, the strip would be rechristened The Family Circus and rise from its modest beginnings to become one of the most popular and enduring American comics strips of all time. Today, it is published, remarkably, in 1,500 papers.

Keane has been a four-time recipient of the National Cartoonists Society's Award for Best Newspaper Panel of the year, as well as earning that prestigious organization's highest honor, the Reuben Award, in 1982. He resides in Paradise Valley, Arizona, and continues to work on The Family Circus, assisted by his son, Jeff.

"I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Family Circus again after reading this book. I expected to see a string of now familiar and cliché "suburban child-loaded family" gags that elicit naught but an occasional chuckle. Nope, Family Circus turns out to be a lot better than just that. I found myself smiling through most of the book, and laughing out loud more often than I would have thought."
-Comic Book Resources