Hoy, "Ignatz" Where fourth is thee - "Ignatz"I sincerely want to give credit where it's due, and writer/historians like Bill Blackbeard and Richard Marschall are owed huge debts of gratitude by Krazy Kat fans for the years they've spent researching and uncovering all of this. I'm just summarizing the work they've done, and putting it on the Web.


A note on locating these items: Please don't email me, as I'm not a dealer, and I have no interest in selling my personal collection. The majority of the books listed here are out of print; some are extremely rare. They show up most often on EBay. Other good online sources are Bibliofind and ABEBooks, online frontends for independent book sellers. While Amazon lists a lot of these books, they don't stock them. They also list books that were announced but never actually printed, like "The Komplete Kolor Krazy Kat Vol. 3". So don't hold your breath after ordering those...


Another note: Herriman is not listed as an author below, but he is the author, of course! Most of the authors listed are actually the editors.


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Title Cover Year
Comic World 4 0
Author Publisher
Unknown Memory Lane
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Newspaer format collection of Krazy Kat sundays, possibly published in conjunction with a comic convention.

Title Cover Year
The Seven Lively Arts 1924
Author Publisher
Gilbert Seldes Harper & Brothers
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
"The Krazy Kat That Walks By Himself" is Seldes' lyrical essay on all things Krazy, the first literary piece on Krazy Kat.

Title Cover Year
All the Funny Folks 1926
Author Publisher
Jack Lait, Louis Biederman The World Today, inc.
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Wild illustrated rhyme-story \(sic\) featuring all of the cartoon characters of the day in 1926.

Title Cover Year
Music Stories for Girls and Boys 1926
Author Publisher
Donzella Cross Ginnand Company
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
This children's reader from 1926 includes a prose adaptation of the John Alden Carpenter Krazy Kat Jazz Pantomime.

Title Cover Year
Archy and Mehitabel 1927
Author Publisher
Don Marquis Doubleday, Page and Co.
ISBN HC: ISBN PB: 0-385-09478-7
The first edition came out in 1927. 3 years later, Doubleday reprinted the book with new illustrations by Herriman, who completely captured the characters. It's been reprinted numerous times since - the ISBN referenced here is for a softcover version printed in 1990.

Title Cover Year
Adventures of Krazy Kat + Ignatz Mouse in KokoLand 1934
Author Publisher
George Herriman Saalfield Publishing Co.
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
This rare "Big Little Book" is hard to find in good condition. It is a book with a narrative, accompanied by drawings culled from the comic strip. It's unclear whether Herriman actually wrote the prose, but it seems unlikely, given the stiff style.

Title Cover Year
The Life and Times of Archy and Mehitabel 1935
Author Publisher
Don Marquis Doubleday & Co.
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Marquis published two more A+M books which are compiled in this edition - "Archy Does His Part" and "Archy's Life of Mehitabel. These two feature Herriman illustrations, as well.

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat 1946
Author Publisher
Henry Holt & Co.
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
The first Krazy Kat collection with an introduction by E. E. Cummings, excerpted here.. This was released the year after Herriman passed away.

Title Cover Year
The Comics 1947
Author Publisher
Coulton Waugh The MacMillan Company
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Probably the first book to attempt a thorough history of comic strips, with a section on Krazy and some beautiful color reproductions.

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat - A Classic from the Golden Age of Comic 1969
Author Publisher
Joseph Greene, Rex Chessman, Dave Kaler, Ron Goulart, Ernie McGee Nostalgia Press, Grosset & Dunlap
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
A redesigned reprint of the 1946 Krazy Kat collection was released in 1969, then rereleased in the mid-seventies. The original Cummings intro and a second piece by Barbara Gelman are included, as well as original supplemental drawings by Rick Varesi and Lois Wallace.

Title Cover Year
George Herriman's Krazy Kat 1973
Author Publisher
Unknown Street Enterprizes
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
One shot that looked like it was intended to be more by the publishers of the strip collection "The Menomonee Falls Gazette". Nicely reprinted collection of Dailies.

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat Komix Number 1 1974
Author Publisher
Joost Swarte Real Free Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Another strip collection run by a Dutch artist who did his own Herrimanesque covers for the series. These included earlier Herriman work such as Embarrassing Moments and Family Upstairs/Dingbats strips, article reprints and other trivia. A five issue run.

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat Komix Number 2 1974
Author Publisher
Joost Swarte Real Free Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat Komix Number 3 1975
Author Publisher
Joost Swarte Real Free Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat Komix Number 4 1975
Author Publisher
Joost Swarte Real Free Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat Komix Number 5 1976
Author Publisher
Joost Swarte Real Free Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:

Title Cover Year
Baron Bean - A Complete Compilation: 1916-1917 1977
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Hyperion Press
ISBN HC: 0-88355-641-3 ISBN PB: 0-88355-640-5
Another successful Herriman Strip, which ran concurrently with Krazy for a year or two. Introduction by M. Thomas Inge.

Title Cover Year
The Family Upstairs - Introducing Krazy Kat - The Complete Run 1977
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Hyperion Press
ISBN HC: 0-88355-643-X ISBN PB: 0-88355-642-1
This collection of Herriman's second most successful strip includes the wonderful bottom panels that introduced Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse. A reprint edition released in 1992 includes a brief forward by Patrick McDonnell.

Title Cover Year
The Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics 1977
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard, Martin Williams Smithsonian
ISBN HC: 0-87474-172-6 ISBN PB: 0-87474-167-X
Gigantic collection of classic strips including a number of Herriman efforts and 11 splendidly reproduced Sunday Kats. Introduction by John canaday.

Title Cover Year
Of Mice and Magic 1980
Author Publisher
Leonard Maltin McGraw-Hill
ISBN HC: 0-07-039835-6 ISBN PB:
Great source material on Animated Krazy Kat cartoons, which there were a wealth of, although few that carried the inspiring qualities of the strip.

Title Cover Year
Great Comic Cats 1981
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard, Malcolm Whyte Troubador Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB: 0-89844-010-6
Collection of cat comic strips with a good section on Krazy Kat. Intro by Jim davis \(Garfield\)

Title Cover Year
Comics journal No. 84 1983
Author Publisher
Dale Luciano Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
"Bugs Bunny, Krazy kat, Carl barks, and Casper the Friendly Ghost Meet the American Surrealists" - review of essay collection Surrealism and Its Popular Accomplices by Dale Luciano. Luciano quotes editor Franklin Rosemont's assertion that Krazy Kat offers definitive evidence that "American poetry in this century has lived primarily outside the poem".

Title Cover Year
Nemo - The Classic Comics Library No. 1 1983
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Brilliant article chronicling Herriman's very early work by the foremost authority on the subject. This one is rich with details about Herriman's first strips, and supplemental work as a sports cartoonist, ending with a look into the roots of Krazy Kat.

Title Cover Year
Nemo - The Clasic Comics Library No. 16 1985
Author Publisher
Rick Marschall, presumably (uncredited) Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
this is mostly a run of Baron bean strips, covering his campaign for Constable. Entitled "The Diary of a Deluded dandy - Baron bean de la mancha He Runs for Constable". The text is uncredited, but marschall, editor of the magazine, is a well-known Herriman authority.

Title Cover Year
Comics Journal No. 111 1986
Author Publisher
R. Fiore Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Gushing review of the strip and the McDonnell bio. "To get wrapped up in Krazy Kat is to slip into a waking dream".

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat - The Comic Art of George Herriman 1986
Author Publisher
Patrick McDonnell, Karen O'Connell, Georgia Riley de Havenon Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
ISBN HC: 0-8109-1211-2 ISBN PB: 0-8109-2313-0
Primary reference for this web site. This is the most thorough biography of Herriman that could be pieced together, and a great meditation on the comic strip, with lots of rare color drawings and other treats. If Krazy Kat interests you, this is where you go.

The book features several Sunday strips, samples of early work, and a reprint of the classic Gilbert Seldes essay "The Krazy Kat That walks By Himself". Note the main author, too - he's currently responsible for a comic strip featuring a cat and a dog called Mutts.

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat 3D Comic 1987
Author Publisher
Ray Zone The 3-D Zone
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Pretty hard to read without the glasses, though!

Title Cover Year
Coconino Chronicle 1988
Author Publisher
Alec Finlay Morning Start Publications
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
British newsprint collection of strips and 20s/30s memorabalia, with some articles on Krazy Kat. Forty pages with 130 strips from the Grierson collection, housed at Stirling University Library. All strips were originally published in 1927 and 1928.

Title Cover Year
The Komplete Krazy & Ignatz Vol 1 1916 1988
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse
ISBN HC: 0-913035-49-1 ISBN PB: 0-913035-48-3
First of a bold attempt to print a complete run of Krazy Kat Sundays. Nine volumes were released in less than three years, and it was probably too aggressive a schedule. These books are beautifully put together by Bill Blackbeard, with great prints and lots of trivia. The first volume features an article on "'The Kat's Kreation" and a piece on Herriman in the back, both by Blackbeard, who is probably the foremost expert on the man.

Title Cover Year
America's Great Comic Strip Artists 1989
Author Publisher
Richard Marschall Abbeville Press
ISBN HC: 0-89659-917-5 ISBN PB:
Over-sized book with chapters on all of the greats and beautifull, large reproductions of their works. The Herriman chapter contains samples of ten or more strips.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 3 1989
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 0-913035-76-9 ISBN PB: 0-931035-77-7
Introduction: "The Assassination of Comic Art" by Bill Blackbeard.
End Piece: "Notes and Commentary" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 4 1989
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 0-913035-42-0 ISBN PB: 0-931035-93-7
Introduction: "A Mouse By Any Name" by Bill Blackbeard.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Volume 2 1989
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 0-913035-74-2 ISBN PB: 0-931035-75-0
Introduction: "Kat in Nine Bags - A Twenty Year Quest for a Phantom" by Bill Blackbeard.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Pages" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 5 1990
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 1-56060-023-3 ISBN PB: 1-56060-024-1
Introduction: "Geo. Herriman's Los Angeles" by Bob Callahan.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 6 1990
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 0-56060-33-0 ISBN PB: 0-56060-34-9
Introduction: "Geo. Herriman's Los Angeles (Part II)" by Bob Callahan.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
The Komplete Kolor Krazy Kat Volume 1 1935-1936 1990
Author Publisher
Rick Marshall, Bill Watterson Kitchen Sink Press
ISBN HC: 0-924359-06-4 ISBN PB:
Gorgeous collection of the first year of color Krazy Kat Sunday strips. It's extremely sad that this effort didn't span the planned seven years, but that will hopefully be addressed by Fantagraphics' current effort.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 7 1991
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 0-56060-063-2 ISBN PB: 0-56060-064-0
Introduction: "A Kat of Many Kolors - Jazz Pantomime and the Funny Papers in 1922" by Bill Blackbeard.
Special Color Section with Krazy and other Herriman strips.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 8 1991
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 0-56060-065-9 ISBN PB: 0-56060-066-7
Introduction: "On Krazy Kat" by John Alden Carpenter.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Raw - High Culture for Lowbrows, Vol 2, No 3 1991
Author Publisher
At Spiegelman, Francoise Mouly Penguin Books
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
"A Tale of Tiger tea" - the whole daily run reprinted as a story. This is in the fine company of Spiegelman\'s Maus, and works by Alice \(Crumb\) Kominsky, Chris Ware, Joost Swarte \(of Real Free Press fame\), Justin Green, Gary Panter, Kim Deitch, Alan Moore,Linda Barry and Gustave Dore.

Title Cover Year
The Komplete Kolor Krazy Kat Volume 2 1936-1937 1991
Author Publisher
Rick Marshall Kitchen Sink Press
ISBN HC: 0-924359-07-2 ISBN PB:

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Komplete Kat Komics Vol 9 1992
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard Turtle Island/Eclipse Books
ISBN HC: 1-56060-102-7 ISBN PB: 1-56060-103-5
Introduction: "Krazy Kat - The Story of the Pantomime" by John Alden Carpenter.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Nemo - The Classic Comics Libray No. 32 1992
Author Publisher
Edward Sorel Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
"Krazy Kat - A Love Story". Source of some Hearst gossip, this article is far less interesting than the earlier Nemo pieces. I believe that, unfortunately, this was the last issue of Nemo,.

Title Cover Year
Inks Vol 1 No. 2 1994
Author Publisher
Kenneth Barker Ohio State University Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
"A Theological Reflection on Krazy Kat". somewhat pathetic treatise arguing that Krazy Kat might be an allegory for biblical concepts of God and the devil (Guess which one Ignatz is supposed to be!). Barker admits that the fact that Krazy adores being hit with Ignatz' bricks somewhat weakens his premise.

Title Cover Year
American Comic Classics 1995
Author Publisher
Richard Marschall United States Postal Service
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
This book honored the occassion of the release of the Comic Strip Classic stamps in 1995. It includes chapters on each of the characters, including Krazy. Great table top book for classic strip fans.

Title Cover Year
archyology - the long lost tales of archy and mehitabel 1996
Author Publisher
Don Marquis, Jeff Adams, Ed Frascino University Press of New England
ISBN HC: 0-87451-745-1 ISBN PB:
The title says it all! Over 60 years later, further works of the transmogified poet lauriat were uncovered and compiled by Jeff Adams. Unfortunately, George wasn't around to illustrate these, but Ed Frascino does an admirable job filling those big shoes.

Title Cover Year
Inks Vol 3 No. 2 1996
Author Publisher
M. Thomas Inge Ohio State University Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
"Was Krazy Kat Black? The Racial Identity of George Herriman". This article discusses the 1971 S.F. Chronicle report that Herriman's birth certificate listed him as "colored" and largely rejects that, while likely true, this was a significant factor in his life and art. A well researched and interesting article..

Title Cover Year
Krazy Kat - 30 Postcards 1996
Author Publisher
Mia Galison Stewart, Tabori & Chang
ISBN HC: 1-55670-522-0 ISBN PB:
Beautiful collection of postcards culled from color Sundays. Cover illustrations by Brenda Brown Fortunato.

Title Cover Year
Homage to George Herriman 1997
Author Publisher
Bill Berkson, Glenna Pott Campbell-Thiebaud Gallery
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Exhibit book for a 1997 San Francisco exhibit on Herriman at Wayne thibaud's gallery. Wonderful not only for the Herriman art, but also examples of works inspired by him by cartoonists and painters like Bill Griffith, Ron Nagle, Art Spiegelman, Richard Diebenkorn, and Thiebaud himself.

Title Cover Year
Krazy Herriman 1997
Author Publisher
Thierry Groensteen Musee de la bande dessinee
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
Beautiful Exhibit Book from a show at the premiere cartoon museum in Angouleme, France. In french, with rare photos and memorabalia.

Title Cover Year
archyology ii (The Final Dig) 1998
Author Publisher
Don Marquis, Jeff Adams, Ed Frascino University Press of New England
ISBN HC: 0-87451-853-9 ISBN PB:
Volume 2 of the lost poems of Archy the Cockroach.

Title Cover Year
Collector's Eye Vol 2, No. 4 1999
Author Publisher
Donna Kaonis Collector Media co.
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
This one seems worth throwing in the bibliography - an article on collecting Krazy Kat art. Notable less for the subject matter than the beautiful color, glossy repros of rare herriman watercolors and hand-painted strips.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Dailies 1918-1919 2001
Author Publisher
Gregory Fink, Bill Blackbeard Stinging Monkey Publications
ISBN HC: ISBN PB: 0-9688676-0-X
Possibly the first in a series reprinting hard to find dailies. Introduction by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Complete Full Page Comic Striips 1927-1928 2002
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard, Chris Ware Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB: 1-56097-507-5
Volume 2, aka "Love Letters in Ancient Brick". Introduction: Pilfering Mrs. Kwak-Wak's Good Old Goods and Goodies Bag: Scoop the First" by Bill Blackbeard.
End Piece: "The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page" by Bill Blackbeard.;

Title Cover Year
Krazy + Ignatz - The Complete Full Page Comic Strips 1925-1926 2002
Author Publisher
Bill Blackbeard, Chris Ware Fantagraphics
ISBN HC: ISBN PB: 1-5689-97386-2
Beautifully designed continuation of the Eclipse Krazy + Ignatz project. Introduction: "By George, It's Krazy" by Bill Blackbeard.
End Piece: The Ignatz Mouse Debaffler Page by Bill Blackbeard.

Title Cover Year
Comics Revue 2003
Author Publisher
Rick Norwood Manuscript Press
ISBN HC: ISBN PB:
The longest running source of Krazy Kat fixes. Rick publishes six dailies in most every issue, occassionally digging up rare treasures. Well worth a subscription, which you can get from the Comics Review web site.


Krazy Kat pages created and maintained by Peter Campbell

Krazy Kat and related characters © 2003 King Features Syndicate, Inc. World rights reserved.




Bibliography

Table of Contents
Coconino Kontents

Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat

George Herriman
George Herriman

Krazy Events + Trivia
News and Trivia

Archy & Mehitabel
Archy + Mehitabel

The Tiger Tea Room
The Tiger Tea Room

Bibliography

Herriman Links

About the Author

Site Notes

The Comic Strip Classics Mailing List is devoted to Krazy Kat, Little Nemo,Little Orphan Annie and all of the glorious strips from the first half of the 20th century. To signup, visit the Comic Strip Classics Discussion Group.

The Krazy & Ignatz Mailing List is a great source for Krazy Kat discussion and sharing of Krazy kat art. From it's inception in early 2002, there have been pretty much daily postings of beautifully-scanned Krazy Kat dailies. (Participation requires joining the group and is subject to moderator approval).


My source for biographical info on Don Marquis and other archy information was an anonymous letter.