Calvin and Hobbes is one of the most beloved comic strips of all time. If you grew up stealing the comics section of the newspaper from your parents to read the humorous and insightful adventures of Calvin and his stuffed Tiger, make sure to check out Amazon’s deal this week on The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. The three-volume hardcover box set has dropped to $94.69, which is substantially cheaper than its $225 MSRP. To get the full discount, you need to click the coupon box on the store page below the price to slash an additional $31.56 from your total at checkout. This is the lowest price of the year for this wonderful collection of comics.
The hardcover edition is actually slightly cheaper than the paperback box set right now, but the $97.23 (was $160) paperback collection is eligible for Amazon’s B1G1 50% off book sale this week.
$94.69 (was $225) with coupon
The premium hardcover box set features three volumes compiling every single comic strip from Calvin and Hobbes’ run. All told, you’re getting 1,440 pages of comic strips, some in color, others in black-and-white. The included slipcase features one of the illustrations that is most-associated with Calvin and Hobbes.
I’ve owned this box set for years and can attest to its quality. The comic strips are printed on thick art paper, and the bindings have held up well. Fair warning, though: The premium materials make these books quite heavy. With all three books in the slipcase, you’ve got yourself 22 pounds worth of comic strips, so each book weighs roughly 7.3 pounds.
$97.23 (was $160) | Eligible for B1G1 50% off
The paperback version of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes is on sale for $65.33. Amazon’s listing shows $67.61, but you can save an extra couple bucks by clicking the coupon on the store page.
The paperback version has 1,456 pages, but the complete run is spread across four volumes instead of three. If you’re buying the collection for a younger reader, this is probably the better option. While the full box set is still a hefty 17.75 pounds, each book is roughly 4.3 pounds. And with over 100 fewer pages per volume, these are easier to hold for kids and adults with smaller hands.
The slipcase features a different, but also well-known, illustration of Calvin and Hobbes dancing merrily.
Calvin and Hobbes, at least according to Amazon, is recommended for kids ages 12 and up. Based on the titles of the books above, it makes sense. I read Calvin and Hobbes when I was much younger, and many adult fans probably did as well. It’s not so much the content that is inappropriate for early readers, it’s that much of what makes Calvin and Hobbes so great is its wit. The cleverness and social commentary can fly right past younger readers. I gained a greater appreciation for Calvin and Hobbes when I read it as an adult.
If you’d rather have smaller paperback collections, check out the ongoing Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium Set series. Andrews McMeel Publishing began reprinting the series in this travel-friendly format in 2023. Each compendium comes with two volumes. Four Compendium Sets have been released so far, with a fifth set slated to launch in October. Compendium Set 4, which was published in March, is eligible for Amazon’s B1G1 50% off sale.
The Calvin and Hobbes Portable Compendium Box Set Series
More Calvin and Hobbes Comic Collections
Amazon also has deals on budget-friendly paperbacks collecting various Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. You can get The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes for roughly 12 bucks–40% off its normal price–and The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes for only $10.79 (was $20). Here’s a list of the best Calvin and Hobbes deals beyond the complete collections and compendiums.
Adults who love Calvin and Hobbes should consider picking up Bill Watterson’s latest work, The Mysteries, as the hardcover is only $7.38 at Amazon. The Mysteries couldn’t be more different from Calvin and Hobbes, but it’s an interesting illustrated fable for adult readers.
