In the sixth volume of this comprehensive series reprinting every Peanuts strip we move closer to the classic characters we know. This two year run is a little heavy on the baseball gags, and Snoopy still vacillates between being the neighborhood dog and the more anthropomorphic adventurer of later years. Linus and Sally get some good arcs here as their personalities start to develop. Another fascinating step on the developing history of these iconic characters ( )

As we get into the 1960s, Charles Schulz introduces Frieda into the Peanuts universe, has Sally Brown grow up and sets the groundwork for Snoopy's friendship with birds.

Frieda is a character who eventually fades out of focus later on in Peanuts run - after all, her distinguishing characteristic is her naturally curly hair (which she brings up constantly). Still, the early strips where she appears are quite enjoyable, especially when we meet her cat, Faron.

Snoopy also becomes more involved with birds and there's a neat period where Linus wears glasses for awhile - which you usually didn't see in many of the later reprint books.

Peanuts just keeps getting better and better in this volume! ( )

Schulz is becoming more and more confident in his writing and artwork by this time; the artwork especially has an assured, effortless look to it. Snoopy has become a particularly intriguing character here, filled with whimsy, playfulness, and a definite awareness of his self in the universe. Charlie Brown has been called Everyman, but I think the title belongs to Snoopy. This volume introduces Frieda (and her cat, Faron), a definitely minor character marked by her self-absorption with her naturally curly hair, and her tendency to rudely critique the faults of others. Linus gets glasses here, although they would only be used sporadically, eventually to be forgotten (perhaps he got contacts). Lucy is starting to develop more of a personality as she comes out of babyhood. There is a curious skewed aging process in this strip, with some characters aging more quickly than others, until there is a near-parity in their maturations. It's a pleasure to see a fine strip again; many of these panels I have not seen since they first appeared in the newspapers. ( )