We happened to have a book of the first Peanuts strips when I was growing up, so I knew how different Charlie Brown and the gang had been when they started out. Strips always evolve, so it’s no surprise that the early ones have a slightly different tone and characters. But as with all visual things they lose something in description, so now I can point people at the first volume of Complete Peanuts which Charles Schultz’s widow has authorized despite her husband’s misgivings. The kids started out much younger, including the puppy Snoopy. And once in a while an adult actually had something to say. Also available is a book of Schultz’s earlier work, including the Li’l Folks strip.