A "Garfield Classic" version of his first book
This is a list of the Garfield Books released.
Garfield Compilations
Compilation of books of Jim Davis's comic strip Garfield.
These books, generally released twice a year by Ballantine Books, contain reprints of the comic as it appears in newspapers daily. These books were originally printed in black and white, but volumes 37 and later have been in full color. Each book collects approximately six months of comics, including the Sunday comics (in black and white in all except the recent editions).
The titles of these books were styled as double entendres alluding to Garfield’s weight (Note: an extra at the end of a Garfield compilation advertised “rejected book titles”). These books introduced the “Garfield format” in publishing, whereby the rectangular books are horizontally oriented to match comic strip dimensions; Davis has recalled having to invent the format in order to better fit the books on store shelves. Volumes 37 and later introduced a new, larger square book in full color, showing the Sunday strips to be formatted in a size as they usually are, instead of shrunken-down to meet the book size. However, this means that the first panel after the logo box (called the drop panel because newspapers can drop it without ruining the point of the strip) is no longer printed in the compilation books.
Each of the original 36 books will be re-released in the new larger format, dubbed “Garfield Classics”. So far, the first 34 books have been reprinted in this format.
| Title | Comics Years | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Garfield at Large: His First Book | June 19, 1978 – January 22, 1979 | September 16, 1980 |
| Garfield Gains Weight: His Second Book | January 23, 1979 – August 26, 1979 | March 25, 1981 |
| Garfield Bigger Than Life: His Third Book | August 27, 1979 – March 30, 1980 | September 8, 1981 |
| Garfield Weighs In: His Fourth Book | March 31, 1980 – November 2, 1980 | March 15, 1982 |
| Garfield Takes the Cake: His Fifth Book | November 3, 1980 – June 7, 1981 | June 16, 1982 |
| Garfield Eats His Heart Out: His Sixth Book | June 8, 1981 – January 10, 1982 | February 12, 1983 |
| Garfield Sits Around the House: His Seventh Book | January 11, 1982 – August 15, 1982 | March 10, 1983 |
| Garfield Tips the Scales: His Eighth Book | August 16, 1982 – March 20, 1983 | February 12, 1984 |
| Garfield Loses His Feet: His Ninth Book | March 21, 1983 – October 23, 1983 | September 12, 1984 |
| Garfield Makes It Big: His 10th Book | October 24, 1983 – May 27, 1984 | February 12, 1985 |
| Garfield Rolls On: His 11th Book | May 28, 1984 – December 30, 1984 | September 12, 1985 |
| Garfield Out to Lunch: His 12th Book | December 31, 1984 – August 4, 1985 | February 12, 1986 |
| Garfield Food for Thought: His 13th Book | August 5, 1985 – March 11, 1986 | February 12, 1987 |
| Garfield Swallows His Pride: His 14th Book | March 12, 1986 – October 12, 1986 | September 12, 1987 |
| Garfield Worldwide: His 15th Book | October 13, 1986 – May 17, 1987 | February 12, 1988 |
| Garfield Rounds Out: His 16th Book | May 18, 1987 – December 19, 1987 | September 12, 1988 |
| Garfield Chews the Fat: His 17th Book | December 20, 1987 – July 24, 1988 | February 18, 1989 |
| Garfield Goes to Waist: His 18th Book | July 25, 1988 – February 25, 1989 | February 24, 1990 |
| Garfield Hangs Out: His 19th Book | February 26, 1989 – September 30, 1989 | October 3, 1990 |
| Garfield Takes Up Space: His 20th Book | October 1, 1989 – May 5, 1990 | February 13, 1991 |
| Garfield Says a Mouthful: His 21st Book | May 6, 1990 – December 4, 1990 | September 24, 1991 |
| Garfield By the Pound: His 22nd Book | December 5, 1990 – July 7, 1991 | February 25, 1992 |
| Garfield Keeps His Chins Up: His 23rd Book | July 8, 1991 – February 4, 1992 | September 8, 1992 |
| Garfield Takes His Licks: His 24th Book | February 5, 1992 – September 5, 1992 | February 10, 1993 |
| Garfield Hits the Big Time: His 25th Book | September 6, 1992 – April 10, 1993 | August 24, 1993 |
| Garfield Pulls His Weight: His 26th Book | April 11, 1993 – November 9, 1993 | September 20, 1994 |
| Garfield Dishes It Out: His 27th Book | November 10, 1993 – June 11, 1994 | February 14, 1995 |
| Garfield Life in the Fat Lane: His 28th Book | June 12, 1994 – January 10, 1995 | September 26, 1995 |
| Garfield Tons of Fun: His 29th Book | January 11, 1995 – August 12, 1995 | February 13, 1996 |
| Garfield Bigger and Better: His 30th Book | August 13, 1995 – March 11, 1996 | September 24, 1996 |
| Garfield Hams It Up: His 31st Book | March 12, 1996 – October 12, 1996 | March 11, 1997 |
| Garfield Thinks Big: His 32nd Book | October 13, 1996 – May 13, 1997 | October 7, 1997 |
| Garfield Throws His Weight Around: His 33rd Book | May 14, 1997 – December 13, 1997 | October 6, 1998 |
| Garfield Life to the Fullest: His 34th Book | December 14, 1997 – July 14, 1998 | February 22, 1999 |
| Garfield Feeds the Kitty: His 35th Book | July 15, 1998 – February 13, 1999 | August 31, 1999 |
| Garfield Hogs the Spotlight: His 36th Book | February 14, 1999 – September 11, 1999 | February 29, 2000 |
| Garfield Beefs Up: His 37th Book | September 12, 1999 – April 8, 2000 | October 3, 2000 |
| Garfield Gets Cookin’: His 38th Book | April 9, 2000 – November 4, 2000 | October 2, 2001 |
| Garfield Eats Crow: His 39th Book | November 5, 2000 – June 2, 2001 | January 1, 2003 |
| Garfield: Survival of the Fattest: His 40th Book | June 3, 2001 – December 29, 2001 | February 3, 2004 |
| Garfield Older and Wider: His 41st Book | December 30, 2001 – July 27, 2002 | January 25, 2005 |
| Garfield Pigs Out: His 42nd Book | July 28, 2002 – February 22, 2003 | February 7, 2006 |
| Garfield Blots Out The Sun: His 43rd Book | February 23, 2003 – September 20, 2003 | January 30, 2007 |
| Garfield Goes Bananas: His 44th Book | September 21, 2003 – April 17, 2004 | August 28, 2007 |
| Garfield Large & In Charge: His 45th Book | April 18, 2004 – November 13, 2004 | January 29, 2008 |
| Garfield Spills the Beans: His 46th Book | November 14, 2004 – June 11, 2005 | September 30, 2008 |
| Garfield Gets His Just Desserts: His 47th Book | June 12, 2005 – January 7, 2006 | January 27, 2009 |
| Garfield Will Eat For Food: His 48th Book | January 8, 2006 – August 5, 2006 | August 25, 2009 |
| Garfield Weighs His Options: His 49th Book | August 6, 2006 – March 3, 2007 | January 26, 2010 |
| Garfield Potbelly of Gold: His 50th Book | March 4, 2007 – September 29, 2007 | August 31, 2010 |
| Garfield Shovels It In: His 51st Book | September 30, 2007 - April 26, 2008 | January 25, 2011 |
| Garfield Lard of the Jungle: His 52nd Book | April 27, 2008 - November 22, 2008 | August 30, 2011 |
| Garfield Brings Home The Bacon: His 53rd Book | November 23, 2008 - June 20, 2009 | January 31, 2012 |
| Garfield Gets in a Pickle: His 54th Book | June 21, 2009 - January 16, 2010 | September 11, 2012 |
| Garfield Sings for His Supper: His 55th Book | January 17, 2010 - August 14, 2010 | March 12, 2013 |
| Garfield Caution: Wide Load: His 56th Book | August 15, 2010 to March 12, 2011 | September 10, 2013 |
| Garfield Souped Up: His 57th Book | March 13, 2011 to October 8, 2011 | January 28, 2014 |
| Garfield Goes To His Happy Place: His 58th Book | October 9, 2011 to May 5, 2012 | August 26, 2014 |
| Garfield the Big Cheese: His 59th Book | May 6, 2012 to December 1, 2012 | January 27, 2015 |
| Garfield Cleans His Plate: His 60th Book | December 2, 2012 to June 29, 2013 | August 25, 2015 |
| Garfield Chickens Out: His 61th Book | June 30, 2013 to January 25, 2014 | May 10, 2016 |
| Garfield Listens To His Gut: His 62th Book | January 26, 2014 to August 23, 2014 | December 20, 2016 |
| Garfield Cooks Up Trouble: His 63rd Book | August 23, 2014 to March 21, 2015 | June 13, 2017 |
| Garfield Feeds His Face: His 64th Book | ? to ? | December 12th 2017 |
| Garfield Eats and Runs: His 65th Book | ? to ? | May 15, 2018 |
Extras
In the books, there are numerous 'extras' at the front and/or back.
| Title | Extras |
|---|---|
| Garfield at Large: His First Book | Garfield Walking into the Sunset |
| Garfield Gains Weight: His Second Book | A Talk With Jim Davis |
| Garfield Bigger Than Life: His Third Book | How to Draw Garfield |
| Garfield Weighs In: His Fourth Book | A Garfield Morning |
| Garfield Takes the Cake: His Fifth Book | Garfield Eating Tips |
| Garfield Eats His Heart Out: His Sixth Book | Garfield Diet Tips |
| Garfield Sits Around the House: His Seventh Book | A Garfield Night |
| Garfield Tips the Scales: His Eighth Book | Garfield Replaced by a Machine |
| Garfield Loses His Feet: His Ninth Book | If Garfield Didn't Entertain |
| Garfield Makes it Big: His Tenth Book | Garfield's Loves and Hates |
| Garfield Rolls On: His 11th Book | To the Prospective Cartoonist |
| Garfield Out to Lunch: His 12th Book | Earliest Known Garfield |
| Garfield Food for Thought: His 13th Book | The Zodiac According to Garfield |
| Garfield Swallows His Pride: His 14th Book | Garfield's Ten All-Time Favourite Bad Cat Jokes |
| Garfield Worldwide: His 15th Book | Not the Real Garfield |
| Garfield Rounds Out: His 16th Book | Garfield's Scale of Intelligence |
| Garfield Chews the Fat: His 17th Book | Garfield Impressions |
| Garfield Goes to Waist: His 18th Book | |
| Garfield Hangs Out: His 19th Book | |
| Garfield Takes Up Space: His 20th Book | |
| Garfield Says a Mouthful: His 21st Book | |
| Garfield By the Pound: His 22nd Book | |
| Garfield Keeps His Chins Up: His 23rd Book | |
| Garfield Takes His Licks: His 24th Book | |
| Garfield Hits the Big Time: His 25th Book | |
| Garfield Pulls His Weight: His 26th Book | |
| Garfield Dishes It Out: His 27th Book | |
| Garfield Life in the Fat Lane: His 28th Book | |
| Garfield Tons of Fun: His 29th Book | |
| Garfield Bigger and Better: His 30th Book | |
| Garfield Hams It Up: His 31st Book | |
| Garfield Thinks Big: His 32nd Book | |
| Garfield Throws His Weight Around: His 33rd Book | |
| Garfield Life to the Fullest: His 34th Book | |
| Garfield Feeds the Kitty: His 35th Book | |
| Garfield Hogs the Spotlight: His 36th Book | |
| Garfield Beefs Up: His 37th Book | |
| Garfield Gets Cookin’: His 38th Book | |
| Garfield Eats Crow: His 39th Book | |
| Garfield: Survival of the Fattest: His 40th Book | |
| Garfield Older and Wider: His 41st Book | |
| Garfield Pigs Out: His 42nd Book | |
| Garfield Blots Out The Sun: His 43rd Book | |
| Garfield Goes Bananas: His 44th Book | |
| Garfield Large & In Charge: His 45th Book | |
| Garfield Spills the Beans: His 46th Book | |
| Garfield Gets His Just Desserts: His 47th Book | |
| Garfield Will Eat For Food: His 48th Book | |
| Garfield Weighs His Options: His 49th Book | |
| Garfield Potbelly of Gold: His 50th Book | |
| Garfield Shovels It In: His 51st Book | |
| Garfield Lard of the Jungle: His 52nd Book | |
| Garfield Brings Home The Bacon: His 53rd Book | |
| Garfield Gets in a Pickle: His 54th Book | |
| Garfield Sings for His Supper: His 55th Book | |
| Garfield Caution: Wide Load: His 56th Book | |
| Garfield Souped Up: His 57th Book | |
| Garfield Goes To His Happy Place: His 58th Book | |
| Garfield the Big Cheese: His 59th Book | |
| Garfield Cleans His Plate: His 60th Book | |
| Garfield Chickens Out: His 61th Book | |
| Garfield Listens To His Gut: His 62th Book | Food Attitude |
| Garfield Cooks Up Trouble: His 63rd Book | N/A |
| Garfield Feeds His Face: His 64th Book | N/A |