Robert Crumb. The Sketchbooks

This six-book boxed set is the first collection of Robert Crumb sketches to be printed from the original art since the hard-bound, slipcased, seven volume series issued by the German publisher Zweitausendeins between 1981 and 1997. Unlike the Zweitausendeins edition, which included every doodle ever made by the preeminent underground artist, our best-of edition has been personally edited by the notoriously picky artist to include only what he considers his finest work, including hundreds of late period drawings not published in previous sketchbook collections. Robert Crumb requested that the books representing the second half of his career be published first due to fan demand for new Crumb material (Volume 1 covers the period 1982-2011, and Volume 2 covers the period 1964-1981). In the last 20 years Crumb’s artistic output has slowed considerably, making new works more rare and highly prized. This collection of over 600 unseen drawings created between 1996 and 2011 makes this a must-have collectible for every Crumb fan. The slipcased set is made with loving attention to detail in a size and format selected by the artist. Each book in the boxed set contains 220 pages, for a total of 1,320 pages of prime Crumb. The set includes a hand-written introduction, and marbleized page edges from a design created by the artist. Each set of this 1,000-copy limited edition also includes a signed color art print of a Crumb original.