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Far Side Collection #4
The Bride Of The Far Side
Childrens Storybook
104 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1985
About the author
Gary Larson
140 books715 followersGary Larson was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington. His parents were Vern, a car salesman, and Doris, a secretary. He attended Curtis High School before attending Washington State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in communications. In 1987, Larson married Toni Carmichael, an archaeologist.
Larson credits his older brother Dan for his "paranoid" sense of humor. Dan would pull countless pranks on Gary, taking advantage of his phobia of monsters under the bed by, for example, waiting in the closet for the right moment to pounce out at Gary. Dan is also credited with giving Gary his love of science. They caught animals in Puget Sound and placed them in terrariums in the basement; even making a small desert ecosystem, which their parents apparently did not mind. His adept use of snakes in his cartoons stems from his long-standing interest in herpetology.
Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise.
In 1998, Larson published his first post-Far Side book, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.
Larson credits his older brother Dan for his "paranoid" sense of humor. Dan would pull countless pranks on Gary, taking advantage of his phobia of monsters under the bed by, for example, waiting in the closet for the right moment to pounce out at Gary. Dan is also credited with giving Gary his love of science. They caught animals in Puget Sound and placed them in terrariums in the basement; even making a small desert ecosystem, which their parents apparently did not mind. His adept use of snakes in his cartoons stems from his long-standing interest in herpetology.
Since retiring from the Far Side, Larson has occasionally done some cartooning work, such as magazine illustrations and promotional artwork for Far Side merchandise.
In 1998, Larson published his first post-Far Side book, There's a Hair in My Dirt!: A Worm's Story, an illustrated story with the unmistakable Far Side mindset.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
April 2, 2018
Found this book in a box from the past. Alongside Piers Anthony and Grimm fairytales.
This one was the second funniest of the three.
I miss Gary Larson and wonder what he would make of the world now. I think I could tolerate it more if he was commenting on a daily basis.
Cavemen.
This one was the second funniest of the three.
I miss Gary Larson and wonder what he would make of the world now. I think I could tolerate it more if he was commenting on a daily basis.
Cavemen.
July 16, 2022
It’s a collection of Far Side cartoons. If you’re not familiar with these satirical cartoons, you’re missing a great experience. These are some of the funniest and truest political statements around.
October 14, 2020
This book was certainly one of the earlier collections of Far Side works, being published in 1985 with material going back all the way to 1980. And one of the striking aspects of seeing the Far Side, especially when you read and review a lot of his works at the same time, is just how consistent he was in terms of his approach as a cartoonist. This does not mean to say that he was not original and creative when it came to designing cartoons, it is just that there were some wells that he came to over and over again in terms of situations that he found to be absurdly funny and that he trusted (accurately) would be entertaining to his audience. Whether that includes the dumb (bad) luck of a pilot and a co-pilot of a commercial jet both losing their contacts at the same time in a plane that seems certain to crash and burn, or a dog pretending to be an old woman appreciating someone helping a cat from a tree, or people being squashed by elephants, similar moments and similar creatures find themselves being drawn by Larson over and over again, and that is something that his audience certainly came to appreciate.
Looking at the range of what Gary Larson drew about, it is striking that a few subjects seem to have caught his eye over and over again. Dinosaurs, for example, are pretty funny. Forest animals are pretty funny, and the author is fond of drawing birds, elephants, and prehistoric man. For a variety of reasons, heaven and hell are subjects that the author finds amusing, as well as the comic portrayal of death in the abstract or implied, but not in the gruesomely detailed. After all, the Far Side, for all of its quirkiness, has always been a family friendly cartoon and that means that some things must be implied or hinted but not said outright, including the peril that results from some of the hi-jinks that are in the cartoons, or would if such situations were around in the real world. Of course it is a lot easier to laugh at this book and the other cartoons by Larson because they are suitably unfamiliar and in an obviously fictional world and mindset. It would likely be a lot less funny to laugh at such situations that would lead to an untimely if entertaining demise if they occurred for real. But one of the hallmarks of a genuinely funny person is getting someone to laugh at things that would not be funny if they happened, but can be funny when put into the right context that does not include one's own suffering.
Looking at the range of what Gary Larson drew about, it is striking that a few subjects seem to have caught his eye over and over again. Dinosaurs, for example, are pretty funny. Forest animals are pretty funny, and the author is fond of drawing birds, elephants, and prehistoric man. For a variety of reasons, heaven and hell are subjects that the author finds amusing, as well as the comic portrayal of death in the abstract or implied, but not in the gruesomely detailed. After all, the Far Side, for all of its quirkiness, has always been a family friendly cartoon and that means that some things must be implied or hinted but not said outright, including the peril that results from some of the hi-jinks that are in the cartoons, or would if such situations were around in the real world. Of course it is a lot easier to laugh at this book and the other cartoons by Larson because they are suitably unfamiliar and in an obviously fictional world and mindset. It would likely be a lot less funny to laugh at such situations that would lead to an untimely if entertaining demise if they occurred for real. But one of the hallmarks of a genuinely funny person is getting someone to laugh at things that would not be funny if they happened, but can be funny when put into the right context that does not include one's own suffering.
May 29, 2017
We found this at a Little Free Library in the neighborhood and I was curious to see how it held up after all these years. I used to love the Far Side as a kid, but honestly few of these even made me smile, much less laugh.
January 2, 2020
Another good book. A lot of groaning going on.
January 15, 2020
Can't beat a classic.
November 4, 2020
30 years later, still hits home.
May 17, 2022
Ultimate bathroom dad reading
general-fiction
April 8, 2019FIC
LAR
LAR
700-799-arts-rec
January 22, 2020741.5973
December 31, 2025
Hilarious, as always
June 17, 2026
This is another fantastic collection of comics by the wonderful author!
April 5, 2017
Anything by Gary Larson is five stars
November 19, 2015
Bride of the Far Side is the fourth book of The Far Side comic strips is a barrel full of laughs. The book is a fairly quick read since there are only 100 panels. This means that it is about one-third of a year of comic strips.
Gary Larson is a master of the study of human nature. And what does he do with this knowledge? Why . . . he draws comic strips to make us laugh. And nobody does it better.
Some of the strips include: a pilot and co-pilot both loosing their contacts at the same time, snake dreams, a polar bear infiltrating a penguin colony, cheerleaders for caveman hunters, the Loch Ness dog, raining pianos, and more.
All you have to know about Bride of the Far Side is that it will make you laugh, or at least crack a smile.
Gary Larson is a master of the study of human nature. And what does he do with this knowledge? Why . . . he draws comic strips to make us laugh. And nobody does it better.
Some of the strips include: a pilot and co-pilot both loosing their contacts at the same time, snake dreams, a polar bear infiltrating a penguin colony, cheerleaders for caveman hunters, the Loch Ness dog, raining pianos, and more.
All you have to know about Bride of the Far Side is that it will make you laugh, or at least crack a smile.
September 18, 2011
What better way to try and de-stress than taking a stroll through the world of Gary Larson? Featuring a wider span of cartoons (published in 1989, this features a couple of panels that are clearly from the very start of ‘The Far Side’ in 1980), this has some real classics - “Thunderstick?”, “Dibs!”, “Have any of you seen Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’?”, pigeon-assisted suicide - and one of my all-time favourites - a marauder, storming a castle and shouting “Oo! Goldfish, everyone! Goldfish!” as he crosses the moat. Superb stuff.
November 12, 2012
As always, Gary Larson delivers. Bride of the Far Side is funny, provocative, and insightful, like all of Larson's books. Unfortunately, as with most comics strips, it's either all or nothing, love it or hate it. If you like Larson, then you are guaranteed to love this book. If you don't care for Larson...why are you here?
June 23, 2015
This is sarcastic humor at its best. Nothing is off limits with Larson and he shamelessly pokes fun at everyone...even himself. I remember the first time I came across a Far Side cartoon and I was immediately hooked so when I came across these books in the public library I had to read them once again.
May 1, 2023
I recognise that the Far Side comics are widely enjoyed – presumably for a reason – but I just don’t get it. Perhaps I’m too young, and the issue is changes in humour over the generations. I don’t know. But I didn’t laugh once while reading this, and I spent ages trying to work out why I was supposed to.
March 31, 2011
Trying to finish up the Winter Reading Challenge from the local library and picked out some quick non-fiction reads. I LOVED the FarSide back in high school and it was fun to reread some of them. Lydia rather enjoys them now :)
April 4, 2007
Gary Larson just cracks me up. panel after panel.
December 17, 2008
How can you go wrong with Gary Larson?
August 27, 2009
Another collection of Far Side cartoons.
August 29, 2011
Gary Larson just cracks me up. panel after panel.
May 1, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11475233
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11475233
February 4, 2014
This one was by far my favorite. :)
October 30, 2013
Gary Larson has a sense of timing and delivery of humor in his comic strips that is nothing short of brilliant. He is, by far, my favorite of comic strip writers.
July 16, 2014
Funny, funny, funny. No really, very funny. Funnier than that.
February 6, 2015
had it really been since 1985? Damn!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews