GARFIELD'S BOOK

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 recent volumes have been in color. Each book collects approximately six months of comics, including the larger weekend 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 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. They are currently being reprinted in a larger format, 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 books will be re-released in the “Garfield Classics” format. These are available in paperback only, with every comic in full color, not just the Sunday strips. As well as colorization, the page size has also been increased. So far, the first twelve books have been reprinted in this format.

1. Garfield At Large: His First Book (1980) (Comics from June 19, 1978-January 22, 1979)
2. Garfield Gains Weight: His Second Book (1981) (Comics from January 23, 1979-September 22, 1979)

Since Garfield's birthday is on June 19, the book contains the strip in which Garfield celebrates his first birthday.

3. Garfield Bigger Than Life: His Third Book (1981) (Comics from September 23, 1979-March 30, 1980)
4. Garfield Weighs In: His Fourth Book (1982) (Comics from March 31, 1980-November 2, 1980)
5. Garfield Takes the Cake: His Fifth Book (1982) (Comics from November 3, 1980-June 7, 1981)
6. Garfield Eats His Heart Out: His Sixth Book (1983) (Comics from June 8, 1981-January 10, 1982)
7. Garfield Sits Around the House: His Seventh Book (1983) (comics from January 11, 1982-August 15, 1982)
8. Garfield Tips the Scales: His Eighth Book (1984) (Comics from August 16, 1982-March 20, 1983)
9. Garfield Loses His Feet: His Ninth Book (1984) (Comics from March 21, 1983-October 23, 1983)
10. Garfield Makes It Big: His 10th Book (1985) (Comics from October 24, 1983-May 27, 1984)
11. Garfield Rolls On: His 11th Book (1985) (Comics from May 28, 1984-December 30, 1984)
12. Garfield Out to Lunch: His 12th Book (1986) (Comics from December 31, 1984-August 4, 1985)
13. Garfield Food for Thought: His 13th Book (1987) (Comics from August 5, 1985-May 9, 1986)
14. Garfield Swallows His Pride: His 14th Book (1987) (Comics From May 10, 1986-October 12, 1986)
15. Garfield World Wide: His 15th Book (1988) (Comics from October 13, 1986-May 17, 1987)
16. Garfield Rounds Out: His 16th Book (1988) (Comics From May 18, 1987-December 19, 1987)
17. Garfield Chews the Fat: His 17th Book (1989) (Comics from December 20, 1987-July 24, 1988)
18. Garfield Goes to Waist: His 18th Book (1990) (Comics from July 25, 1988-February 25, 1989)
19. Garfield Hangs Out: His 19th Book (1990) (Comics from February 26, 1989-September 30, 1989)
20. Garfield Takes Up Space: His 20th Book (1991) (Comics from October 1, 1989-May 5, 1990)
21. Garfield Says a Mouthful: His 21st Book (1991) (Comics from May 6, 1990-December 8, 1990)
22. Garfield By the Pound: His 22nd Book (1992) (Comics from December 9, 1990-July 7, 1991)
23. Garfield Keeps His Chins Up: His 23rd Book (1992) (Comics from July 8, 1991-February 4, 1992)
24. Garfield Takes His Licks: His 24th Book (1993) (Comics from February 5, 1992-September 5, 1992)
25. Garfield Hits the Big Time: His 25th Book (1993) (Comics from September 6, 1992-April 10, 1993)
26. Garfield Pulls His Weight: His 26th Book (1994) (Comics from April 11, 1993-November 19, 1993)
27. Garfield Dishes It Out: His 27th Book (1995) (Comics from November 20, 1993-June 11, 1994)
28. Garfield Life in the Fat Lane: His 28th Book (1995) (Comics from June 12, 1994-January 10, 1995)
29. Garfield Tons of Fun: His 29th Book (1996) (Comics from January 11, 1995-August 12, 1995)
30. Garfield Bigger and Better: His 30th Book (1996) (Comics from August 13, 1995-March 11, 1996)
31. Garfield Hams It Up: His 31st Book (1997) (Comics from March 12, 1996-October 12, 1996)
32. Garfield Thinks Big: His 32nd Book (1997) (Comic from October 13, 1996-May 13, 1997)
33. Garfield Throws His Weight Around: His 33rd Book (1998) (Comics from May 14, 1997-December 13, 1997)
34. Garfield Life to the Fullest: His 34th Book (1999) (December 14, 1997-July 14, 1998)
35. Garfield Feeds the Kitty: His 35th Book (1999) (Comics from July 15, 1998-February 13, 1999)
36. Garfield Hogs the Spotlight: His 36th Book (2000) (Comics from February 14, 1999-September 11, 1999)
37. Garfield Beefs Up: His 37th Book (2000) (Comics from September 12, 1999-April 8, 2000)
38. Garfield Gets Cookin’: His 38th Book (2001) (Comics from April 9, 2000-November 4, 2000)
39. Garfield Eats Crow: His 39th Book (2003) (Comics from November 5, 2000-May 30, 2001)
40. Garfield Survival of the Fattest: His 40th Book (2004) (Comics from May 31, 2001-December 26, 2001)
41. Garfield Older and Wider: His 41st Book (2005) (Comics from December 30, 2001-July 27, 2002)
42. Garfield Pigs Out: His 42nd Book (2006) (Comics from July 28, 2002-February 22, 2003)
43. Garfield Blots Out The Sun: His 43rd Book (2007) (Comics from February 23, 2003-September 20, 2003)
44. Garfield Goes Bananas: His 44th Book (August 28th, 2007) (Comics from September 21, 2003 to April 17, 2004)
45. Garfield Large & In Charge: His 45th Book (Coming January 29th, 2008) (Comics from April 18, 2004 to November ? 2004)
46. Garfield Spills the Beans: His 46th Book (Coming September 30th, 2008) (Comics from November ? 2004 to June ? 2005)