“On this, the tenth anniversary of drawing The Far Side, I thought it might be time to reveal some of the background, anecdotes, foibles, and "behind-the-scenes" experiences related to this cartoon panel. (This may or may not be of particular interest to anyone, but my therapist says it should do me a lot of good.)

What the reader will find herein is a chronicle of The Far Side's birth and evolution, complete with examples of various mutations (i.e., confusing or controversial cartoons) and annotations along the way of comments from either readers or myself. Via my sketchbooks, I've also included a glimpse (you wouldn't want to look closer) into the way my mind works in coming up with and developing cartoon ideas.

Finally, this book contains an "exhibit" of my personal favorite cartoons from The Far Side series since its inception on January 1, 1980. Keeping in that vein, I've not intended this section to be so much a "walk down memory lane" as I have an assemblage of The Far Side cartoons that I feel best reflect something of my own perspective on humor and life (whatever the hell that means).

But, first, a warning: Some of the material contained in these pages is not for the humoristically squeamish. If your refrigerator is currently covered with Family Circus or Nancy cartoons, it is suggested that you put this book down now. Many of these cartoons are ones my editors refused to run—others are ones I wish they hadn't. Either way, most people (with the exception of maybe a couple guys on Death Row) are bound to utter "Oh, my God" at least a few times during the course of this book.

The PreHistory of The Far Side is, among other things, an examination of what went wrong, what went right, and how rarely any two people seem to agree on which is which. (You can decide for yourself.)

As for the people who absolutely hate The Far Side, I have one thing to say: Your mother is a cow.

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