# Ever heard of the book Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676 "2009-11-15T18:48:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/1 "2009-11-15T18:48:10Z")
[http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Teaching\_with\_Calvin\_and\_Hobbes](http://calvinandhobbes.wikia.com/wiki/Teaching_with_Calvin_and_Hobbes) It’s one of the few officially licensed products Watterson ever approved. I’ve read that the print run was only 2,500. Back in the late 90s, I found it on Amazon used…for about $20. Pretty good return on my investment, eh? Most copies I see now go for about $2,500. It would have to be pretty pristine to go for $10,000. (And of course, something is only worth what you actually sell it for.) If mine were in a book store, it could probably pass for brand new. There’s a tiny amount of discoloration on the top right corner along the pages. But nothing is dog-eared. The soft cover isn’t bent or wrinkled. It’s actually a pretty good book. For obvious reasons I don’t use it any more. In fact, I keep it in a safe deposit box. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/2 "2009-11-15T20:24:54Z")
What other merchandise did Watterson officially license? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/3 "2009-11-16T00:43:29Z")
I don’t get this? So they have a book called “Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes” that doesn’t contain any pictures of Calvin and/or Hobbes. The book contains a _Calvin and Hobbes_ storyline and then the children in the book talk about it? This has got to be the biggest marketing win of all time. Since there are no storylines in the comic that are 100% unique to the world, they could’ve presented the storyline without mentioning the name of Calvin and/or Hobbes and achieved the same results. Well if there’s some money to be made, someone will make it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/4 "2009-11-16T01:27:56Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > What other merchandise did Watterson officially license? Very little. A few museum pieces (for things like modern art exhibits relating to comics), and two 16-month calendars. The only other “merchandise” consists of relics from the printing of Calvin and Hobbes, such as lithographs, proof sheets, etc. In case Santa is reading this thread, I would desperately like some of these things this Christmas (or any Christmas). ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/5 "2009-11-16T01:36:06Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I don’t get this? So they have a book called “Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes” that doesn’t contain any pictures of Calvin and/or Hobbes. > > The book contains a _Calvin and Hobbes_ storyline and then the children in the book talk about it? > > This has got to be the biggest marketing win of all time. Apparently, the book does reprint the strips- it wouldn’t make sense to have a unit about teaching storylines with Calvin and Hobbes strips without actually containing Calvin and Hobbes strips to be taught from. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/6 "2009-11-16T02:48:09Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > Apparently, the book does reprint the strips- it wouldn’t make sense to have a unit about teaching storylines with Calvin and Hobbes strips without actually containing Calvin and Hobbes strips to be taught from. Yup. It has dozens of strips, actually. But nothing new. It’s reprints of the old strips. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/7 "2009-11-16T07:21:08Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I don’t get this? So they have a book called “Teaching with Calvin and Hobbes” that doesn’t contain any pictures of Calvin and/or Hobbes. > > The book contains a _Calvin and Hobbes_ storyline and then the children in the book talk about it? > > This has got to be the biggest marketing win of all time. > > Since there are no storylines in the comic that are 100% unique to the world, they could’ve presented the storyline without mentioning the name of Calvin and/or Hobbes and achieved the same results. > > Well if there’s some money to be made, someone will make it 🙂 I’m pretty sure that Watterson wasn’t motivated by greed. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/8 "2009-11-16T19:48:07Z")
> [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](#): > > Most copies I see now go for about $2,500. One presumes that for two and a half grand the Noodle Incident is explained in some detail. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/9 "2009-11-16T21:48:19Z")
Never trust inflated estimates of value. Real world “mint” condition copies go for [around $ 590.00 on eBay.](http://completed.shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_Complete=1&_nkw=Teaching%20with%20Calvin%20and%20Hobbes&_fln=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m283&_rdc=1) A good price, but not 2,500 or for that matter 10,000. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/10 "2009-11-17T01:58:53Z")
> [@astro](#): > > A good price, but not 2,500 or for that matter 10,000. Good gad, man, we’re speaking of the Noodle Incident! ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/11 "2009-11-17T02:35:12Z")
The first rule of the Noodle Incident is that one never speaks of the Noodle Incident. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/12 "2009-11-17T03:06:15Z")
Wait, so you’re saying he didn’t approve of the praying ‘Calvin-in-the-shadow-of-the-cross’ bumper sticker? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/13 "2009-11-17T03:11:52Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > The first rule of the Noodle Incident is that one never speaks of the Noodle Incident. For two and a half grand I’ll talk about my Mama’s PIN. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-heard-of-the-book-teaching-with-calvin-and-hobbes/517676/14 "2009-11-17T16:45:01Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Wait, so you’re saying he didn’t approve of the praying ‘Calvin-in-the-shadow-of-the-cross’ bumper sticker? Blasphemy! Next you’ll tell me something silly, like he also didn’t OK all the stickers of Calvin peeing on the logo of a car company that competes with that of the driver. Or that one I saw of Calvin peeing on the words “Bin Laden”.