List of Pearls Before Swine books


This is a list of collections and treasuries of the popular comic strip Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis.

Treasuries

Treasuries contain two books in one binding with Sunday strips in color, plus insight from Stephan Pastis. Starting with The Crass Menagerie, the covers feature live-action Stephan Pastis and backgrounds, with the comic's characters added in. While the shorter collections stopped after Floundering Fathers, the treasuries are still ongoing.
TitlePublication DateISBNContentsTitle/cover parody
Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club ComicSeptember 1, 2004Strips from BLTs Taste So Darn Good and This Little Piggy Stayed Home ; Annotations by the cartoonist; Character/object-on-cover quiz, a true test of knowledge for Pearls Before Swine fanaticsTitle and cover parody The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My!September 1, 2006Strips from Nighthogs and The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised ; annotations by the cartoonist; The Good, The Banned and The Ugly, a collection of 17 strips which never ran in newspapers.Cover parodies The Wizard of Oz, title parodies a line from the film. Pig portrays the Scarecrow, Rat the Tin Man, Goat Dorothy, Zebra the Cowardly Lion, and the Crocs the Flying Monkeys. Dickie the Cockroach can be seen in the poppy field.
The Crass MenagerieMarch 28, 2008Strips from Da Brudderhood of Zeeba Zeeba Eata and The Sopratos ; annotations by the cartoonist; Not Yet Ready for Prime Time Comic Strips, a collection of strips which never ran in newspapers including one strip that was never finished.Title parodies Tennessee Williams's play The Glass Menagerie; cover does not feature a parody but instead features the Pearls characters running amok and destroying Stephan Pastis' office while Pastis watches in disbelief.
Pearls Sells OutAugust 18, 2009Strips from Macho Macho Animals and The Saturday Evening Pearls ; annotations by the cartoonist; Stuff You Ain't Never Seen Before, a collection of strips which never ran in newspapers.Title references the release of several Pearls characters as plush dolls prior to the release of this treasury. Cover does not feature a parody but places Stephan Pastis, Pig, Guard Duck, Snuffles the cat, Andy the Dog, several crocodiles, and Rat in a store aisle selling plushies; the crocodiles tear apart the Zebra plushies while Pastis looks on in frustration and Rat tries to steal his wallet. A Danny Donkey doll and a Snoopy doll wearing a Fez are inexplicably placed on one of the shelves. The back cover features Pig cleaning up the mess, including a destroyed Dilbert plushie.
Pearls Blows UpMarch 22, 2011Strips From 50,000,000 Pearls Fans Can't Be Wrong and When Pigs Fly ; annotations by the cartoonist; Portrait of a Cartoonist as a Young Man, several pages of photographs from various points in Stephan Pastis' life from childhood to adulthood.Cover illustrates a literal explosion triggered by Snuffles the cat as Guard Duck tries to stop him. Stephan Pastis, Rat, Goat, Pig, Danny Donkey, Larry, Zebra, Pig's sister Farina, Hobart the Miniature Train Engineer, and the Killer Whale are seen flying through the air due to the explosion.
Pearls Freaks the #*%# OutSeptember 25, 2012Strips from Larry in Wonderland and Because Sometimes You Just Gotta Draw a Cover With Your Left Hand ; annotations by the cartoonist; Pastis features "The Drawings you Probably Never Saw", explaining that he is required to submit a title panel for his strip regardless of whether the paper allows space for it and shows the user several different ones he used before adopting one universal title panel.Cover art depicts Pastis as a carnival barker promoting a freak show that features Rat, Goat, Larry, Pig and a drunken, unconscious Danny Donkey. Pastis is joined by model Gwen Hefner, who poses as his assistant.
Pearls Falls FastMarch 18, 2014Strips from Unsportsmanlike Conduct and Rat's Wars ; annotations by the cartoonist; includes "Wading Into the Kiddie Pool", a collection of drawings that Pastis drew as a child.Cover art depicts various Pearls characters riding a roller coaster. Stephan Pastis, Rat, Goat, Larry, Snuffles, Guard Duck, Elly Elephant, Larry's wife Patty, and a poorly drawn Dilbert are inside the coaster while Zebra, Danny Donkey, two suicidal lemmings, and the killer whale are falling out. The logo on the roller coaster reads "Pastisland". Back cover shows Pastis with his head in one of the park's trash cans, throwing up after being on the roller coaster.
Pearls Gets SacrificedSeptember 22, 2015Strips from Breaking Stephan and King of the Comics ; annotations by the cartoonist; includes Pearls stickers.Cover art depicts Pastis, Rat, and Pig being burned at the stake in medieval times. Surrounding the stake are two angry senior citizens, several angry crocs with one wearing a shirt that says " kill Steffin", two boys reading Rat's Wars in shock while their mother tries to light the stake, and a critical newspaper editor. Also appearing on the cover are Dilbert, Cathy, and Garfield from their eponymous comic strips, Duke from Doonesbury, Wanda McPherson from Baby Blues, Jason Fox from FoxTrot, Alice Otterloop from Cul de Sac, and Jeffy from The Family Circus. Back cover features a medieval map of Venice with the famous Family Circus dotted line trail drawn all over it and Jeffy carrying a torch.
Pearls Hogs the RoadApril 25, 2017Strips from I'm Only in This for Me and Stephan's Web ; annotations by the cartoonist; bonus section consists of several Pearls Before Swine comics edited by Pastis himself to remove a character or speech balloons, inspired by Garfield Minus Garfield.Cover art depicts the front of a biker bar. Pastis is seated on a red bicycle, complete with handlebar tassels and a safety flag. He is dressed in athletic shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt reading "Ladies Man", as well as sunglasses and a sweatband. Eyeing him suspiciously is a biker gang consisting of Goat, Guard Duck, Larry the Croc, Rat, Pig, and a Lemming. Amidst the gang seated on a red motorcycle is a blonde biker chick. A human biker stands in the doorway to the bar, leering over his sunglasses at Pastis. Jef the Cyclist and Snuffles also peer out from the bar's front window. A promo poster on the building's exterior reads "LIVE: The Crass Menagerie", a nod back to an earlier Pearls treasury.
Pearls Takes a Wrong TurnOctober 23, 2018Strips from I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns Suck and Floundering Fathers ; annotations by the cartoonistCover art is black and white, stylized like a scene from a film noir movie. In a narrow alley, Human Pastis leans against a building smoking a cigarette, wearing a suit, trench coat, and fedora. A blonde femme fatale seductively shows him her leg from around a corner, while brandishing a chef's knife out of his sight. Waiting with the woman are an angry-looking Rat, holding a baseball bat, and Guard Duck, holding a grenade. Pig is also with them, though he is distracted by a game of paddle ball. On the other side of the alley, behind some trash cans, are a nervous-looking Croc, holding a handgun, and Snuffles, brandishing a morning star.
Pearls Goes HollywoodMarch 24, 2020First treasury with entirely all-new strips, from March 12, 2017, to September 30, 2018; annotations by the cartoonist; includes an essay by Pastis about his foray into film directingCover features a movie set for a scene called "Pastis Dies" in a western environment. Human Pastis is tied to railroad tracks as a steam locomotive approaches. The main characters, along with Jef the Cyclist and Danny Donkey, act as the crew for the film set with Rat as director.
Pearls Awaits the TideNovember 23, 2021All-new strips, from October 1, 2018, to March 29, 2020; annotations by the cartoonist; includes Pastis' 2017 acceptance speech for his Reuben AwardCover features a scene at the beach. Human Pastis is buried neck-deep in the sand. Rat stands nearby with a shovel, while a horrified Pig and indifferent Goat look on. The Comic Strip Censor sits in a beach chair nearby reading a newspaper beneath a large green beach umbrella. One of the Crocs is peering over the top of the umbrella, also apparently watching Pastis. Next to the beach chair is a red cooler, with Guard Duck sitting atop it also looking at Pastis. In the background, an overweight human male lifeguard walks by, surveying the scene.
Pearls Seeks EnlightenmentJune 6, 2023All-new strips, from March 30, 2020, to October 10, 2021; annotations by the cartoonistCover features Pastis climbing to the top of a mountain, to meet the Wise Ass on the Hill. Rat is tied to the top by a rope attached to a spike in the ground. Pig is falling. Guard duck is looking up. The crocodiles are trying to boost one another to the top. Jef the Cyclist is also climbing up. Goat is peering around the corner.
Pearls Gets Put in the PokeyOctober 22, 2024All-new strips, from October 11, 2021 to April 9, 2023; annotations by the cartoonistCover features Stephan, Rat, Pig, Larry, the Wise Ass on the Hill, and Guard Duck in a prison cell.
Pearls Gets PlasteredOctober 28, 2025All-new strips, from April 10, 2023 to October 2024; annotations by the cartoonistCover features Stephan, Rat, Pig, Goat, the Crocs, one of the Lemmings, the Comic Strip Censor, Guard Duck, and Snuffles in an early 20th century-style bar.