Book excerpt: Millions of Americans know and love Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Blondie and Dagwood, Doonesbury, Li'l Abner, Garfield, Cathy, Beetle Bailey and other such comic strip characters. Thanks to the cartoonists--the people who have brought and still bring these and other characters to life day after day in the newspapers--the characters have become an entertaining and important part of American culture. Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Chic Young (Blondie), Gary Trudeau (Doonesbury), Al Capp (Li'l Abner), Jim Davis (Garfield), Cathy Guisewite (Cathy), Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), Rudolph Dirks (The Katzenjammer Kids), Alex Raymond (Rip Kirby), Chester Gould (Dick Tracy), Frank King (Gasoline Alley), Cliff Sterrett (Polly and Her Pals), and other cartoonists whose comic strips appeared in American newspapers between 1945 to 1980 are featured in this work. The author provides a biographical sketch of each cartoonist, with special attention given to the cartoonist's career and characters.