While Mark I. Pinsky’s religious dialogue with The Simpsons is certainly intriguing and Chris Turner’s Planet Simpson is an excellent example of how the series infiltrates nearly every aspect of the human experience, neither book, nor any of the others discussed here, offers the wealth of information on each episode like the “Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family” series. The best part of this series is that it is broken down into a collection of seasons (the first volume features seasons 1-8, the second features seasons 9-10, the third 11-12, and the fourth 13-14), so if you, like many critics, feel that the show lost a little bit after the 8th season or maybe the 10th, then just buy the volume that fits your interests. The books devote a page or two to each episode and provide memorable lines, Bart’s chalkboard writing, guest appearances, and plot synopses. Some of the books also contain tallies of each time Homer says “D’oh!,” descriptions of Itchy & Scratchy programs, and other “useless” trivia. A must for even mild fans!
