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{{infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
|name=Planet Simpson
|caption=Cover of ''Planet Simpson'' (1st United States ed.)
|image=Planet Simpson.jpg
|author=[[Chris Turner (author)|Chris Turner]]
|cover_artist=
|country=Canada
|language=English
|subject=''[[The Simpsons]]''
|genre=[[Non-fiction]]
|published=2004 ([[Random House Canada]])
|media_type=Print
|pages=466 pp.
|isbn=0-679-31318-4
|oclc=55682258
}}
'''''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation''''', also abbreviated to '''''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation''''', is a non-fiction book about ''[[The Simpsons]]'', written by [[Chris Turner (author)|Chris Turner]] and originally published on October 12, 2004 by [[Random House]].<ref name=rh>{{cite web |url=http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780679313182 |title=Planet Simpson |type=Product Description |publisher=[[Random House]] |access-date=2011-01-16}}{{dead link|date=December 2013}}</ref> The book is partly a memoir and an exploration of the impact ''The Simpsons'' has had on popular culture.

==Background==
''Planet Simpson'' was written by Canadian author [[Chris Turner (author)|Chris Turner]], who is a big fan of ''The Simpsons'', although "not even the biggest fan I know personally&nbsp;... I think I am actually a pretty average hardcore fan. What I brought to it was a sense that because the show is as well put together as it is, it really offers a wide lens for looking at culture generally."<ref name=age>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/11/11/1100131120141.html?from=storyrhs |title=Planet Simpsons |date=2004-11-11 |access-date=2011-01-22 |author=Moran, Jonathan |location=Melbourne |work=The Age}}</ref> Turner notes: "I can count on ''The Simpsons'' to provide me with a solid thirty minutes of truth, of righteous anger, of [[Hypocrisy|hypocrisies]] deflated and injustices revealed, of belly laughter and joy. It is food for my soul. Seriously. I think many ''Simpsons'' fans would agree. And that, as far as I'm concerned, makes it a kind of religion," he explains in the book.<ref name="Gloade">{{cite news |last=Gloade |first=Curtis |title=Dohs! of our lives on Planet Simpson |newspaper=[[Waterloo Region Record|The Record]] |date=2004-10-09 |page=P3}}</ref> He had previously written an essay during his time at ''[[Shift (magazine)|Shift]]'' entitled "The Simpsons Generation", which was syndicated across North America.<ref name=rh/> Turner wrote ''Planet Simpson'' because there had not been a book that had looked at the "genesis, past, characters and influence" of the show, only official episode guides or academic pieces.<ref name=age/>

''Planet Simpson'' examines the show's satirical humor and its impact on pop culture.<ref name="Gloade"/> It also looks at numerous episodes of the show.

It features a foreword by [[Douglas Coupland]].<ref name=rh/>

===Chapters===
*'''Foreword''' by [[Douglas Coupland]]
*'''Introduction''': ''The Birth of the Simpsonian Institution''
*'''Chapter 1''': ''The Life & Times of The Simpsons''
**A brief history of the show, its creation, its writers and a study of its various styles of humour. Also details the shows descendants and its "ancestors".
*'''Chapter 2''': ''Homer's Odyssey''
**Focuses on [[Homer Simpson]], extended mention of [[Homer's Enemy|Frank Grimes]].
*'''Chapter 3''': ''Bart Simpson, Punk icon''
**Focuses on [[Bart Simpson]], extended mention of [[Sideshow Bob]], [[Krusty the Clown|Krusty]], and [[Seymour Skinner|Principal Skinner]].
*'''Chapter 4''': ''Citizen Burns''
**Focuses on [[Montgomery Burns|Mr. Burns]], extended mention of [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters|Jack Larson]], [[Reverend Timothy Lovejoy|Reverend Lovejoy]], [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Lindsey Naegle|Lindsey Naegle]], [[Joe Quimby|Mayor Quimby]], [[Waylon Smithers]], [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Squeaky-Voiced Teen|Squeaky Voiced Teen]], [[Chief Wiggum]], and [[List of recurring The Simpsons characters#Wiseguy|Wiseguy]].
*'''Chapter 5''': ''Lisa Lionheart''
**Focuses on [[Lisa Simpson]].
*'''Chapter 6''': ''Marge Knows Best''
**Focuses on [[Marge Simpson]], extended mention of [[Ned Flanders]] and [[Abraham Simpson|Grampa Simpson]].
*'''Chapter 7''': ''The Simpsons in Cyberspace''
**Focuses on the Internet and its influences in the show and the shows influence on the Internet, extended mention of [[Comic Book Guy]].
*'''Chapter 8''': ''The Ugly Springfieldianite ''
**Focuses on The Simpsons in the United States and abroad, extended mention of [[Apu Nahasapeemapetilon|Apu]] and [[Groundskeeper Willie]].
*'''Chapter 9''': ''The Simpsons Go Hollywood''
**Focuses on the shows take on Hollywood, celebrities and the shows many guest stars, extended mention of [[Kent Brockman]], [[Krusty the Clown|Krusty]], [[Troy McClure]], and [[Rainier Wolfcastle]].
*'''Chapter 10''': ''The Simpsons Through the Looking Glass''
**Focuses on the shows take on pop culture.
*'''Chapter 11''': ''Planet Simpson''
**The conclusion of the book.

==Top 5 episodes==
The end of the first chapter includes a look at the author's Top 5 episodes. Turner lists "[[Last Exit to Springfield]]" as his favourite episode. The other four episodes ordered by airdate: "[[Marge vs. the Monorail]]", "[[Rosebud (The Simpsons)|Rosebud]]", "[[Deep Space Homer]]" and "[[El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Turner|2004d|p=70}}; {{harvnb|Turner|2005b|p=70}}</ref>

==Reception==
Christopher Hirst of ''[[The Independent]]'' felt the book would largely appeal to fans of ''The Simpsons'' who would enjoy "Turner's critical intelligence and social awareness," while "non-fans will see 470 pages of geeky raving." He felt the book was "[[sui generis]]," and its "combination of motor-mouthed omniscience and voluminous footnotes is reminiscent of a certain style of highbrow writing about pop music."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/paperbacks-dirk-bogardebrmaggie-her-fatal-legacybrplanet-simpsonbrlimeysbrall-the-wrong-placesbrvillage-of-stonebrfleshmarket-close-504246.html |title=Paperbacks: Dirk Bogarde, Maggie: Her fatal legacy, Planet Simpson, Limeys, All the Wrong Places, Village of Stone, Fleshmarket Close |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=2011-01-16 |first=Christopher |last=Hirst |date=2005-08-26 |location=London}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Curtis Gloade of ''[[Waterloo Region Record|The Record]]'' described the book as "almost 500 pages of this sort of meticulous, clear, and I believe, accurate rhetoric. It kept me nodding in agreement throughout. And laughing, too."<ref name="Gloade"/> He also wrote that he hopes people will not skip by the book at the bookstore because it is about ''The Simpsons'' and assume that it is "little more than a laugh-along-with-me book with lots of pictures and funny quotes." Gloade commented that this is "not the case. I laughed out loud regularly at the many ''Simpsons'' quotes, but that's only a small part of the total package."<ref name="Gloade"/> He concluded that ''Planet Simpson'' is an "enjoyable reading experience, one that will likely be matchless still for a long time because I highly doubt we'll see such a melding of a stellar pop culture icon (''The Simpsons'') and eloquent cultural critic (Turner) again for a long time."<ref name="Gloade"/> Kevin Jackson of ''[[The Times]]'' gave a largely negative review of the book. While feeling Turner's knowledge of the show was vast and finding much of the initial "less well-known aspects of Simpsonian pre-history" interesting, he overall felt the book was mostly "flimflam and filler" and criticised Turner's "gee-whiz prose and occasional lapses into plain old illiteracy" and ultimately failed to achieve the analytical goal Turner set: "It would take wit as keen and literary flair as supple as [the show's writers] to do justice to the show, and Turner is gifted with neither: he may think like [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]], but he writes more like the [[Comic Book Guy]]."<ref name=times>{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article476681.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616004926/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article476681.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 16, 2011 |title=Television: Planet Simpson by Chris Turner |date=2004-09-05 |first=Kevin |last=Jackson |work=[[The Times]] |location=London}}</ref>

==Editions==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Publishing date
!Title
!Edition
!Tag
![[Imprint (trade name)|Imprint]]
!Cover's Extras
!Length
|-
|September 9, 2004
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation''
|1st
|UK
|[[Ebury Press]]
|Introduction by [[Douglas Coupland]] <br/>Power Screen Global Cult Pop Politics Music{{sfn|Turner|2004a|loc=front cover}}
|472 pp.{{sfn|Turner|2004a}}
|-
|October 7, 2004
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation''
|1st abridged
|USA
|[[Workman Publishing Company#HighBridge Audio|HighBridge]]
|The first audio to bring witty, opinionated, in-depth analysis to <br/>the longest-running sitcom of all time and the most important <br/>pop-cultural phenomenon of our generation. <br/>Abridged; 12 hours on 10 compact discs. Read by [[Oliver Wyman (actor)|Oliver Wyman]].{{sfn|Turner|2004b|loc=back cover}}
|12 hours{{sfn|Turner|2004b|loc=back cover}}
|-
|October 12, 2004
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation''
|1st (''original'')
|CA
|[[Random House Canada]]
|Foreword by Douglas Coupland{{sfn|Turner|2004c|loc=front cover}}
|466 pp.{{sfn|Turner|2004c}}
|-
|October 12, 2004
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation''
|1st
|USA
|[[Da Capo Press]]
|Foreword by Douglas Coupland <br/>author of ''[[Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture|Generation X]]''{{sfn|Turner|2004d|loc=front cover}}
|464 pp.{{sfn|Turner|2004d}}
|-
|August 4, 2005
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation''
|1st revised
|UK
|[[Ebury Press]]
|Introduction by Douglas Coupland <br/>‘This is a terrifically energetic book which, like its many-layered <br/>subject, will reward repeat consumption.’ ''THE GUARDIAN''{{ref label|the_guardian_citation|A}}{{sfn|Turner|2005a|loc=front cover}}
|480 pp.{{sfn|Turner|2005a}}
|-
|October 18, 2005
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation''
|1st revised
|USA
|[[Da Capo Press]]
|"Quite simply, the definitive book about ''The Simpsons''."—''Q''{{sfn|Turner|2005b|loc=front cover}}
|464 pp.{{sfn|Turner|2005b}}
|-
|October 28, 2008
|''Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation''
|1st revised <br/>with addition
|CA
|[[Vintage Canada]]
|Foreword by Douglas Coupland <br/>With a new afterword by the author{{sfn|Turner|2008|loc=front cover}}
|576 pp.{{sfn|Turner|2008}}
|}
: A. {{note|the_guardian_citation}}Citation from article "Books previews: Saturday, 11 September 2004" (''[[The Guardian]]'').<ref>{{cite news |date=September 11, 2004 |first=Andrew |last=Mueller |author-link=Andrew Mueller |title=''Planet Simpson'' [by] Chris Turner |type=Book preview |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguide/books/story/0,,1300649,00.html |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=2013-12-31}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation |others=Introduction by [[Douglas Coupland]] |edition=1st |date=September 9, 2004a |location=London |publisher=[[Ebury Press]] |oclc=56457550 |isbn=978-0-09-189756-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/planetsimpson0000turn }}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-mask=2 |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation |others=Read by [[Oliver Wyman (actor)|Oliver Wyman]] |type=[[Audiobook]] |edition=1st abridged |date=October 7, 2004b |location=Minneapolis |publisher=[[Workman Publishing Company#HighBridge Audio|HighBridge]] |oclc=56882530 |isbn=978-1-56511-901-7 }}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-mask=2 |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation |others=Foreword by [[Douglas Coupland]] |edition=1st |date=October 12, 2004c |location=Toronto |publisher=[[Random House Canada]] |oclc=55682258 |isbn=978-0-679-31318-2}}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-mask=2 |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation |others=Foreword by [[Douglas Coupland]] |edition=1st |date=October 12, 2004d |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |oclc=670978714 |isbn=978-0-306-81341-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/planetsimpsonhow00turn_0 }}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-mask=2 |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation |others=Introduction by [[Douglas Coupland]] |edition=1st revised |date=August 4, 2005a |location=London |publisher=[[Ebury Press]] |oclc=56457550 |isbn=978-0-09-190336-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/planetsimpson0000turn }}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-mask=2 |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation |edition=1st revised |date=October 18, 2005b |location=Cambridge |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |oclc=670978714 |isbn=978-0-306-81448-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/planetsimpsonhow00turn }}
*{{cite book |last=Turner |first=Chris |author-mask=2 |author-link=Chris Turner (author) |title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation |others=Foreword by [[Douglas Coupland]], with a new afterword by the author |edition=1st revised and expanded |date=October 28, 2008 |location=Toronto |publisher=[[Vintage Canada]] |oclc=192053177 |isbn=978-0-307-35704-5 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.planetsimpson.com/ Official website of the Author]

{{The Simpsons books}}

[[Category:Non-fiction books about The Simpsons]]
[[Category:2004 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:2005 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:2008 non-fiction books]]