Fred Basset by Alex Graham 1983-08-13

Fred Basset by Alex Graham appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle when I was growing up. “The hound that’s almost human.” Fred lives with a couple in a nice neighborhood. He has an uncanny knowledge of his owners’ personality traits and foibles. He goes on minor adventures outside with neighbors, wildlife, and other canines. I enjoyed the strip, but knew nothing of it beyond what I saw in the newspaper. At some point, I read that Graham had passed, but left over a year of new strips for publication. I saw a Fred Basset original turn up at Heritage Auctions, but failed to sign up properly. That one turned up on a dealer site for an exorbitant price. I found a sketched letter from a correspondent. I bought and binge read the collections. Heritage put up two originals in a Wednesday auction and I won both. This one shows Fred “pleading” with facial expressions and body language for leniency on behalf of his owners. Since posting on Facebook, an English friend described Fred as the English Snoopy. A Swedish friend edited a Fred Basset collection and reports Graham’s daughter writes the strip now.