The saga of one woman's quest for romance, career fulfillment, and the perfect bowl of double-fudge ice cream. Millions of women have commiserated with America's favorite frustrated female as she struggles with dieting, work, and romance in a world filled with chocolate, evil bosses, and the ever-present opposite sex. Abs of Steel, Buns of Cinnamon is filled with some of the funniest comic strips that follow every woman's frazzled friend as she battles everything from the all-too-honest dressing room mirror to a mountainous "IN" box. Join Cathy as she rationalizes her way from one neurosis to the next with her trusty dog, Electra, and her aging, well-intentioned mother by her side. You'll feel right at home curling up with a bowl of Rock Road as Cathy copes with reality and what creator Cathy Guisewite calls "the four basic guilt groups: food, love, mother, and career."

A captivating blend of reportage and personal narrative that explores the untold history of women’s exercise culture--from jogging and Jazzercise to Jane Fonda--and how women have parlayed physical strength into other forms of power. For much of the twentieth century, sweating was considered “unladylike” and girls grew up believing physical exertion would cause their uterus to “fall out.” It was only in the Sixties that, thanks to a few forward-thinking fitness pioneers, women began to move en masse. In Let's Get Physical, journalist Danielle Friedman reveals the fascinating untold history of contemporary fitness culture, chronicling in vivid, cinematic prose how exercise evolved from a beauty tool pitched almost exclusively as a way to “reduce” into one millions have harnessed as a path to mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Let’s Get Physical takes us into the workout studios and onto the mats to reclaim these forgotten origin stories—and shine a spotlight on the trailblazers who made it possible for women to move. Each chapter uncovers the birth of an fitness movement that laid the foundation for working out today: the invention of the barre method in the Swinging Sixties, jogging’s path to liberation in the Seventies, the explosion of aerobics and weight-training in the Eighties, the rise of yoga in the Nineties, and the ongoing push for a more socially inclusive fitness culture—one that celebrates every body. Ultimately, it tells the story of how women discovered the joy of physical competence and strength—and how, by moving together to transform fitness from a privilege into a right, we can create a more powerful sisterhood.

""I know I'm supposed to be assertive and self-sufficient," the comic strip Cathy says, "but it's boring to be invincible all by yourself"...this is the Cathy people love." --New York Daily News Cathy stops at the bakery on the way home from aerobics...proclaims her love for the single life yet secretly keeps a list of songs for her wedding...files business correspondence in the "doomed pile" in the corner of her office...begs her mother for advice, and then screams at her for giving it...and like millions of bright, successful women, spends bathing suit season sobbing in the department store dressing room.

Cathy chronicles the demands of a "thirty-something" career woman responding to the modern complexities of everyday life. A broad audience will relate to the hassles of relationships and career challenges in which Cathy finds solutions. Emmy Award for Best Animated Special.

America’s favorite comic strip heroine shares her passion for footwear in this hilarious collection. Like best friends who’ve been together year after year, through thick and thin, Cathy and her adoring public have created a solid and stable relationship. Faithful readers count on their cartoon heroine to tell it like it is, whether the subject is relationships, shopping, or parental responsibilities. In Shoes: Chocolate for the Feet, women immediately comprehend this connection between two of Cathy’s downfalls-food and shopping. Cathy continues to battle the bulge, constantly losing the tug-of-war between her thin clothes and a well-stocked refrigerator. Millions of women have hilariously identified with Cathy's struggles with the four basic guilt groups: food, love, mother, and career.

"For years, Guisewite has presented a sampling of the absurd and achingly familiar rituals women face in presenting themselves to the world. In the process, she has become a dead-on chronicler of fashion in all its folly." --The Dallas Morning News Lovable Cathy has been sister, confidante, and best friend to countless fans around the world. She's an Everywoman who experiences frustrations on the job, in her love life, and with her aging parents in much the same way as her real-life counterparts. Yet Cathy always handles everything with aplomb, consistently seeing the funny side of every situation. She's been an inspiration--giving readers infinite reasons to laugh at life's strange realities. In this celebration of Cathy's 20 years, creator Guisewite shares some of her earliest strips and recollections of Cathy's growth. An advertising copywriter when she first drew the frazzled Cathy in 1976, Guisewite also reflects on how her own life shaped her character and the strip's other personalities--from boyfriends to pets to parents. From fashion challenges to business travel, Guisewite has covered the gamut of life through her indomitable alter-ego, Cathy, and the trip's been pleasurable for everyone. In Cathy's 20th Anniversary Collection, readers also accompany Cathy on more adventures: Cathy as she listens patiently to her boss rant about how to buy a new car, replying, "Where"s this energy when we want a man to go in a mall?" Cathy as she turns her mother to mush by asking for quality time. Cathy, frustrated from years of trying to find the right man, as she buys a computer just for the on-line romance chat rooms. Faithful fans who've grown up with Cathy will treasure this 20th anniversary book from Cathy Guisewite.

In this funny collection, America’s favorite comic strip heroine balances the demands of life—love, family, career, food, and shopping. Cathy has been woman’s best friend in matters of love, food, and shopping, although maybe not always in that order! Here is a collection for the frazzled modern woman who is forever plagued by the innate love of chocolate, and who is constantly in search of at least a semi-decent romance in the midst of career demands and parents who always have advice.