It's here!  The complete hardcover collection of Craig Thomspson's epic memoir / history that is also a biography of the humble ginseng root itself.

This has only just now arrived here at Copacetic, and we haven't yet had the chance to compare it to the original issues, but it is our understanding that all of the Ginseng Roots story pages fron the twelve-issue series are included – along with some new pages that will serve to weave the work into a tighter structure – but that the bonus / back-up material from the individual issues will not be included, as the aim here is to have a unified work that reads like a graphic novel as opposed to the collection of a series.  So... it should be interesting to read this and compare!

But, no matter how you slice it, Ginseng Roots is a masterpiece of the form – and the Copacetic favorite among Craig Thompson's works thus far in his career.

And we're not the only ones who think highly of this work:

“Returning to Craig’s roots in rural Wisconsin, Ginseng Roots is part systems exploration, part cultural history — but most uniquely, it is an exercise in journalistic listening as an act of devotion. Even as Craig painfully questions his upbringing and his own beliefs about work, he expresses a hope for healing and an ultimate acceptance of imperfection and grace.”
—Thi Bui, author of The Best We Could Do

“Craig Thompson’s sometimes aching reflection on his roots in the soil and culture of rural Wisconsin is also a tender love letter to ginseng and to the diverse, compelling, and often quirky people who struggle to make it grow. A sweeping story, gorgeously drawn and beautifully told — this is Craig Thompson’s masterpiece.”
—Joe Sacco, author of Palestine and Paying the Land