xkcd: volume 0
Year First Appeared
2009
Creator
Randall Munroe
The first print collection of xkcd, featuring Randall Munroe’s personal and fan favorites from the first 600 comics, assembled from high‑resolution scans with the mouseover text included; it adds doodles, notes, and puzzles in the margins and is published by Breadpig, with profits donated to Room to Read.
Importance in Internet Culture
By carrying web‑native features like alt‑text into print and spawning collaborative code‑breaking that spilled into real‑world meetups, Volume 0 captured how online nerd culture and participatory remixing defined the 2000s web. It reflects xkcd’s symbiotic relationship with internet culture and its ability to catalyze global conversations.
Interesting Fact
The book hides an eight‑part cipher in red marginalia that fans solved; the solution pointed to a San Francisco meetup where Munroe handed out a limited “xkcd: Volume 0 Service Pack 1” booklet.