Prior to its publication, comic strip compilations were most commonly formatted like a standard paperback book with the panels running down the page.

Jim Davis, Garfield's author, disliked the idea and convinced Ballantine to print the strips from left to right, as they would have appeared in the newspaper.

[1] The book was #1 on The New York Times bestseller list for almost two years.

Garfield at Large has since been republished in full color in 2001 as part of the "Garfield Classics" series and as part of a “Fat Cat 3-Pack” (pack containing the first three books for a discounted price) in 1993 and 2001, the latter with its strips in full color.

The colorized editions correct an error present in all previous editions: the July 23, 1978 strip originally had the first panel (Garfield hopping down the stairs) printed as the fourth panel.