Last week, I was in the mood for revisiting a favourite book, so I took down my childhood copy of Little Women from my shelves. I have had this copy since I was about eight or nine and it's rather dog-eared as both my sister and I loved the book and read it numerous times between us. I was all ready to settle down and read it when, as I was looking up what year it was published in out of curiosity, I saw the dreaded words abridged by in tiny letters.
And I just hate abridgements! The whole time I've been saying that Little Women is one of my favourite books and it turns out I haven't really read it at all! I do feel that if a book is an abridgement, it should say so on the front or back covers, not just in tiny writing buried behind the title page. So of course I started wondering what had been left out of my copy, what I have missed and decided that I had to buy a 'proper' copy right away.
After much rooting around on various websites, I found this gorgeous copy. It's part of the Penguin Threads range, and is just stunning. It's not released yet, so I pre-ordered it and am expecting my copy to arrive in early May. The Penguin Threads range was designed by Jillian Tamaki and the protoype books were hand-stitched. Unfortunately the range is small at the moment, but I'm hoping it will expand in future as all of them are beautiful.
As we all know, one purchase leads to another and I found myself ordering the Penguin threads version of Emma, as I only have a tatty mass market paperback copy of it. I also treated myself to two of the Puffin Hardback children's classics; Peter Pan and The Secret Garden. The Secret Garden is one of my favourite books, but I've never actually read the original Peter Pan. Now I will have the perfect excuse.
More and more I'm finding that if I love a book, I want a nice copy that I can treasure and reread. I very rarely purchase any books I've not already read as I have a fabulous library system near me. Books have to earn their spots on my shelves, especially as space is limited.
How do you feel about abridgements? And are you willing to spend more on beautiful copies of books you love?
Those are wonderful covers and absolutely deserving of space on your shelf. I have a weakness for pretty books too.
ReplyDeleteAs for abridgments, I think they're great for introducing young readers or non-readers to some of the lengthier classics, but after that only the full copy will do. I wonder what kind of differences you'll see when reading your new unabridged Little Women? I bet it will be a wonderful experience, like meeting a childhood friend all grown up :)
I kind of agree about the abridgements but I feel a bit cross with myself that I didn't notice before now! I plan to read the full length Little Women as soon as my copy arrives in May :)
DeleteUGH!!!! I ABHOR abridgments! I so agree with you: they need to print nice and clear on the cover that it's an abridgment. I have had some rotten luck lately getting home only to find out in the fine print severalpages in -- that it's not the whole book. One claimed to be the "full and complete" text of Les Miserables -- and now that I have the true copy, I see the "full and complete" version cut out a good 2/3. Shameful.
ReplyDelete(I ADORE Little Women. I'm rereading it next month.) :)
I'm glad I am not the only one who has had this experience! We should start a campaign for the proper labelling of abridgements!
DeleteI can't afford to buy new books unless I know that they deserve a space on my shelf. When I'm particularly disappointed by a book I'm glad that it was a library loan! Your recent purchases are the sort I would buy, especially if they are childhood favourites.
ReplyDeleteI get that feeling too, I am often glad when a disappointing book was only a library loan. Libraries are a wonderful resource and I am glad to use them fully. I hope one day I can pass my childhood favourites down to my own children.
DeleteLast fall, I had planned to read Phantom of the Opera during RIP season. I've read it several times, and have a strange love-hate relationship with it. I went to see who the translator was, and my copy didn't say. So I did some research online, and discovered that 99% of the English translations of Phantom around are taken from the original translation done right after the book originally came out in French. And that translation randomly cut whole sections from the book. Most people who read it in English don't even know it's an abridged version. The books don't say that ANYWHERE. But I decided not to read it last fall, and instead will try my best to read it in the original French this coming RIP (yikes). I'm not sure how much is cut, but i want the whole thing. Maybe I'll learn to just love it, rather than love-hate it, if I have the whole thing in front of me!
ReplyDeleteI did not know this, and it has definitely put me off reading the book. As no one else can ever know the author's true intentions, I don't trust any abridgements. I want to read the whole thing and decide for myself.
DeleteGood luck with reading Phantom of the Opera in the original thing. That's certainly going to be an achievement when you complete it :)
Little Women is one of those stories I haven't read in years and years but i think of it as a key work in my childhood, along with the Secret Garden and A Wrinkle in Time. Oh and Anne of Green Gables. Jo and her sisters are like my family! Do read some of the sequels too. In the states, we always hear about Alcott first because her father was a Transcendental minister, and close friends with Emerson and Thoreau. I liked her even more in that context. Wow, I'll stop now.
ReplyDeleteThose beautiful book printings are so dangerous. I feel like I should buy myself copies of all my old favorites now! You are an enabler!
I loved Little Women, The Secret Garden and Anne of Green Gables too. But I loved The Little Princess the most, it's being released in the Puffin collection soon and I just know I will have to buy a copy.
DeleteI'm happy to enable people to buy beautiful books! :P
I love the copy, not sure which one I would choose. I have to confess I have still not finished Little Women, as I found it a bit too over the top, but I will finish it but I wonder whether I was in the right place when I was reading it. Books can affect you like that.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me where you found this edition it could make a good present for my mum.
Hi Jo, I ordered my copy from amazon.co.uk, here's the link:
Deletehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Women-Classics-Deluxe-Penguin/dp/0143106651/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329056938&sr=8-1
Oh, Sam what have you done? I just ordered a copy of Little Women and Emma for myself and purchased Little Women, the Secret Garden, and the Wind and the Willow to tuck away for Christmas for my niece. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I also don't like abridgements!
Your niece is going to be very lucky this Christmas! :)
DeleteAs Jenny said above, it seems like I am an enabler...
Great philosophy..Books have to earn a spot on your shelf. I love that! I think that's why I don't have a lot of books..I don't re-read much. Beautiful books, though. If I had a beautiful home library, I would want these!
ReplyDeleteMy philosophy has changed, I went through a period where I just bought everything, mainly because I lived somewhere where the library system was terrible. I think my philosophy is better now, and much kinder to the bank balance!
DeleteI have a similar system to you Sam - I only keep the books I want to re-read. The other books I either swap or I hand out bags of books to friends and family occasionally. But basically, yes, books have to earn their spot on the shelf! So glad you have a good library system you can take advantage off! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! My old library system was so naff, it cost £1.50 to transfer a book to my local branch from another library within the same borough so I just used to think "might as well buy it instead". Now transfers are free & my new library probably hates me for the number of holds I place!
DeleteBut why on earth would someone want to abridge Little Women in the first place? It's not exactly a long or difficult book! I had to run off and check my own version after reading is but thankfully it seems to be the complete one. Have you read it yet? Do you know what they cut out?
ReplyDeleteThe Penguin Threads books are beautiful. I can't wait until they bring out a Pride and Prejudice version - I collect different editions! How strange that they did Emma but not P & P... I do like Emma, but surely it's not one of the most popular?
The Puffin hardbacks are gorgeous too :)
I think it was to make it even easier for children, but my version is long and I know for a fact it contains all the main events. I'll be reading the original in May, hopefully there won't be too much difference.
DeleteAlongside Little Women, they are bringing out The Wind in the Willows & Wizard of Oz. Both of them look good too.
Wow, those are beautiful covers.
ReplyDeleteAs for your frustration with abridgements, I remember that happening to me with Jane Eyre and The Count of Monte Cristo; they put 'abridged' in such small letters, and for The Count of Monte Cristo the abridged version was long enough on its own that I really didn't notice.
As others have pointed out, abridged versions of some stories read as a child might prompt you to pick up the book when you're older. But I don't know if this works for everyone.
Just went to check my copy of Jane Eyre and it seems that I am OK, I will keep it in mind for when I actually get around to reading The Count of Monte Cristo.
DeleteAbridgements are evil. I only just found out my copy of Count of Monte Cristo was revised. I think I need to replace any classic copy I got before I knew better.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful. I love Tamaki's Secret Garden one, and Sumpter's Little Women and Wizard of Oz. Tamaki has the pictures of them, and they have the reverse side of the stitching inside the cover! I was looking into those neat hardcovers Penguin does, and might have to get some of these.
Must remember to check my copy of Monte Cristo then!
DeleteAll the Sumpter versions are beautiful, I also like the Wind in The Willows (especially the back cover). I'm not a fan of Tamaki's Secret Garden, which is why I went for the Puffin Classics version. So many beautiful books to choose from...
I think abridgements are an abomination! I want to read what the author actually had to say, not just what someone else deems to be important.
ReplyDeleteI love Little Women and The Secret Garden, which I read aloud to my sons - without the regional words/accents. I was surprised by how much they liked the story. They were begging me to tell them what was making the crying sounds. :)
Agreed on wanting to read what the author actually said. My husband has a weakness for The Secret Garden from his childhood, so I'm not surprised your boys enjoyed them :)
DeleteThe Penguin Threads covers are gorgeous! I recently discovered that my childhood copy of Little Women was abridged, too, so have the perfect excuse to purchase this when it's released.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely buy it then :)
DeleteThey are beautiful editions Sam! I've never seen anything about them before. I'm not really a fan of abridgements, I would like to read the full original text. What a shock when you discovered your book was abridged! Glad you have got your order in for the full one in this lovely cover. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a shock, all that time thinking I had read the full version! Can't wait for the new copy to come :)
DeleteI'll be really interested to read what you make of the original text now. It does seems as if the abridgement you loved so much must have been rather well done.
ReplyDeleteI'm interested too. I'm hoping that the abridgement was literally just a few minor events cut but sticking to the original language as it was very well done.
DeleteI read Little Women sometime last year for the first time. It was not an abridged version. But in my opinion some things were a little repetitive and I might enjoyed an abridged version a bit more. The cover is very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYou might appreciate my abridged version then! Did you read the US or UK version though? The US version contains both Little Women and the sequel Good Wives - the UK version is much shorter...
DeleteI hate abridgments, especially audio ones. I love the Penguin books. So obsessed.
ReplyDeleteAgreed on the audio. My Dad has an extensive audio collection but he likes abridgements and dramatisations so I never get to borrow anything good!
DeleteI really can't stand abridged versions - I don't see the point, other than junior versions.
ReplyDeleteThe thread covers are beautiful aren't they? I suspect I'm not the intended audience, but I was admiring one the other day. I'd love to see more books feature exciting and interesting cover design. Thumbs up Penguin!
I agree about junior versions, but they should make it very clear that they are abridgements.
DeleteSurely the intended audience is anyone that loves classics? I like the Black Beauty one a lot but unfortunately I didn't like the story when I read it.
They should. Although I did find an unabridged Dickens in the junior section of my local library the other day - clearly some very smart kids round there!
DeleteThey all look a bit effeminate to me, but maybe that's down to my own fragile masculinity. ;)
Oh wow - that must have been a quite a shock! But look on the bright side: it's going to be like reading a favorite book for the first time. That's priceless!
ReplyDeleteI only remember reading two abridged versions when I was a kid - Quo Vadis and Treasure Island - but what if (gulp) there were more?!
I'm with LBC: abridgments in audio are especially wrong.
I hadn't thought of it as me getting a chance to read a favourite book for the first time, that's a much more positive way of looking at it :)
DeleteAbridgments are silly. Although now that I read the comments, I realize that many of the "classics" I read as a kid were abridged versions for young readers. I have to give them credit for turning me into a lifetime fan of and advocate for reading "classic" literature. So I guess they serve a .purpose
ReplyDeleteI listen to a lot of audio books, so I am always careful to make sure they are UNabridged versions.
Now I have to go drool over these cool stitched covers. My time suck for today.
At least now you know you can enjoy Little Women all over again, as if it were brand new. :)
ReplyDeleteI hate abridgements, too! Just don't understand why they exist - it's almost as if one hasn't read the book at all. I bought an abridged version of Les Miserables a couple of years ago by accident, and now I don't think I'll ever read it.
P.S. Sorry to be a pain, Sam! Mentioned you in my post: http://bit.ly/zEqPVR no obligation to respond, but love to know your answers :)
DeleteWhat gorgeous covers!
ReplyDeleteI know the first edition of Little Women I had was an abridged version (for younger readers)though I also have the 'uncut' version. As for abridged versions in general, when I was young I loved the Readers Digest Abridged Books - you know the ones that used to arrive every month with 4 different stories in them? I never cared much that they were abridged books, I am not even sure that I knew what that meant.
Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out
I ran into this problem with The Count of Monte Cristo. I read an abridged edition (not realizing it until after I wrote a review on my blog), loved it despite it being about half the size of the original (!), but now I really want to read the whole thing. I've got an unabridged edition on order now. Ugh...it certainly pays to read the front & back covers carefully for an indication.
ReplyDelete