Condensed books

[Motherof8]

My mother used to belong to a book club- Reader's Digest Condensed Books. I was introduced to a lot of good books that way. What do you think of condensed books?

[dfloyd]

unabridged. Further, if you think Reader's Digest published good books, you probably should perhaps join another forum, one specializing in romance novels or some such genre.

[togre]

dfloyd -- come on now, tell us how you really feel.


There is no substitute for the unabridged version. I would always prefer to have things the way the author produced it. That being said, Reader's Digest had some legitimate offerings, especially for a voracious young reader who's reading everything that's not nailed down. I know when I was a kid we had a volume with Huckleberry Finn and Treasure Island.


I really like the question about condensed books. How does a person condense? How much style is kept? What portion of an author's 'greatness' is in the plot and characters and what in the style? I wish I knew. I've read some condensations, but never had the chance to sit down and compare them with the real thing.

[crusoe]

My mother used to belong to a book club- Reader's Digest Condensed Books. I was introduced to a lot of good books that way. What do you think of condensed books?

If you are using them for a teaser, then it's a good thing. :cool: