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I personally go for unabridged, wanting to read what the author intended us to read. But I also have read abridged books...given I grew up in a household where various volumes of Reader's Digest Condensed Books from the 1950s and very early 1960s were about the only fiction to be found in the house to read between occasional trips to the public library. I remember a few abridged classics in paperback being purchased for me as a young teen...Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations. But once I learned these were different, around 1970, I have pretty much read only unabridged.What ticks me off is when an ebook is an abridged version and it is not clearly marked that. I discovered after buying it that an ebook of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was abridged...not what I wanted.
Would I seek out an abridged version of a book? Probably only if it were a reread.
Do I judge people who read or even prefer abridged? Nope. Far better an abridged version is read than no version.
Oh, I had forgotten about the Reader's Digest abridged / condensed volumes. My godmother always had those at her house and when we went to visit, I'd grab a volume and sit in a corner reading. I commented that I sometimes order an audio from the library and only after it arrives do I realize it's abridged.
I did read some of the "classics" as a child in abridged version aimed at the youth market. I thought they were a great introduction to classics ... focused as they were on the story without the page-after-page descriptions of ... oh ... whales, for example.
I read some of those Reader's Digest books as well, and don't mind that when I first read Les Miserables it was abridged--it was still really long. I don't know if that was a Reader's Digest one or not, though.
I tried to read Les Miserables and struggled with it, finally giving up about halfway through because he would just not shut up about French history! I kept waiting and waiting for the story to continue but the history lecture just got boring. So while I normally prefer unabridged books, Les Mis is one of those I would gladly read an abridged version of!
Unabridged. I often wonder - what is the point of abridged. I hate it when I accidentally get an abridged audio from the library without realizing. :-(
I strongly prefer unabridged books and I've learned to pay close attention when ordering library audios. The Outlander abridged audios are the worst. I had one that seemed to simply cut out the chapters in the middle of the book. But there are always exceptions. I think the shorter (about 500 page) version of Count of Monte Cristo is more popular than the original because it's a tighter story. The 1200 pages book goes off on some painfully boring tangents, and the hero isn't as likable.
The young adult version of Hidden Figures might be better than the original. The author was so rushed to complete the original book (because the movie deal happened so fast), she just didn't have enough time to finish editing. So she was able to do a much better job when she got the chance to edit the book for a slightly younger audience.
My dad worked for Readers Digest, so we always had lots of the abridged books in the house. Occasionally I'd find that he replaced an abridged book on my bookshelf with the unabridged original. I took it as a sign that he recognized my growing maturity (I was in a hurry to grow up). lol
Now I realize that he was just wordlessly expressing an opinion you'd all agree with. He was a man of few words.
I feel strongly that abridged books are an insult to the author and the reader. If the book was too long, the editor should have worked with the author to cut it. That was probably true of Hidden Figures, which I got bogged down in because there was too much math and not enough about the people. The exception is children's or young people's versions which can be a great introduction to classics. I became hooked on Sherlock Holmes, Robin Hood, The Three Musketeers and others through some good kids' versions. Boy, was I surprised when I read the whole Three Musketeers years later and found out D'Artagnan has multiple bedroom adventures!
When audiobooks became popular in the 1980's-'90's on cassette, many of them were abridged. This was partly because the tapes were bulky and expensive, but I think also because the idea was that people who listened to books didn't really like to read and used audio as the easy way out. (Never true for me!) A lot of the first books were business and self-help, on the theory that busy executives would listen in their cars. After I listened in error to a couple abridged fiction books, I got really careful at checking them. I used to complain to my library that they even carried abridged books at all. Luckily, that era is past and almost everything is unabridged now, especially in digital format. You do have to watch out for classics though.
annapi wrote: "So while I normally prefer unabridged books, Les Mis is one of those I would gladly read an abridged version of!"I read the unabridged version of Les Miserables and, after suffering through all of the extraneous stuff, it is the one book that I whole-heartedly recommend people read in the abridged form! Unless you are reading it for a French literature or history purpose, you are probably just reading it for the main story and that is A-OK.
Book Concierge wrote: "I did read some of the "classics" as a child in abridged version aimed at the youth market. I thought they were a great introduction to classics ... focused as they were on the story without the page-after-page descriptions of ... oh ... whales, for example."I feel like these are less truly abridged version and more of a simplified retelling for a specific children's audience. Definitely a little different in my mind.
But I also LOVED them as a kid! And I often get them for baby shower gift. In fact, I have totally purchased the Moby Dick version for kids ;)
BTW ... I loved that Brianna "read" Moby Dick to Steven Bonnet while in captivity (at least in the mini-series ... definitely NOT in the book). He was SOOOooo shocked that Ahab doesn't kill the monster!
I've never an abridged vs unabridged of anything to have good base to compare, but I wonder if it is like a Director's cut where it's been edited (abridged) for good reason... a completist probably wants to watch a Director's cut, but the edits were usually warranted. But if I am reading a classic, I almost feel like I need to read the unabridged to count it in good conscience?
Meli wrote: "I've never an abridged vs unabridged of anything to have good base to compare, but I wonder if it is like a Director's cut where it's been edited (abridged) for good reason... a completist probably..."Most abridged versions are not cut for any good reason, but to make a buck getting people to read shorter things and saving paper (originally). Les Miserables is a political statement, and a number of the things that are still relevant to today in many places or in many other ways get missed in the abridged version. While I have no desire to read the pages and pages about the sewers, the unabridged first section gave a MUCH better idea of why the priest acted the way he did (Hugo was NOT a religious man) and was also a political statement by Hugo who was opposed to the state appointing church leadership, etc, etc. There are many who prefer the unabridged version.
Karin wrote: "Meli wrote: "I've never an abridged vs unabridged of anything to have good base to compare, but I wonder if it is like a Director's cut where it's been edited (abridged) for good reason... a comple..."That makes sense... I honestly can't say if I've ever read anything abridged. But I also don't read things that are too long (in the non-contemporary classic category).
Book Concierge wrote: "BTW ... I loved that Brianna "read" Moby Dick to Steven Bonnet while in captivity (at least in the mini-series ... definitely NOT in the book). He was SOOOooo shocked that Ahab doesn't kill the mon..."I thought that whole scene was brilliant. The parallels between Moby Dick and what was happening to Bri and Bonnet at that exact moment and it was wonderfully done.
NancyJ wrote: "I had one that seemed to simply cut out the chapters in the middle of the book...."I think the very first one I got (by accident), that's what it felt like. It wasn't even a very long book, I don't think. But, I could tell things were missing from the story. I think I finally looked it up when I finished it to discover why that was. Boooooo...
Book Concierge wrote: "BTW ... I loved that Brianna "read" Moby Dick to Steven Bonnet while in captivity (at least in the mini-series ... definitely NOT in the book). He was SOOOooo shocked that Ahab doesn't kill the mon..."LOL! That was fun. :-)
I will add that I don't think I've read any abridged classes (at least on audio; I very well might have read some of the Readers' Digest ones when I was a kid. Grandma had a collection). The abridged ones I've gotten (by accident - only 2 or 3, I think; I'm usually - after the first one - more careful, though I think I slipped after a while) have been more current books that I saw absolutely no reason for abridging them. They were not too long to begin with.
ETA: The first one I ended up with accidentally was the first Kathy Reichs book in the Temperance Brennan series. That one - I noticed things seemed missing.
Another one where I noticed something missing came in the conclusion. Was nonfiction and pretty much essays - one of Malcolm Gladwell's books. So, not as noticeable while listening, but something was mentioned in the conclusion that I didn't get the chapter for (something Sesame Street - a chapter it sounds like I would have been interested in!!).
Meli wrote: "I've never an abridged vs unabridged of anything to have good base to compare, but I wonder if it is like a Director's cut where it's been edited (abridged) for good reason... a completist probably..."I like the analogy of the directors cut vs the theater version. Very interesting.
I do not read abridged versions. I have. When I was young, I had 25-30 Great Illustrated Classics and I read those. My Grandmother would read the mysteries from the condensed Reader's Digest books. But now, I want the whole book. Writing is an art form and I think of other art forms. Meli pointed out movies which I hadn't thought of, but think of a painting. No one takes The Last Supper by da Vinci and makes a less detailed version. No produces a simpler Beethoven's Symphony #5. (I may be wrong about the classical music)
That is how I view literature. Its an art piece that I want to experience completely. That is why I would love to know at what tempo Beethoven really wanted his music played. Les Miserables has been mentioned several times in this thread. I read it in its entirety and its one of my favorite stories of all time, the water system and Waterloo included.
That said, I have also read that evidence shows ones who read unabridged do not retain anymore from the story than those who read abridged versions. (This was in a podcast and I have not verified or seen evidence in question) I also think ones should read what suits them. Reading an abridged version of Les Miserables in now diminishes reading the story, especially if you were to quit reading the story at all because of tangents. Without the abridged Illustrated Classics as a child, I might never have grown to appreciate classics. I only know Moby Dick from the Illustrated Classic (and the old movie I watched on VHS after reading the Illustrated Classic)
For me now however, I will skip reading a book until I can get an unabridged copy.
So let me chime in on the performing arts and classical music in particular. These are abridged all the time.Classical music - single movements are performed alone all the time...including from Beethoven's symphonies. Even though pieces were composed to be performed all as a piece.
Opera - editted down constantly. Well maybe not Wagner, but Handel certainly is. Also acts and scenes are shortened and recombined, eliminating intermissions or for timing reasons...modern audiences don't like long sits and have trains to catch after. Entire arias are cut.
Ballet - again entire movements or a pas de deux or solo is excerpted and performed. Choeography altered.
Musical theater - revivals edited down all the time to fit within modern audience preferences of only one intermission not 2 as shows like South Pacific had, and to finish before mandatory overtime kicks in for crew.
And Shakespeare...frequently abridged in performance.
My take is that I want to be presented with the whole book and I will decided what to leave out, for instance, I admit I skimmed through the whale anatomy of Moby Dick, and I still loved the overall book. I knew what the chapter was about and didn't see the need to read each word. I guess after so many years of reading, I trust my own judgment about what to skip.Back when audiobooks were new, I had from the library an abridged version of Smilla's Sense of Snow. It was ok but when I looked at people's reviews, they talked about the culture and the symbolism, and all that was edited out of my version. They just kept the basic plot. After that, I refused to do abridged books.
Theresa, as I said, I might be wrong about classical music. I enjoy classical solo piano and going to a ballet and opera are on my bucket lists, but my knowledge of the pieces is limited. Not very cultured here in deep south Georgia. Maybe the classical solo piano pieces I listen to on Pandora are abridged and I dont even know it. You have just given me a project to expand my knowledge of classical solo piano to beyond just enjoying it on Pandora. Karen or any other that is knowledgeable about classical solo piano......want to help?I understand the 2 main reasons for arrangement is comprehension such as age, and attention span. Heck, a new streaming service call Quibi is coming out with 10 minute tv show episodes. I am not against them totally, just against them for me.
I am also not a fan of adaptations being named the same as the original. Much rather lmhave adaptations like O Brother Where art Thou and 10 Things I Hate About You. They are retellings but are also their own piece of work.
I had little to no exposure to performing arts..or even movies... until I went to college. I freely admit I chose attending Barnard in part to have the opportunity to explore all the classic performing arts and visit museums that are on offer in NYC. And I have spent 40 years+ doing just that. I grew up on a farm in a rural part of NY. I did listen to the Saturday afternoon opera broadcasts on the radio.Solo piano was a long time passion of mine. I tend to cycle through different classical performance arts with opera in the forefront in recent years.
And I have joked with a friend who also loves Baroque opera as much as I do that we need to start a 'Cuts to Wagner, No Cuts to Handel' campaign. No one thinks twice about sitting through 6 hours or more of Gotterdamerung, yet 5 hours of Giulio Cesare is considered too long and lovely arias are cut. FYI I personally cannot sit through Wagner - his operas are not for me.
All joking about cuts for Wagner aside, the point is that all the arts - except maybe paintings - are subject to being abridged in some fashion, some more than others. Bach was composed for instruments now considered to be specialized early music instruments...harpsichord not piano for example. What I think is important is being informed about what you are reading, listening to, so that if it matters you can make a choice, and if it doesn't matter, fine too.
Now I am curious...is there an abridged version of Proust? Not that I would shift to it! But here I am in my 8th month reading it with about 900 pages still to go...and I don't think I would have noriced if the long passages describing church steeples, hawthornes, sunsets, had been cut.
I also admit that when I think of abridged versions I always thing of long classics. Many of you have mentioned abridged versions of popular, relatively short books like Reichs and Gladwell. No, I cannot get on board with that. Why? How many pages does it save? What larger chunks of superfluous storylines are there to remove?!?
I mean, the Outlander books should probably have abridged versions, but even then I would opt for the whole thing. Lol.
As I have said dozens of times, the Discovery of Witches Trilogy should have been abridged. Three far too long books could have been converted into just one much shorter version, and it would have been perfect!
Amy wrote: "As I have said dozens of times, the Discovery of Witches Trilogy should have been abridged. Three far too long books could have been converted into just one much shorter version, and it would have ..."I think those should have just been rewritten. LOL
I think of film as art, but all art is different since it is consumed by different senses and different time constraints, or none. I just realized technically I have read something abridged... I read Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You which is a "remixed" YA version of Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, but it's a history book formatted for a specific audience, so I am not sure we would call that abridged.
Several times now with audiobooks I only learn after reading is done that they were condensed.No matter how it's done, it always gives rise to continuity problems. That said, a couple of Colleen McCullough's historical fictions of the early Roman empire were quite satisfying in condensed form. I appreciated a volume of around 500 pages instead of 700-800 and trusted that the excisions spared me some unnecessary diversions.
Nicole R wrote: "Amy wrote: "As I have said dozens of times, the Discovery of Witches Trilogy should have been abridged. Three far too long books could have been converted into just one much shorter version, and it..."I agree with you, Nicole, the books should have been rewritten or edited. Famous authors can get away with anything. For authors like J K Rowling, Stephen King, or Brandon Sanderson, they are so popular that editors are probably afraid to cut anything, so their books just get longer and longer.
Robin wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "Amy wrote: "As I have said dozens of times, the Discovery of Witches Trilogy should have been abridged. Three far too long books could have been converted into just one much shorte..."Accurate! I think this may be the case with Marlon James as well even though he is not nearly as popular or prolific. I can't imagine what Black Leopard Red Wolf was before editing, it already seemed hardly edited.
Theresa wrote: "So let me chime in on the performing arts and classical music in particular. These are abridged all the time.Classical music - single movements are performed alone all the time...including from B..."
Abridging for movies, plays and musicals is one of the reasons books are usually better, but it often has to be done to fit things in the allotted time or for practical reasons. Somethings can be shown in film that have to be described in words, but some of the things they do to put things on stage. To this day I am miffed that they left certain people out of the Hunger Games movies, for example, and those are fairly well done (plus they did some casting where people looked WRONG for the characters, etc), for example.
Coming from a musical family and as someone who has studied music, I don't see playing single movements of classical pieces as the same thing as abridging because you aren't removing parts of a movement--movements are stand alone units in pieces that are usually based on structures that are also used in writing pieces without movements. In some exams you "abridge" by not playing repeats, so you aren't taking any section out of a piece, but it can change it to not due the repeat. When I chair the NEPTA Intermediate I recitals (piano) some teachers get in a tizzy if they have not followed the rules, their student has a piece that is too long and I suggest that if their student doesn't have a shorter piece that they can play it without repeats (some teachers are good about that, of course, but the RCMT in Canada bans repeats from almost all exams).
I don't know as much about shortening certain operas, but I do know that older operas were different in how they were composed. For example, Handel often wrote for certain singers, and he rewrote songs when different vocalists were going to do a role and their voice couldn't do all of the same things, or had a different range, etc. But earlier on in operas stars would come in with their own sets of songs and just insert them into shows--I don't remember all the when stuff, but I picked up stuff proofreading my son's essays.
In musical theater, from what I just read in that book about writing it, aspiring writing teams are urged to be careful with how many songs they write, but also to include some extras because production costs and casts vary.
Amy wrote: "As I have said dozens of times, the Discovery of Witches Trilogy should have been abridged. Three far too long books could have been converted into just one much shorter version, and it would have ..."Just eliminating the second....
Although I have not read the third to judge. But the first could easily have wrapped up the whole story. Actually the parts of the 2nd that I really enjoyed were the too rare and too short contemporary sections about what was happening to all while Diana and Matthew played house in Tudor England.
Nicole R wrote: "Many of you have mentioned abridged versions of popular, relatively short books like Reichs and Gladwell. No, I cannot get on board with that. Why? How many pages does it save? What larger chunks of superfluous storylines are there to remove?!? ..."Exactly! And this is what I end up with when I forget to check from the library!
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (other topics)Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (other topics)
Smilla's Sense of Snow (other topics)
Les Miserables (other topics)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (other topics)
Abridged or Unabridged books? Why?
I really found AJ answer interesting.