Watered down bullshit
I have, all my life, tried to find original, unexpurgated books; the readers digest condensed versions usually don’t do it for me.
Yeah, there are some books that are just too fucking long. “Shogun” would be seven pages without the history lesson, “The Stand” would be fifty pages without the cocaine King jammed up his nose while he was writing it.
One of the books most difficult to find undamaged is The Count of Monte Cristo. And there are good reasons; the book has been hacked up to try to sell it to a younger or possibly more repressed audience. You won’t find the drug use, the treachery, the rape and torture in the commonly available versions, and the book loses a great deal of it’s literary validity because of that. Read the kindle version, if you’ve never had a chance to read it unfucked-with, and you’ll agree: What was an awesome book after it had been hacked to pieces is nothing short of monumental in it’s original form.
Oh, and its free.
That one is next on my list — I am reading and enjoying the Three Muskateers right now.
Dumas is/was always a fun read, what a stage he presented and at such an amazing time. One advantage of old stuff like that is Project Gutenberg is effing brrrilliant and they’re often free in the eBook edition.
Well, damn. And here I thought I did read the original, back in the 70’s.
I’ve been trying to ignore the urge to buy a Kindle.
Ignore the urge to buy a kindle by buying a Nook.
Another wonderful story almost impossible to find in its original uncondensed state is “Robinson Crusoe”. I read the original in the seventh grade. It was twice as much fun as the condensed versions available now.
I wonder how many seventh graders can actually read these days anyway?
Gerry N.
You can get downloadable “Kindle software” for almost all mobile devices, macs, and PCs. Also, all “Project Gutenberg” books are (I believe) available in PDF formate for those who don’t want to go the Kindle route yet.
Thanks for the idea Og, My In-Laws got me one for Christmas(wife already told me so I wouldn’t buy one with my bonus) I’ll hafta check that out along with the dozens of other out of copyright books
“Shogun†would be seven pages without the history lesson,”
Og, that’s the funniest passage I’ve read in months. Serious belly laughs. I’m just now wiping enough tears out of my eyes to read the rest. :-)