Guys, a while back I accidentally listened to an abridged audiobook ofĀ Rebecca. When I realized I was listening to the abbreviated version, I felt likeĀ such a cheater! How can I even know if IĀ truly liked that book, since I didn’t listen to it in its entirety? Can I even say I’ve read it now? I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS and mostly those of bookish betrayal (I AM SORRY BIBLIOPHILES, I DIDN’T MEAN TO CHEAT!). It really begged the question,Ā why the heck do abridged books exist?
Here are the reasons I have come up with for the existence of abridged books:
- People want to say they read the book, but they don’t want to actuallyĀ read the entire thing.Ā Maybe I should read an abridged version of 1,001 Arabian Nights so that I can say I’ve read it and level up on my coolness.
- Maybe some books are better left 500 pages shorter. PerhapsĀ Les Miserables doesn’t actually need to be any longer than the script for the broadway show. I mean, I felt like that story is pretty effective at an only two and a half hours long show. Who needs to the rest of it? (This is sarcasm people, I recognize the show probably doesn’t cover a fraction of what the book covers.)
- No one is reading it anyway, right? OKAY so maybe I skipped John Galt’s 70 PAGE SPEECH (seriously WTF) inĀ Atlas Shrugged. And maybe I skimmed through (…or skipped) the infoĀ on the different types of whales inĀ Moby Dick. AM I A BAD PERSON? (Don’t answer this.)
So now it’s your turn: Explain to me why abridged booksĀ exist.
A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.
Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight
I have no idea why abridged books exist, but I would never want to read or listen to them because I would also feel like I didn’t even actually read the book! Like, I can rarely even bring myself to skim anything in books, so I definitely wouldn’t feel right just straight-up skipping things.
Ali
Hahah yes, exactly! Abridged is just not okay.
Michelle @ FaerieFits
This is something I’ve never really understood either :/
I kind of want to be like, it doesn’t count if you only read half of the book. That said, I DO skim. A lot, unfortunately. And I’ll be honest, on some of the classics that I’m not sure I really want to read all that much, I’ve eyed the abridged versions and thought about how much less intimidating they are. And then I frown and think of how much would be missing. I just don’t get the urge.
Ali
Yeah – I’ve thought the same. But at the end of the day it’s not the story the author intended, so I would just feel wrong reading it!
Briana
Yeah, I think it’s a marketing thing. Some people don’t want to read 1000 pages, but they might want to read 500. If people are buying, publishers will sell.
I guess you could argue that some books are “better” shorter, but that’s always going to be subjective, and personally I think it’s a very small amount of books. Les Mis is a good example. But people also abridge books like Anne of Green Gables, which are fairly short in the first place.
I’d rather read the book as the author intended personally. And I do really hate it when the publisher doesn’t even clearly indicate the book is abridged. That should be written in size 72 font on the front cover. š
Ali
Yes – I sometimes find it VERY difficult to identify if it’s an abridged book or not, which is annoying. I think you’re right – it’s 100% marketing š
Lucille
Hahah oh gosh, I remember when I realised last year that the edition of Dracula we studied in school when I was 12 was an abridged version, I was so offended T^T
I mean I understand that maybe it’s good because otherwise some people wouldn’t read these books at all but it does feel like cheating and like an offense to the writer.
Anyway, I’d rather read the whole thing!
Ali
Yes! OH MAN an abridged Dracula?! It’s not like it’s a LONG book!!! WTF!
Lucille
I still can’t believe it šš
Molly's Book Nook
ya know….I didn’t even really know what abridged meant….I’m a terrible bookworm. I don’t really read classics but when I do they’re not abridged (totally said that in the “most interesting man in the world” voice, not on purpose, I swear). But yeah, they probably exist because of what you mentioned. I still wouldn’t read them though!
Molly @ Molly’s Book Nook
Ali
Hahah you’re NOT a terrible bookworm (a terrible bookworm would read abridged books and not admit to it (;). And I totally read that in the most interesting man voice XD
Molly's Book Nook
HAHAH I didn’t even do that on purpose. After I typed it I was like “oops, oh well, keepin’ it” lol
Greg Hill
I’ve always wondered this too. I figure if I want to read a book I want to read the full thing, not a shortened or condensed version. I’d be afraid of what I was missing!
Emily @ Loony Literate
Yeah, it’s pretty dumb. I don’t get it. If you want to say you’ve read a book, just read the whole thing? Gotta admit sometimes I read books to sound like an ~intellectual~ haha :’)
Ali
Don’t we all! XD
Jeann @ Happy Indulgence
I think abridged versions are useful for study, particularly when you have to read it for English class and still get the gist of it lol. Or when people just need to study it for whatever reason, but of course I prefer the full thing š
Ali
I think that’s a good point – they would be useful for study! Especially if it’s a book they don’t particularly want to read but have to read for a course XD
Babbit
It bothers me so much when it’s not pointed out that it’s abridged. It makes me paranoid everytime I have to choose a book: “Is this the right one?”.
Ali
hahah, right?! It did say it in some tiny font somewhere on the “information” section of the book’s page from the library. But I didn’t see it closely enough. It needs to be a part of the title!!
Pocketpeanuts
This is what I’m irked about currently. I’m reading “Robinson crusoe” for the first time and the copy I have (it was donated) is an abridged version and I feel irritated about that!! Especially now I know what abridged even means I feel conned, like this isnt the real deal!!!! And the cheek of them to add in the introduction “Jonathan Swift criticised Defoe for his strong moral tone in his writing. We agree with him, and therefore this version is abridged ”
Like excuse me!!!
I dont really care what Mr. Jonathan swift thinks about the book!!!
I want to be able to form my own viewpoint on the book and discover what the heckers I THINK!!!!
Urghhhh
A.S. Thornton
Aw! I am sorry you’re experiencing the same frustration! I agree – I want to read the WHOLE thing and make my own opinion about it in its entirety! I hope you enjoy it — even if it is abridged XD
Syd
I just finished “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” audiobook and found out that it’s the abridged version. I kinda enjoyed it though, because in the book itself (I listen while reading) there are some parts where there are people with accents and the explanation of said accents, also excerpt of The Magic Flute and some parts that I personally wouldn’t feel that much of a loss being cut for a better listening experience.
But that being said, if there was an abridged version of audiobook that I’d listen, I’d probably choose one that was narrated by the author itself. (e.g. Neil Gaiman)
Jess H
I personally think that if abridged versions make books more accessible then great, print as many as you like, but the fact it has been abridged should be as clear as the title itself! It often feels too much like a con and that stinks. I have been struggling to find a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Black Arrow that is absolutely not abridged and ended up just having to take a chance. I’ll see what I get when it arrives (I ordered online, I live in rural Australia).
Great blog and great comments, lots of points I hadn’t truly considered.
Courtney Chappelear
I just accidentally listened to my first abridged book and wound up here lol I think it’s incredibly disrespectful to the author to abridge their book. They wrote it as they intended it to be produced and read. But some joe-shmoo publisher marks up a classic and decides what is important? How terrible! Maybe the thing that the author is most proud of is their overwhelmingly unnecessary description of a tree that the character is sitting under. That would be a super easy thing to omit in an abridged version but then you’re taking out the thing that the author loved the most! p.s how cool is the internet that I can still comment on this in 2022?
Sharon
I used to be “abridged books are for literary wimps and losers!”, but I also used to think the same thing about audiobooks. I’m now an avid audiobook listener, and I’ll sometimes read an abridged book if it’s available. One reason is that I’m a fan of short fiction, but hardly anyone writes novellas for a popular audience (this is picking up a bit more with self publishing on Amazon and their “quick reads”). And, let’s face it, a lot of books would make very strong novellas, but make pretty flabby novels. This is especially true for a lot of classics that were originally written as serials back in the day – the authors were trying to make the 19th Century version a TV series, and there’s a lot of filler. The story really does benefit from having a few subplots or rambling descriptions of moorlands removed.
Another reason is that my attention span is garbage these days. I want to know the story, but I know I won’t even start the book if I have to try to get through the whole thing. I work in a “word-heavy” job, and sometimes by the time I get to read for pleasure, I’m at a point where books pitched at second language learners are closer to what my brain can deal with. Which brings me to another plus point about abridgements: they’re often easier to read for people who have English as a Second Language or trouble reading for some other reason, so it makes the story (and “reading” in general) more accessible.
But I think the main reason abridged novels exist is because the 20th Century was pumping these suckers out for a mass market. Remember, the average reading level of most adults is around 8th Grade, and people are looking for a quick read while they’re taking the train to work or sneaking in a few pages between putting the kids to bed and going to bed themselves. They want to know the story of Robinson Crusoe, and they *want* to read… but ain’t nobody got time to read the actual novel. The first few chapters of the unabridged version are an absolute slog. So time poor, book hungry would-be readers will gladly read the shorter version, and the publishers will gladly make it available for them.
Speaking of moorlands, I have never been able to get past the first couple of chapters of “Wuthering Heights”. I once borrowed the abridged audiobook version of it to see if that helped, and it didn’t. I still couldn’t get past the first few chapters. Which just goes to show that a book can be abridged and still keep it’s “natural charm”.
A.S. Thornton
I love your thoughts, and I think they are so valid! Thank you for taking the time to chime in. I also agree about Wuthering Heights š
Elizabeth
I read abridged versions to my young children (3,5). They are a great way to introduce an author. Then when they are old enough we will go back and read the real version. This has worked wonderfully with my oldest (8).
Jill
In general, I don’t love abridged books, but my people were discussing this, and here are a few votes in favor: one person said they allow her to introduce the classics to her son who has some reading challenges (dyslexia among them) and another person said they are amazing for introducing English classics to English language learners. Both seemed like good idea for an abridged book to me, and definitely widened my viewpoint on what they are for!