Reader's Digest Condensed Books


The Reader's Digest Condensed Books were a series of hardcover anthology collections, published by the American general interest monthly family magazine Reader's Digest and distributed by direct mail. Most volumes contained five (although a considerable minority consisted of three, four, or six) current best-selling novels and nonfiction books which were abridged (or "condensed") specifically for Reader's Digest.[1][2]

The series was popular; a 1987 New York Times article estimated annual sales of 10 million copies.[3] Despite this popularity, old copies are notoriously difficult to sell. [4][5]

For most of their publication schedule, the volumes were issued four times each year, with the rate gradually increasing to a bi-monthly schedule by the early-1990s. The series was produced for 47 years (1950–1997), until being renamed Reader's Digest Select Editions. (Note: UK editions seem to have been somewhat different from USA editions. Pre-1992 Canadian editions also contain different titles).

Occasional titles such as The Leopard (Summer 1960), The Days Were Too Short (Autumn 1960), and Papillon (Autumn 1970) were not written in English but published as abridgments of the translated versions. In a few cases, new editions of older works (Up from Slavery, originally published in 1901 (Autumn 1960), A Roving Commission: My Early Life, originally published in 1930 (Autumn 1951) or Goodbye Mr. Chips, originally published in 1934 (Summer 1961)) were also among the condensed selections.


1950s

1950

[6]

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

[7]

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960s

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970s

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980s

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990s

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Most of the 1997 volumes aforementioned were also published as Reader's Digest Select Editions.

Succeeding volumes were published under the title Reader's Digest Select Editions.

References

  1. ↑ [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02680426 Springer.com: "The continuous publication of the Reader's Digest Condensed Books directmail subscription series since 1950 is a cultural phenomenon."]
  2. ↑ Publishers Weekly: "Reader's Digest Condensed Book Series to Get Wider Distribution" March 2015
  3. ↑ N.Y. Times: "New Editor at Digest's Condensed Books" August 2, 1987
  4. ↑ "Readers Digest Condensed Books as diffiult to dispose of as bins of radioactive waste"
  5. ↑ Clayton Library: "We Don't Accept Reader's Digest Condensed Books--they do not sell."
  6. ↑ My parents were charter members of the RD Condensed Book Club and I have these books in my possession. Ken Battle
  7. ↑ Ken Battle, see my ref at 1950; I have the two volumes above that were missing.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.