I was puzzled at the beginning when you talked about the ugly covers on Wordsworth Classics because I find the paintings they choose for the covers really lovely then I realized you're talking about the newer editions. I enjoy the covers on the old editions because they typically feature pastoral, bucolic scenes like in the works of Hardy, Gaskell, Eliot.
I've found myself buying more Wordsworths. The main draw for me is that i'm not afraid of taking a pen to the page and annotating to my hearts content because they're so cheap. I don't feel so bad about it, like i'm sullying the book. I can look past the bad photoshopped covers... mostly haha
I've got most, if not all, of these Dostoevsky books. And I actually really like the covers for those because they match the unsettling tone of his writing. I also have Dead Souls which I read and enjoyed a lot. It doesn't have an ending because he died while writing, but I still found it fascinating and often funny.
I like the covers on the modern versions. What matters most is the preface, introduction before the actual story. It gives a detailed insight to the novel.
The general editor, Dr Keith Carabine, is great. His introductions to the Mapp and Lucia books are fascinating. Martin Chuzzlewit is the funniest Dickens, I think - Nurse Gamp is fabulous. Oh, The Idiot is glorious, isn't it? Hoorah. Loving your work.
Oooh, I'm glad to have found another Wordsworth Editions enthusiast!! I started collecting these in blue spines but they quickly went over to the black ones. I don't really care about the covers, so I don't mind the "ugly", and like you I love the formatting! The notes are really a hit or miss, for example I wouldn't recommend Shakespeare in this edition, or Barnaby Rudge (it has NO notes!!). But Penguin Modern Classics line has no notes either, so I grab either the black Penguin or Wordsworth :) Translated works from Wordsworth I do avoid, but that's because I have preferred translators whose works are not in the public domain. I don't know how accessible these are where you live, but I recommend you to check out Alma Classics! They are more affordable than Penguin or Oxford, have an extensive Russian classics line with new translation (you can't get the third Goncharov novel anywhere else!), and their collection is growing every year. Aaaand they have notes, although maybe not as scholarly as Oxford or Penguin. The covers are pretty to me, but then again, I'm not very picky. Oh, but they are not floppy - sorry!
Thank you for this comment. I was just about to ask about the black covers / spines because I'm in the UK and have only ever had the pastel ones or the blue.
I tried Alma books, but they're too rigid, you have to almost pry them open. The opposite of the floppiness of a penguin or Wordsworth. Shame, truly, but their cover designs are remarkable so I keep them on the shelf regardless. However, had I known prior, I would have gotten the Macmillan collector's editions or ww collector's editions instead, they're not much more expensive but you get so much more value for money.
I've only got 1 Wordsworth in my tiny library, Northanger Abbey. Not sure why I picked it up because it's my least favorite Austen. 😆 Anyway, the print is too small for my 62 year-old eyes so I should probably donate it to my local library/little free library. I really enjoyed The Pickwick Papers, too! I'm kinda craving some Dickens lately and am thinking about David Copperfield as my _next_ one. 📚 Have a great weekend!
i just came across this video and glad to know there are actually people have more than two books of this collection because sameee. in my place, penguin and oxford are hardly to find and if there's any, they are pricey. except for the penguin english library which i don't really like because they don't have introductions and notes. so wordsworth collection is my go to books to grab even though the covers are ugly except for the dostoevsky line, at least they met my needs of classic books. here also has alma collection which people said has nice fonts, but i don't know about the introductions and notes, probably going to try on of their collection soon. thank you for this kind of video, i love it so much
I think these are great for classics you are unsure if you are going to love or that you are going to be marking up. I also purchase these for 'leftover books' so I have some amazingly beautiful classics in collections, but no publisher ever releases the author's full works in one set, so if I have a matching set I purchase as many of the nicer copies and then the Wordsworth ones for the extra, then if the publishers ever release the missing ones in future I can replace these without wasting too much money - so I have the Wordsworth set of Dostoevsky's, as the Russian Vintage Classics set only ever released one Dostoevsky etc and quite like the weird red heads lols.
Good idea, ive been collecting the Penguin Russian Vintage Classics- the spine of C&P is *stunning* but god did i dislike the translation (p&v) so yeah.. wish id read W's Garnet one.. that said.. don't fancy going anywhere near it for a while 😆😅
If you need to read any Hardy novel, it’s by far Tess of the D’Urbervilles. It’s his masterpiece and my personal favourite. It’s utterly heartbreaking but it’s a stunning work. Definitely a Hardy essential before you give up on him
@nnj, Absolutely agree with you 100% Had Hardy for 'O' Level (Far From the Maddening Crowd) and for 'A' Level (Tess of the D'Urbervilles). I detested both. Tess was boring to the extreme....her masochism made her sound like an idiot trying for sainthood ! Personally, pathetic piece of reading. Thought it must be me being awkward so I recently re-read it.....same reaction,if not worse ! Ironically,H's poems are not that bad but as a writer he has been overrated.
I like Wordsworth editions too! Mine have luckily all been floppy and I love finding those old editions in the thrift store. The black covers wearing easily I really don’t like though but hey at least they’re cheap!
If I'm buying new I go with the edition that seems to have the best translation, notes, etc, usually Penguin or Oxford. If I'm buying used I'll happily snap up a cheap Wordsworth. I do like that Shirley cover quite a bit, but the randomness of some covers can be frustrating. And, yeah, I like a floppy cover.
I guess for me I just don't have a reason to collect these. If I want a physical edition, I'd rather spend a little more and get a nicer Penguin edition with good notes otherwise I get a digital version (likely free). I'm also someone that doesn't annotate very much so I don't really need cheap copies for that either. I actually don't find them as ugly as other people though. I think the spines are nice.
I love a good cheesy wordsworth classics cover! The Iliad us a particular favourite 😄 Martin Chuzzlewit is actually pretty enjoyable, there's some really funny characters in it :p
Love this video! Just started collecting Dostoevsky in this edition as well! I didn’t know people were calling these the ugly eds before watching your video 😹. I actually started collecting the Fyodors because the covers are really beautiful and, in my opinion, are more cohesive as a collection compared to the other editions. I was relieved when you said there were classics you didn’t like, especially Oliver Twist. I thought I just didn’t understand it, turns out other people didn’t like it as much too! I will be tuning in to your other reviews! Hoping for more videos!
Great show! Started collecting Collins Classics when l was 15(1960) in Chester. England.You are delightful! Have gone mad on Amazon collecting Books Collection !
The Oxfords are becoming some of my favourites; the floppiness, the notes, the covers (mostly) &.. no cracking of the spine 🤩👍🥰 I get bookish guilt (stupid i know) re W's because i *know* they're exceptional value yet disregard them.. the covers 😩 Villette (all time fave) worse than JE i kid u not😆 Still.. wish id read the W CG trans of C&Punishment.. i hated the P&V & now i have a stunning PRVintage cant bring myself to unhaul 😐 I too am saving TBK for last (after TI) both PBSpines fingers crossed (not p&v lmao). Really like this 'editions tour'!🙂
I had an old Wordsworth edition The Old Curiosity Shop from Thrift Books, but it fell apart unfortunately. I don't know if it was my fault or the copy I bought.
I just started on my collection of Wordsworth books. I'm starting with Mary Shelley's The Last Man. I'm mostly picking up classic by writers how's works I'm unfamiliar with, and I'm not a 100% sure if I'll love their writing style. I'm less fearful of spending 5 euro on a gamble than paying 15 or 20 euro on a pinguin that I might not enjoy. If I do end up really loving a book, I'll be buying a special edition anyway.
Read all Dostoevsky novels and enjoyed them. If anything, The Idiot is great and often not mentioned. I preferred C&P to TBK, but prefer him to Tolstoy anyway !
@jenniferbrooks, The books are now £3.99 from the £1.99 of two years ago as far as my nephew's shopping experience has informed me. To be honest, I much prefer the Oxford Uni Classics pbs . Trying to avoid reading a leathebound old book when not at home !
I started barchester towers earlier in the year and put it down. I need to pick it back up, I didn’t dislike it, just put it down and kind-of forgot about it.
Hi Jennifer...I am still a firm believer, I don't judge a book by its cover, and frankly I enjoyed the covers of your Wordsworth Classics but more importantly your reviews are absolutely fantastic.
when i first started collecting books i had loads of worsworth classics but i eventually unhauled them because i wanted to just focus on penguin. the spines do look great together and they are so cheap so they definitely have their pros! i found the text a bit too squashed together though, and if i remember correct they rarely started a chapter on a new page, it would all just run together?
Unless you really want to read all of Hardy’s novels, you are wise to skip “The Beloved” and use your precious time reading the wonderful Trollope novels you have. I have read all Hardy’s novels and would rank “The Beloved” dead last. It’s about a sculptor with a Pygmalion complex and an obsession with three successive generations of women in one family. Weird!
Great video and great Collection, especially the Dostoevsky collection. I'm a little late to this but i actually want to collect Wordsworth editions because its cheap but the font size is what stops me from buying them. but i will get the Anna Karenina and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy because its the Maude translation that Tolstoy himself approved. Greetings from Angola
I just got Wordsworth classics for three Jane Austen books so I can read them and not be careful. I have other editions of P&P and S&S so someday I plan to buy a nice collector's edition of all 6 that I probably won't read. The covers of my new books aren't gross but they are bland. A fan, an umbrella, and a corset for Emma. The corset is a weird choice.
Oh dear, I had a look at the two versions of Don Quixote which belonged to my great-great-grandfather and the other to my grandfather....one is virtually impossible to read and the other is translated by Motteaux. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Wandsworth classics Don Quixote is the Motteaux ? I ask this because when I was 16 I had been trying to read DQ then age 25 tried again without any luck. It time now to find a good translations.....I maybe wrong (again) ,but is the Grossman the best one,please ? I do so want to eventually read this classic but without struggling in doing do. Regards from GB.
That Dostoevsky section gave me life. This might make you laugh: I thought you were going to show us your collection of Wordsworth poetry 🤣🤣 I need to pay more attention to publishers. I think you will prefer Gogol's short stories more than Dead Souls, since you enjoy the folktale feel of Dostoevsky's short stories. I'll be curious to see!
what do you think of the updated editions of penguin classics? i bought a second hand copy of herodotus on ebay which had annotations in. I wanted a clean copy to write my own notes in so i bought one new on amazon. when i got it i honestly thought it was a bootleg. the paper quality was inferior, the maps were fuzzy where they were crisp and clear in the older black spine. i discoved that it wasnt a bootleg but was just the new design penguin classics. i am really disappointed. it also seemed to wear really easily too!
Have just come across your channel! I have Wordsworth Classic's The Idiot. An older copy with a detail from the painting Peter 1 and his son on the cover. Nowhere does it mention the English translator. Am assuming its Constance Garnett.
I read Martin Chuzzlewit millions of years ago, and don’t remember it as one of Dickens’ best. I don’t think it’s the comic masterpiece that someone people hold it to be. Pecksniff is a great character, but he’s spread very thinly and the American excursion seemed contrived, and added little to the novel (Dickens wanted to let off steam about America). I strongly prefer the later, more closely-plotted novels to the early, freewheeling ones.
I love the old Wordsworth editions, they’re very pretty. The only issue I have with them is I often find the line spacing is so crammed, but I must just have the small ones.
Probably because of the Introductions which are spoilers and because they soon look battered ! They are fine to try the novels you are not sure about....if you fall in love with a novel the but it in by a another publisher and re-read later ! Read all the Dostoevsky books but they are heavy and long to hold in one hand without changing hands. Ironically,they are now about £3.50 up from £2 last year....students beware. BTW: The Idiot is really goid,but not my favourite. .
Your comment added nothing. If you're going to critique, at least tell your readers why you're critiquing it. Give reasons. Show the readers what it is about the subject that irks you, and if it's only a personal thing or if it might irk others as well and it's the fault of the subject itself. Let's try and leave better comments, shall we?
I agree....indeed I avoid them. Gosh, you want eyestrain headaches then read Words worth paperbacks ! Also,, beware of of I introduction because it will be a spoiler !
