Count of Monte Cristo- Barnes and Noble Classics Question

So I have the Barnes and Noble Classics version of The Count Of Monte Cristo, and I'm about halfway through it. At the beginning of the book, the translator notes that it's abridged and assure the reader that the meat of the story remains. However, the page on this site claims most translations clock in at about 1000 pages, and this version I have is about 500. So my question is: does anyone know how much was actually cut from the Bn N Classics version, and how important it was?

edited 3rd Oct '10 5:09:10 PM by LizardBite

I've read the unabridged version and an abridged version, though I'm pretty sure it wasn't the B&N abridged version. I remember a lot of subplots being cut, Caderousse's story for example, which is very important to Villefort's fate. It did preserve the main story revolving around Edmond, but lost many of nuances of the other characters and facets of Edmond's revenge.

Personally, I recommend the unabridged book. It is a difficult read at times, but it's my favorite book because of how intricately connected everything is. It you want to see a very creative and abridged adaptation, watch Gankutsuou.

Wait, the Barnes & Noble classics version omits parts of the book?

Well, crap.

Oh well. I'll just finish reading the copy I have, and then in a few years, when it's faded enough that I won't be bored with a reread, I'll find an unabridged version and read through it.

Penguin classics has a very good unabridged translation (most of the other publishers use a not really good one- which iirc, is the same that tends to be in the abridged editions as well).

Don't read an abridged version. Some French romantics have a lot of abridging bait (Les Miserables, I'm looking at you)—not that the parts aren't in there for a reason, but they don't affect the overall narrative much—but The Count Of Monte Cristo is not one of them.

It's just an astoundingly complex story where all the plots are interwoven and rely on each other. You can't just take parts of it out.

I saw the film first, then attempted the Great Illustrated Classics version. Ugh. Yeah, I know the abridged version is censored to be more appropriate for children, but I still knew enough of the background to see between the lines.

It can hop onto the fire along with Moby Dick. Pretentious bores showing off their knowledge of the culture and time period at the expense of entertainment.

Go track down a copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel instead. I find it much more enjoyable.

^But did you make the mistake of reading all of Moby Dick? Because if any book can be abridged, it's that.

Once you're on the boat, half of the book continues the story, and the other half becomes a treatise on whales (split between the odd and even chapters). The only one of those I bothered to read was on the nature of the color white, which I found interesing. But like most books in English canon, a good professor makes the whole book a lot more interesting.

But since The Count of Monte Cristo is French, it stands fine on its own.

edited 4th Oct '10 9:47:41 AM by Eschaton

Heh. I read all the chapters in Moby-Dick until about halfway through, at which point I started skipping the "educational" chapters.

I'm bad.

i've read the B&N version while reading another (it's a long story) and i don't think they cut out a lot. It's mostly the awkward phrasing and rambling passages that gets omitted. If memory serves, all the plot is still there.

From what I remember, most abridged versions of the Count of Monte Cristo cut out the unnecessarily long descriptions. That shortens the book a lot.

I would not really worry about it. You're version might use a smaller font than the standard version, which could account for the lesser number of pages.

edited 5th Oct '10 3:56:37 AM by Pentadragon