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Adapted or Abridged

So, first question: what exactly is the difference between "abridged" and "adapted"? They're similar in concept, but it's a straight-forward answer. If it's just shortened, but all the language is from the original, that's an abridgment. An adaptation is not merely abridged, but has been rewritten in different (often age-appropriate) language. 

We have a love-hate relationship with these sorts of books. While we don't generally encourage the reading of abridged editions, we do understand that some parents want to expose their kids to great stories before they're old enough to read the real thing. Sometimes, these can be brilliantly retold, good enough to be considered literature in their own right, and authors like Rosemary Sutcliff, Alfred Church, and Padraic Colum spent most of their careers creating books like this. William Shakespeare's plays have also often been adapted by authors like Charles & Mary Lamb or E. Nesbit. Because they don't usually have the same title as the originals, we often don't label them as adapted or abridged in our database entries; if they do share the title, we'll list it as "retold".

Many adapted books of today are NOT these books, often hastily-rewritten, mass-produced adaptations that really oughtn't use the title of the original. Sure, the main plot points are there, but classics are more than just bare bones plots; part of what makes a book great is the quality of the author's expression, the wit and grace he or she uses to tell their tale. An abridged or heavily edited version almost always demolishes the poetry of the original and presents classic stories as simple bullet-point collections of incidents. For us, if the book does not clearly state the name of the editor/adapter, we'll generally avoid carrying it.

That said, if you intend to have your kids read the original later on, these could provide a decent introduction to provide some familiarity before jumping into Great Expectations or The Iliad. Sometimes reading the classics can be confusing during the first few encounters, and having some knowledge of the general plot, characters, and theme beforehand can be useful (though remember that, in an adaptation, you're getting the editor's interpretation of the theme rather than the theme itself).

Abridgements can be a bit tricky, because they're not always labeled as such. Some huge books, like Les Misérables or Count of Monte Cristo, bear some cutting here and there and a good abridgement makes them more accessible. For others, like Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels, some publishers have elected to make editorial cuts that they chose not to declare as abridgments, but they're not the full originals. We do our best to make these cuts obvious (see a list here).

With all that said, most of the abridged and adapted classics we have in stock are listed below. Some of them are valuable for their illustrations alone (particularly the Little Unicorn books, with full-color pictures by the Brothers Hildebrandt) or their value as collector's items, but we would encourage you not to consider these your final exposure to the titles. There are riches that await!

Introduction by Eli Evans, with C. Hollis Crossman
Formerly home educated and now father of five, Eli loves discovering amazing books, new and old, and is an artistic curator at heart. The owner and manager of Exodus since 1998, his focus is on offering thoughtful and well-written books that inspire the imagination and promote creativity and diligence while living for God. Read more of his reviews here.
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Adapted or Abridged
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244 Items found Print
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Action Bible Expanded Edition
by Sergio Cariello
from David C. Cook
for 2nd-6th grade
in Bible Stories for Kids (Location: BIBR-STO)
$32.99
Adventures of Mr. Toad
Disney's Wonderful World of Reading
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Ulysses
by Bernard Evslin
from Scholastic Inc.
Greek Mythology for 4th-6th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$11.95
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$6.99
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church, illustrated by Eugene Karlin
1st Printing from Macmillan
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (adapted)
by Adapted by David Blair and illustrated by John Bradley, Original by Lewis Carroll
1st.Edition from Courage Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Animal Farm Graphic Novel
by George Orwell, Adapted and Illustrated by Odyr
from Mariner Books
for 3rd-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Around the World in 80 Days (abridged)
by Jules Verne, abridged by Hilda Young, illustrated by Gianni Demo
from World Distributors (Manchester)
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Yesterday's Classics
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$13.95
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
by Edith Nesbit
from Living Book Press
Shakespeare/Drama for Children for 4th-8th grade
$15.99
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare for Children
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Racehorse for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$14.99
Beowulf
by Robert Nye
from Laurel-Leaf Books
for 6th-10th grade
$5.99
Beowulf
by Michael Morpurgo
from Walker Books
for 3rd-8th grade
Beowulf
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Beowulf
by Michael Morpurgo
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-8th grade
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Beowulf - A Graphic Novel Adaptation
by Gareth Hinds
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$14.99
Beowulf the Warrior
by Ian Serraillier
from Bethlehem Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.95
Beowulf: A Hero's Tale Retold
by James Rumford
from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-6th grade
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$22.99
Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Bounty Trilogy (School Edition)
by Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall
from Globe Book Company
Nautical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Boxcar Children #01 - Graphic Novel
by Gertrude Chandler Warrner (creator), Shannon Eric Denton (adapter), Mike Dubisch (illustrator)
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Caesar's Gallic War
by Olivia Coolidge
from American Home-School Publishing
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Caesar's Gallic War
by Olivia Coolidge
from Linnet Books
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Caesar's Gallic War
by Olivia Coolidge
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
Calvin's Institutes: A New Compend
by John Calvin
1st edition from Westminster John Knox Press
for 11th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$22.00
Canterbury Tales
by Barbara Cohen & Trina Schart Hyman
from William Morrow & Company
Medieval Literature for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
Canterbury Tales
Puffin Classics
by Geoffrey Chaucer, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Puffin Books
Epic Poetry for 7th-9th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$6.99
Canterbury Tales
by A. Kent & Constance Hieatt, illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren
from Golden Press
for 5th-9th grade
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer, retold by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus
from Oxford University
Epic Poetry for 7th-9th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Canterbury Tales (adapted)
by Geoffrey Chaucer, simplified by Michael West and illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from Longman
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio (adapted)
by Marianna Mayer (translator and adapter), illustrated by Gerald McDermott
from Four Winds Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Cheapest Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.99
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$21.95
Chaucer for Children
by Mrs. H.R. (Mary) Haweis
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Chaucer Story Book
by Geoffrey Chaucer
Ill from CreateSpace
for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.95
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks
by F. J. Gould
from Yesterday's Classics
Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
by F. J. Gould, Reteller
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Children's Shakespeare
by E. Nesbit
from Henry Altemus Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Pop-Up Book
by Ian Fleming, abridged by Albert G. Miller, illustrated by Gwen Gordon and Dave Chambers
from Random House
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol (abridged)
by Charles Dickens, abridged and illustrated by Mercer Mayer
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Christmas in the Big Woods
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder (adapted), illustrated by Renee Graef
Adapted from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Christy - Young Readers Edition
by Catherine Marshall, adapted by Anna Wilson Fishel
for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit (abridged)
by Beatrix Potter, illustrated by Charles Santore
from Applesauce Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit (adapted)
by Joel Chandler Harris, illustrated by Don Daily
from Running Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Comic Book Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
by William Shakespeare
Fir from Timber Frame
for 4th-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Comic Book Shakespeare - Henry V
by William Shakespeare
from Timber Frame
for 6th-9th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Comic Book Shakespeare - Macbeth
by William Shakespeare & Simon Graves
Fir from Timber Frame
for 6th-9th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Comic Book Shakespeare - The Tempest
by William Shakespeare & Simon Graves
New edition from Timber Frame
for 4th-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Comic Book Shakespeare - Twelfth Night
by William Shakespeare & Simon Graves
Fir from Timber Frame
for 6th-9th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Cortez & the Conquest of Mexico
by Bernal Diaz del Castillo
from William R. Scott Inc.
for 9th-12th grade
in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17)
Count of Monte Cristo (abridged)
Signet Classics
by Alexandre Dumas, introduction by Roger Celestin
from Signet Classics
Realistic Fiction/Adventure for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$6.95
Count of Monte Cristo (adapted)
by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Edward Robinson and illustrated by Hamilton Greene
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
County Fair
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
CS: The Story of King Arthur and His Knights
by Howard Pyle
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Sterling Classic Starts (Location: SER-SCS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dance at Grandpa's
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Dangerous Journey
by Oliver Hunkin (abridger)
from Eerdmans
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$25.00
David Copperfield (adapted)
by Charles Dickens; retold by Clare West
from Oxford University
for 3rd-6th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Deer in the Wood
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Deer in the Wood
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (abridged)
Eclectic English Classics
by Daniel Defoe, edited by Kate Stephens
from American Book Co.
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
DK Classics: Black Beauty (adapted & annotated)
by Anna Sewell, illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from DK Children
for 4th-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Doctor Dolittle and His Friends
by Hugh Lofting; adapted by Polly B. Berends, Leslie Bricusse
from Random House
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Doctor Dolittle and the Pirates
by Al Perkins
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Don Quixote (retold)
by Michael Harrison (reteller), illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus
from Oxford University
for 5th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Don Quixote and the Windmills
by Miguel Cervantes, retold by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Don Quixote for Young People
by James Baldwin (adapted from Miguel de Cervantes)
from American Book Co.
for 5th-7th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Dune: The Graphic Novel - Book 1
by Frank Herbert, adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for 9th-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$24.99
Dune: The Graphic Novel - Book 2
by Frank Herbert, adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for 9th-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$24.99
ECL: Gulliver's Travels (abridged)
by Jonathan Swift, illustrated by Don Irwin
for 3rd-8th grade
in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL)
El Cid (retold)
by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by Victor Ambrus
from Oxford University
for 5th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Eyewitness Classics: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (adapted & annotated)
by Jules Verne
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Science Fiction (Location: FIC-SCI)
Eyewitness Classics: Hound of the Baskervilles (adapted & annotated)
by Arthur Conan Doyle
1st edition from DK Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Eyewitness Classics: Odyssey (adapted & annotated)
by Homer
1st edition from DK Children
for 3rd-8th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Eyewitness Classics: Robinson Crusoe (adapted & annotated)
by Daniel Defoe
from DK Publishing
for 6th-12th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
Father Brown Reader
by G. K. Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpenter Brown
1st edition from Hillside Education
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.95
Father Brown Reader II
by G. K. Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpenter Brown
fir from Hillside Education
for 4th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
Favorite Tales from Shakespeare
by Charles & Mary Lamb, illustrated by Donald Lynch
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 2nd-6th grade
in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
First Book of Tales of Ancient Araby
First Books
by Charles Mozley
from Franklin Watts
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
Flying to Neverland with Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Carolyn Leigh
from Blue Apple
for Nursery-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Gift of the Magi: Collectors Edition
by O. Henry, illustrated by Robert Sauber
from Unicorn Publishing House
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Gilgamesh (retold)
by Bernarda Bryson
from CreateSpace
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$24.95
Gilgamesh the Hero
by Geraldine McCaughrean
from Eerdmans
for 4th-8th grade
$20.00
Gilgamesh the King
by Ludmila Zeman
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 1st-4th grade
$8.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Going to Town
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Renee Graef
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Going West
My First Little House
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Golden Key Graphic Novel
by George MacDonald, adapted and illustrated by Stephen Hesselman
from Rabbit Room Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$29.99
Great Expectations (abridged)
Puffin Classics
by Charles Dickens
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Grendel
by John Gardner
from Vintage Classics
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$12.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Gulliver's Travels (Adapted)
by Jonathan Swift, adapted by Sarel Eimerl and illustrated by Maraja
from Golden Press
for 7th-10th grade
in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
Hear It Read It: Treasure Island
from Sourcebooks
for 1st-4th grade
in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Heidi's Friends (adapted)
by Johanna Spyri, illustrated by Sergio Leone
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
How Tevye Became a Milkman
by Gabriel Lisowski, Sholem Aleichem
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Iliad (retold)
by Homer & Barbara Leonie Picard
from Oxford University
for 4th-8th grade
Iliad (retold)
Kingfisher Epics
by Nick McCarty, Victor G. Ambrus
from Kingfisher
for 4th-6th grade
Iliad (retold)
by Rosemary Sutcliff & Alan Lee
from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
Iliad (retold)
Kingfisher Epics
by Nick McCarty, Victor G. Ambrus
from Kingfisher
for 4th-6th grade
Iliad and the Odyssey (retold)
by Jane Werner Watson, illustrated by Alice & Martin Provensen
from Golden Books
for 5th-9th grade
Iliad for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
for 5th-8th grade
$11.95
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