Quote:
Originally Posted by GA Russell
I read the Bantam edition of The Count of Monte Cristo and enjoyed it very much.
I never felt like I was missing out because I was not reading it in its original language, although I would be happy to believe anyone who has read them both who told me that the original was better..
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"The Count of Monte Cristo" is an interesting case. Nearly all English editions are based on the anonymous 1846 translation commissioned by the original English publishers, Chapman and Hall. This omitted some material from the original, which could not have been published in England at the time, due to Victorian English mores - particularly material related to one of the characters in the book (Eugénie) being a lesbian. This is still the version of the text that you'll find in pretty much all English-language editions, including the "Oxford World Library" edition (and the version available here at MR, of course).
In 1996, Penguin Classics commissioned a new translation by Robin Buss which is faithful to the original, although it's written in "modern" language which I personally find to be at odds with the historical setting.
Regardless of omissions from the original text, though, the Chapman and Hall translation is one of the my favourite adventure stories; it's a cracking good read.