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I totally understand objecting to abridged children's classics on principle, and I also felt some sense of betrayal when I started having to sort out whether I'd read the 'real' book or an abridgment, but in hindsight I have to say the results were net positive. That influx of 20-30 books into my environment not only encouraged my reading, but encouraged me to seek out something more challenging than The Hardy Boys or Encyclopedia Brown (even if the editions in my possession had been outfitted with training wheels). They also gave me a broader perspective on literature and the roots of popular culture much earlier than I might otherwise have attained it.
Arguably, if I hadn't read those abridged classics, I may never have gained the perspective to later resent having read them.
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