Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
In theory it could be done that way, I suppose, but that’s just not how scholarly editions of texts are published, and it’s a publishing tradition that goes back not merely years, but centuries. These are editions that are published primarily for people who are already familiar with the book, and want to read an analysis of it from someone knowledgeable in that particular field of literature.
If you just want the book without the analysis, Penguin have another imprint called “Penguin English Library” (also available as an ebook) which will get you exactly that.
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At this point, the damage is done. I'll keep my edition. I skipped the intro anyway.
Something lost in here was my original point: Someone coming to a new work who isn't reading the book as part of a group or class would likely be better served by reading the simpler version of the book initially.
Based on my second-hand experience with Treasure Island and the experience mentioned by drofgnal, I would likely start with the Signet edition of War and Peace. Then, if I wanted to revisit the book I would pick up the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation.