Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
I rather liked the preface added to the newer editions. I felt this tongue-in-cheek biography gave a neat synopsis of the character while - more importantly - giving you a good idea what to expect. I found that it let me jump straight into the story and accept Lord Peter for what he was, when otherwise I think I would have been floundering for a while trying to work him out.
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Funny, I disliked the preface and as I've read all the books and the preface itself before it's not as if I were spoiled, but I thought it gave away too much from later books. I also tend to dislike that kind of retconning on principle; I think an author has a lot more style to let an early book stands on its own merits, warts and all, rather than to try to shore it up and, worse, influence the way a reader reacts/responds to the book.