Reader's Digest Condensed Books was a series of hardcover anthology collections, published by the American general interest monthly family magazine Reader's Digest and distributed by direct mail. Most volumes contained five (although a considerable minority consisted of three, four, or six) current best-selling novels and nonfiction books which were abridged (or "condensed") specifically for Reader's Digest. The series was published from 1950 until 1997, when it was renamed Reader's Digest Select Editions. Frequently featured authors in the original series include Dick Francis (17 titles), Henry Denker (16 titles), Victoria Holt (15 titles) and Mary Higgins Clark (13 titles).
The series was popular; a 1987 New York Times article estimated annual sales of 10 million copies. Despite this popularity, old copies are notoriously difficult to sell, and scholarly attention has been sparse.
For much of their publication schedule, the volumes were issued four times each year. Each year the company produced a Volume 1 (winter), Volume 2 (spring), Volume 3 (summer), and Volume 4 (autumn). In later years they added a Volumes 5, and then a Volume 6, going to a bi-monthly schedule by the early 1990s. The series was produced for 47 years (1950–1997), until being renamed Reader's Digest Select Editions. (Note: UK editions seem to have been somewhat different from US editions. Pre-1992 Canadian editions also contain different titles.)
Occasional books such as The Leopard (Summer 1960), The Days Were Too Short (Autumn 1960), and Papillon (Autumn 1970) were not published in English originally but were abridgments of translations. In some cases, advanced copies of the hardcover edition were printed in paperback form. In a few cases, new editions of older works (Up from Slavery, published originally in 1901 (Autumn 1960), A Roving Commission: My Early Life, published originally in 1930 (Autumn 1951) or Goodbye Mr. Chips, published originally in 1934 (Summer 1961)) were also among the condensed selections.
1950s
1950
Volume 1 – Spring
Volume 2 – Summer
| Volume 3 – Autumn
|
1951
Volume 4 – Winter
Volume 5 – Spring
| Volume 6 – Summer
Volume 7 – Autumn
|
1952
Volume 8 – Winter
Volume 9 – Spring
| Volume 10 – Summer
Volume 11 – Autumn
|
1953
Volume 12 – Winter
Spring 1953 Selections
| Volume 14 – Summer
Volume 15 – Autumn
|
1954
Volume 16 – Winter
Volume 17 – Spring
| Volume 18 – Summer
Volume 19 – Autumn
|
1955
Volume 20 – Winter
| Volume 22 – Summer
|
Volume 21 – Spring
| Volume 23 – Autumn
|
1956
Volume 24 – Winter
Volume 25 – Spring
| Volume 26 – Summer
Volume 27 – Autumn
|
1957
Volume 28 – Winter
Volume 29 – Spring
| Volume 30 – Summer
Volume 31 – Autumn
|
1958
Volume 32 – Winter
Volume 33 – Spring
| Volume 34 – Summer
Volume 35 – Autumn
|
1959
Volume 36 – Winter
Volume 37 – Spring
| Volume 38 – Summer
Volume 39 – Autumn
|
1960s
1960
Volume 40 – Winter
Volume 41 – Spring
| Volume 42 – Summer
Volume 43 – Autumn
|
1961
Volume 44 – Winter
Volume 45 – Spring
| Volume 46 – Summer
Volume 47 – Autumn |
1962
Volume 48 – Winter
Volume 49 – Spring
| Volume 50 – Summer
Volume 51 – Autumn
|
1963
Volume 52 – Winter
Volume 53 – Spring
| Volume 54 – Summer
Volume 55 – Autumn
|
1964
Volume 56 – Winter
Volume 57 – Spring
| Volume 58 – Summer
Volume 59 – Autumn
|
1965
Volume 60 – Winter
Volume 61 – Spring
| Volume 62 – Summer
Volume 63 – Autumn
|
1966
Volume 64 – Winter
Volume 65 – Spring
| Volume 66 – Summer
Volume 67 – Autumn
|
1967
Volume 68 – Winter
Volume 69 – Spring
| Volume 70 – Summer
Volume 71 – Autumn |
1968
Volume 72 – Winter
Volume 73 – Spring
| Volume 74 – Summer
Volume 75 – Autumn
|
1969
Volume 76 – Winter
Volume 77 – Spring
| Volume 78 – Summer
Volume 79 – Autumn
|
1970s
1970
Volume 80 – Winter
Volume 81 – Spring
| Volume 82 – Summer
Volume 83 – Autumn
|
1971
Volume 84 – Winter
Volume 85 – Spring
| Volume 86 – Summer
Volume 87 – Autumn
|
1972
Volume 88 – Winter
Volume 89 – Spring
| Volume 90 – Summer
Volume 91 – Autumn
|
1973
Volume 92 – #1
Volume 93 – #2
Volume 94 – #3
| Volume 95 – #4
Volume 96 – #5
|
1974
Volume 97 – #1
Volume 98 – #2
Volume 99 – #3
| Volume 100 – #4
Volume 101 – #5
|
1975
Volume 102 – #1
Volume 103 – #2
Volume 104 – #3
| Volume 105 – #4
Volume 106 – #5
|
1976
Volume 107 – #1
Volume 108 – #2
Volume 109 – #3
| Volume 110 – #4
Volume 111 – #5
|
1977
Volume 112 – #1
Volume 113 – #2
Volume 114 – #3
| Volume 115 – #4
Volume 116 – #5
|
1978
Volume 117 – #1
Volume 118 – #2
Volume 119 – #3
| Volume 120 – #4
Volume 121 – #5
|
1979
Volume 122 – #1
Volume 123 – #2
Volume 124 – #3
| Volume 125 – #4
Volume 126 – #5
|
1980s
1980
Volume 127 – #1
Volume 128 – #2
Volume 129 – M
| Volume 130 – #3
Volume 131 – #4
Volume 132 – #5
|
1981
Volume 133 – #1
Volume 134 – #2
Volume 135 – M
| Volume 136 – #3
Volume 137 – #4
Volume 138 – #5
|
1982
Volume 139 – #1
Volume 140 – #2
Volume 141 – M
| Volume 142 – #3
Volume 143 – #4
Volume 144 – #5
|
1983
Volume 145 – #1
Volume 146 – #2
Volume 147 – M
| Volume 148 – #3
Volume 149 – #4
Volume 150 – #5
|
1984
Volume 151 – #1
Volume 152 – #2
Volume 153 – M
| Volume 154 – #3
Volume 155 – #4
Volume 156 – #5
|
1985
Volume 157 – #1
Volume 158 – #2
Volume 159 – M
| Volume 160 – #3
Volume 161 – #4
Volume 162 – #5
|
1986
Volume 163 – #1
Volume 164 – #2
Volume 165 – M
| Volume 166 – #3
Volume 167 – #4
Volume 168 – #5
|
1987
Volume 169 – #1
Volume 170 – #2
Volume 171 – M
| Volume 172 – #3
Volume 173 – #4
Volume 174 – #5
|
1988
Volume 175 – #1
Volume 176 – #2
Volume 177 – M
| Volume 178 – #3
Volume 179 – #4
Volume 180 – #5
|
1989
Volume 181 – #1
Volume 182 – #2
Volume 183 – M
| Volume 184 – #3
Volume 185 – #4
Volume 186 – #5
|
1990s
1990
Volume 187 – #1
Volume 188 – #2
Volume 189 – M
| Volume 190 – #3
Volume 191 – #4
Volume 192 – #5
|
1991
Volume 193 – #1
Volume 194 – #2
Volume 195 – #3
| Volume 196 – #4
Volume 197 – #5
Volume 198 – #6
|
1992
Volume 199 – #1
Volume 200 – #2
Volume 201 – #3
| Volume 202 – #4
Volume 203 – #5
Volume 204 – #6
|
1993
Volume 205 – #1
Volume 206 – #2
Volume 207 – #3
| Volume 208 – #4
Volume 209 – #5
Volume 210 – #6
|
1994
Volume 211 – #1
Volume 212 – #2
Volume 213 – #3
| Volume 214 – #4
Volume 215 – #5
Volume 216 – #6
|
1995
Volume 217 – #1
Volume 218 – #2
Volume 219 – #3
| Volume 220 – #4
Volume 221 – #5
Volume 222 – #6
|
1996
Volume 223 – #1
Volume 224 – #2
Volume 225 – #3
| Volume 226 – #4
Volume 227 – #5
Volume 228 – #6
|
1997
Volume 229 – #1
Volume 230 – #2
Volume 231 – #3
| Volume 232 – #4
|
These 1997 volumes were also published as Reader's Digest Select Editions, and all succeeding volumes were published as Reader's Digest Select Editions.
References
Volkersz, Evert (1995). "McBook: The Reader's Digest condensed books franchise". Publishing Research Quarterly. 11 (2): 52–61. doi:10.1007/BF02680426. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02680426 ↩
Publishers Weekly: "Reader's Digest Condensed Book Series to Get Wider Distribution", March 2015 https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/65843-reader-s-digest-condensed-book-series-to-get-wider-distribution.html ↩
Marchand, Philip. "Remembering the Reader's Digest Condensed Library". National Post. Retrieved 12 June 2019. https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/books/remembering-the-readers-digest-condensed-library ↩
The New York Times: "New Editor at Digest's Condensed Books", August 2, 1987 https://www.nytimes.com/1987/08/02/nyregion/new-editor-at-digest-s-condensed-books.html ↩
"Reader's Digest Condensed Books: 'as difficult to dispose of as bins of radioactive waste'" https://nathanhobby.com/2012/03/11/readers-digest-condensed-books-as-difficult-to-dispose-of-as-bins-of-radioactive-waste/ ↩
Clayton Library: "We DON'T ACCEPT Reader's Digest Condensed Books–they do not sell". https://claytonlibrary.org/event/book-sale/ ↩
Norrick-Rühl, Corinna (2021-10-11), "Contracts, Clauses, Controversy: John Hersey, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. and Reader's Digest Condensed Books", Symbolism, De Gruyter, pp. 35–54, doi:10.1515/9783110756456-003, ISBN 978-3-11-075645-6, S2CID 244578378, retrieved 2022-10-14 978-3-11-075645-6 ↩
Volkersz, Evert (1995-06-01). "McBook: The Reader's Digest condensed books franchise". Publishing Research Quarterly. 11 (2): 52–61. doi:10.1007/BF02680426. ISSN 1936-4792. S2CID 143654866. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02680426 ↩