Reader's Digest Condensed Books

The Reader's Digest Condensed Books were a series of hardcover anthology collections, published by Reader's Digest and distributed by direct mail. Each volume contained several current best-selling novels (or, occasionally, nonfiction books), abridged (or "condensed"). Published originally four times each year, the rate of publication was increased gradually to a bi-monthly schedule by the early 1990s. The series was produced for more than 47 years (1950-1997), until being renamed as Reader's Digest Select Editions. (Note: UK editions seem to have been somewhat different from USA editions).

Contents

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

Volume 13 - Spring

Volume 14 - Summer


Volume 15 - Autumn

1954

Volume 16 - Winter



Volume 17 - Spring

Volume 18 - Summer

Volume 19 - Autumn

1955

Volume 20 - Winter



Volume 21 - Spring

Volume 22 - Summer

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

  • The Secret Project of Sigurd O'Leary - Martin Quigley
  • Dear and Glorious Physician - Taylor Caldwell
  • Collision Course - Alvin Moscow
  • Jungle Girl - John Moore
  • Epitaph for an Enemy - George Barr

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

  • La Balsa: The Longest Raft Voyage in History - Vital Alsar with Enrique Hank Lopez
  • The Sunbird - Wilbur Smith
  • State Trooper - Noel B. Gerson
  • The Search for Anna Fisher - Florence Fisher
  • Mrs. Starr Lives Alone - Jon Godden

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

  • Sphinx - Robin Cook
  • Cold is the Sea - Capt. Edward L. Beach
  • Words by Heart - Ouida Sebestyen
  • The North Runner - R. D. Lawrence
  • Intruder - Louis Charbonneau

Volume 126 - #5

  • Hungry as the Sea - Wilbur Smith
  • The Tightrope Walker - Dorothy Gilman
  • The Passing Bells - Phillip Rock
  • Flesh and Spirit - Elizabeth Christman

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

  • The Lord God Made Them All - James Herriot
  • An Exceptional Marriage - Jack Shepherd
  • Texas Dawn - Phillip Finch
  • Crossing in Berlin - Fletcher Knebel

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

  • The Secret Annie Oakley - Marcy Heidish
  • Talk Down - Brian Lecomber
  • Jewelled Path - Rosalind Laker
  • A Solitary Dance - Robert Lane

Volume 150 - #5

1984

Volume 151 - #1

Volume 152 - #2

  • Arnie, The Darling Starling - Margarete Sigl Corbo & Diane Marie Barras
  • Night Sky - Clare Francis
  • The Canyon - Jack Schaefer
  • If We Could Hear the Grass Grow - Eleanor Craig

Volume 153 - M

Volume 154 - #3

Volume 155 - #4


Volume 156 - #5

  • Hanna and Walter - Hanna & Walter Kohner
  • Stormswift - Madeleine Brent
  • The Sound of Wings - Spencer Dunmore
  • Surprise Party - William Katz

1985

Volume 157 - #1

  • Lovestrong - Dorothy Greenbaum, MD & Deidre Laiken
  • Stillwatch - Mary Higgins Clark
  • Crescent City - Belva Plain
  • The Wild Children - Felice Holman

Volume 158 - #2

Volume 159 - M

  • The State of Stony Lonesome - Jessamyn West
  • At The Going Down of the Sun - Elizabeth Darrell
  • Callanish - William Horwood
  • Find a Safe Place - Alexander Lazzarino & E. Kent Hayes

Volume 160 - #3

  • In Love and War - Jim & Sybil Stockdale
  • Ringo, the Robber Raccoon - Robert Franklin Leslie
  • This Giving Heart - Hugh Miller
  • Twilight Child - Warren Adler

Volume 161 - #4

Volume 162 - #5

1986

Volume 163 - #1

  • Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha - Dorothy Gilman
  • Wildfire - Richard Martin Stern
  • Arnie & a House Full of Company - Margarete Corbo & Diane Marie Barras
  • Take Away One - Thomas Froncek
  • The Two Farms - Mary Pearce

Volume 164 - #2

Volume 165 - M

Volume 166 - #3

  • Lie Down with Lions - Ken Follett
  • Tree of Gold - Rosalind Laker
  • The Deep End - Joy Fielding
  • Cry Wild - R. D. Lawrence



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

  • Straight - Dick Francis
  • No Roof But Heaven - Jeanne Williams
  • The Evening News - Arthur Hailey
  • The Courtship of Peggy McCoy - Ray Sipherd

Volume 189 - M

  • The Lady of the Labyrinth - Caroline Llewellyn
  • The Himmler Equation - William P. Kennedy
  • Flying Free - Dan True
  • A Time to Love - Beryl Kingston

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

  • Such Devoted Sisters - Eileen Goudge
  • Rules of Encounter - William P. Kennedy
  • The Love Child - Catherine Cookson
  • American Gothic - Gene Smith

Volume 203 - #5

Volume 204 - #6

1993

Volume 205 - #1

Volume 206 - #2

Volume 207 - #3

Volume 208 - #4

Volume 209 - #5

Volume 2l0 - #6

1994

Volume 211 - #1

Volume 212 - #2

Volume 213 - #3

Volume 214 - #4

Volume 215 - #5

Volume 216 - #6

  • Hidden Riches - Nora Roberts
  • Phoenix Rising - John Nance
  • Roommates - Max Apple
  • White Harvest - Louis Charbonneau

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

Succeeding volumes were published under the title Reader's Digest Select Editions.