World's Best Reading

World's Best Reading is a series of classic books published by Readers Digest beginning in 1982. The series is distributed as a mail order membership club. In addition some individual volumes are available for sale directly through the Readers Digest website. The series began with single annual volumes in 1982 and 1983, then expanded to bi-monthly editions for years 1984-1995, and is published approximately every six weeks. The series is still in print. Many of the editions are ornately illustrated and included specially commissioned artwork. Each volume includes a small paper pamphlet with a biography of the author.

Bibliography

No.TitleAuthorDateISBNNotes
001The Red Badge of CourageStephen Crane1982ISBN 0-89577-155-1[1] 1982/1983/1984 (US) 2000(UK)[2]
002Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë1983ISBN 0-89577-159-4[1] 1982/1985(US) 1982/1985(AUS) 1990(UK) 2010(US/UK)[2]
003The Last of the MohicansJames Fenimore Cooper1984ISBN 0-89577-199-3[1] 1984(US) 1994/2002(UK) 1995(AUS)[2]
004Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë1984ISBN 0-89577-200-0[1] 1984/1998(US) 1991/2001(UK) 1998/2000(AUS)[2]
005Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen1984ISBN 0-89577-198-5[1] 1984/1986(US) 1991(UK) 1998 (AUS)[2]
006A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens1984ISBN 0-89577-179-9[1] 1984/1993/2011(US) 1993/1994/2001/2003/2012(UK) 1985/1999/2001(AUS)[2]
007A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's CourtMark Twain1984ISBN 0-89577-185-3[1] 1984(US)[2]
008The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne1984ISBN 0-89577-184-5[1] 1984/1990/2011(US) 1990(AUS) 1990 (CAN) 2012 (UK)[2]
009Tess of the D'UrbervillesThomas Hardy1985ISBN 0-89577-215-9[1] 1985(US) 1991/2002(UK) 2002(AUS)[2]
010The House of the Seven GablesNathaniel Hawthorne1985ISBN 0-89577-219-1[1] 1985(US) 1996(UK)[2]
011Little WomenLouisa May Alcott1985ISBN 0-89577-209-4[1] 1985(US) 1992/2000 (UK) 1995/2000(AUS) [2]
012The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain1985ISBN 0-89577-217-5[1] 1980/1985/1986/1990 (US) 1992/2003 (UK)[2]
013Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens1985ISBN 0-89577-205-1[1] 1985(US) 1990/1994/2002(UK) 1991/2000(AUS)[2]
014The Call of the Wild and White FangJack London1985ISBN 0-89577-211-6[1] 1985 (US) 1991/2001 (UK) 2001(AUS)[2]
015KidnappedRobert Louis Stevenson1986ISBN 0-89577-232-9[1] 1986/1991(US) 1990(UK) 2001(AUS)[2]
016The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain1986ISBN 0-89577-252-3[1] 1986(US) 1991(UK) 2011 (US/UK)[2]
017Tales of SuspenseEdgar Allan Poe1986ISBN 0-89577-225-6[1] 1986(US) 1992/2001(UK) [2]
018Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the BaskervillesSir Arthur Conan Doyle1986ISBN 0-89577-254-X[1] 1986(US) 1990/1991(UK) 1998(AUS)[2]
019Silas MarnerGeorge Eliot1986ISBN 0-89577-248-5[1] 1986(US) 1993/2003(UK) 2001(AUS)[2]
020David CopperfieldCharles Dickens1986ISBN 0-89577-223-X [1] 1986(US) 1996(UK) 1986(AUS)[2]
021The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other TalesWashington Irving1987ISBN 0-89577-255-8[1] 1987 (US)[2]
022The Adventures of Sherlock HolmesSir Arthur Conan Doyle1987ISBN 0-89577-277-9[1] 1987(US) 1992/2001 (UK) 2001 (AUS)[2]
023For the Term of His Natural LifeMarcus Clarke1987ISBN 0-86438-048-81987(AUS)[2]
024The Gift of the Magi and Other StoriesO. Henry1987ISBN 0-89577-266-3[1] 1987(US) 1993(UK)[2]
025Oliver TwistCharles Dickens1987ISBN 0-89577-258-2[1] 1987(US) 1992(UK) 1998/2002(AUS)[2]
026Life on the MississippiMark Twain1987ISBN 0-89577-275-2[1] 1987(US)[2]
027Treasure IslandRobert Louis Stevenson1987ISBN 0-89577-262-0[1] 1987(US) 1987/1992(UK) 1998(AUS)[2]
028The Old Curiosity ShopCharles Dickens1988ISBN 0-89577-292-2[1] 1988(US) 1988(AUS) 1997(UK)[2]
029The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesSir Arthur Conan Doyle1988ISBN 0-89577-320-1[1] 1988(US)[2]
030Around the World in 80 DaysJules Verne1988ISBN 0-89577-294-9[1] 1988/1992(US) 1990/2001(UK)[2]
031A Christmas Carol and Other StoriesCharles Dickens1988ISBN 0-89577-315-5[1] 1988(US) 1994(UK) 2001(AUS)[2]
032The Prince and the PauperMark Twain1988ISBN 0-89577-295-7[1] 1988(US) 1999(UK)[2]
033The VirginianOwen Wister1988ISBN 0-89577-305-8[1] 1988(US)[2]
034A Passage to IndiaE.M. Forster1989ISBN 0-89577-334-1[1] 1989(US) 1989(AUS) 1998(UK)[2]
035The Sea-WolfJack London1989ISBN 0-89577-338-4[1] 1989(US) 1993(UK)[2]
036The Song of Hiawatha and Other PoemsHenry Wadsworth Longfellow1989ISBN 0-89577-337-6[1] 1989(US)[2]
037Twice-Told TalesNathaniel Hawthorne1989ISBN 0-89577-332-5[1] 1989(US) 2000/2004(UK)[2]
038A Tree Grows in BrooklynBetty Smith1989ISBN 0-89577-328-7[1] 1989(US) 1999(UK)[2]
039Moby DickHerman Melville1989ISBN 0-89577-322-8[1] 1989(US) 1996(UK)[2]
040KimRudyard Kipling1990ISBN 0-89577-343-0[1] 1988/1990(US) 1994(UK)[2]
041Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaJules Verne1990ISBN 0-89577-347-3[1] 1990(US) 1993(UK) 1990(AUS)[2]
042On Our Selection and Our New SelectionSteele Rudd1990ISBN 0-86438-134-41990(AUS)[2]
043Lost HorizonJames Hilton1990ISBN 0-89577-361-9[1] 1990(US)[2]
044The Innocents AbroadMark Twain1990ISBN 0-89577-339-2[1] 1990(US) 1991(CAN)[2]
045O Pioneers!Willa Cather1990ISBN 0-89577-354-6[1] 1990(US)[2]
046Doctor ZhivagoBoris Leonidovich Pasternak1990ISBN 0-89577-342-2[1] 1990(US) 1998(UK)[2]
047Tales from the Arabian Nights1991ISBN 0-89577-374-0[1] 1991(US)[2]
048The Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck1991ISBN 0-89577-387-2[1] 1991(US) 1994(UK) 1992(AUS)[2]
049Uncle Tom's CabinHarriet Beecher Stowe1991ISBN 0-89577-367-8[1] 1991(US) 1995(UK)[2]
050The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRobert Louis Stevenson1991ISBN 0-89577-384-8[1] 1991(US) 1997(UK)[2]
051The Return of Sherlock HolmesSir Arthur Conan Doyle1991ISBN 0-89577-401-1[1] 1991(US) 1992(AUS) 1995/1996/2001 (UK)[2]
052The Adventures of Robin HoodHoward Pyle1991ISBN 0-89577-390-2[1] 1991 (US) 1992 (AUS)[2]
053A Journey to the Center of the EarthJules Verne1992ISBN 0-89577-402-X[1] 1990(CAN) 1992(US) 1995(UK)[2]
054The Celebrated Jumping Frog and Other StoriesMark Twain1992ISBN 0-89577-415-1[1] 1992(US/UK) 1993(AUS)[2]
055Ben-Hur: A Tale of the ChristLew Wallace1992ISBN 0-89577-403-8[1] 1992(US) 1998 (UK)[2]
056The Good EarthPearl S. Buck1992ISBN 0-89577-413-5[1] 1992(US) 1993(AUS)[2]
057The Caine MutinyHerman Wouk1992ISBN 0-89577-414-3[1] 1992(US) 1993 (AUS)[2]
058Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery1992ISBN 0-89577-434-8[1] 1992 (US) 1993 (AUS) 1994 (UK)[2]
059The Wind in the WillowsKenneth Grahame19931993(UK)[2]
060The Further Adventures of Sherlock HolmesSir Arthur Conan Doyle1993ISBN 0-89577-552-2[1] 1993(US) 2005(UK)[2]
061Dusty and Man ShyFrank Dalby Davison1993ISBN 0-86438-381-91993(AUS) [1][2]
062Life with FatherClarence Day1993ISBN 0-89577-494-1[1] 1993(US) 1994(AUS)[2]
063The YearlingMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings1993ISBN 0-89577-436-4[1] 1993(US) 1994(AUS) 1998(UK)[2]
064To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee1993ISBN 0-89577-435-6[1] 1993(US) 1999(UK)[2]
065The RobeLloyd Cassell Douglas1993ISBN 0-89577-547-6[1] 1993(US)[2]
066Heart of the WestO. Henry1993ISBN 0-89577-494-1[1] 1993(US) 1993 (CAN) 1994(AUS) [2]
067Rebecca (novel)Daphne du Maurier1994ISBN 0-89577-627-8[1] 1994(US) 1997(UK)[2]
068The Thirty-Nine Steps and GreenmantleJohn Buchan19941994(UK)[2]
069EmmaJane Austen1994ISBN 0-89577-582-4[1] 1994(US) 1996/2003(UK)[2]
070To Build a Fire and Other StoriesJack London1994ISBN 0-89577-583-2[1] 1994(US) 1998(UK)[2]
071King Solomon's MinesH. Rider Haggard1994ISBN 0-89577-553-0[1] 1994(US) 1996(UK) 1994/1999(AUS)[2]
072Captains CourageousRudyard Kipling1994ISBN 0-89577-601-4[1] 1994(US) 2000(UK)[2]
073Roughing ItMark Twain1994ISBN 0-89577-628-6[1] 1994(US)[2]
074Lorna DooneR. D. Blackmore19951995(UK/SA) 2013(US)[2]
075A Town Like AliceNevil Shute19951995(UK/SA)[2]
076Tales of the South PacificJames Michener1995ISBN 0-89577-697-9[1] 1995(US) 2000(UK)[2]
077Two Years Before the MastRichard Henry Dana, Jr.1995ISBN 0-89577-631-6[1] 1995(US) 2000(UK)[2]
078Beau GestePercival Christopher Wren1995ISBN 0-89577-632-4[3] 1994(UK) 1995(US) 2000(AUS)[2]
079The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's TaleRobert Louis Stevenson1995ISBN 0-89577-629-4[1] 1995(US) 1995(UK)[2]
080Goodbye Mr. Chips and Other StoriesJames Hilton1995ISBN 0-89577-630-8[1] 1995(US)[2]
081Lost Horizon, Good-bye Mr. Chips and Other StoriesJames Hilton19971997(UK/SA)[2]
082The Jungle BooksRudyard Kipling19971997(UK/SA), Illust [2]
083How Green Was My ValleyRichard Llewellyn19971997(UK/SA)[2]
084Three Men in a Boat and Three Men on the BummelJerome K. Jerome19981998(UK)[2]
085The Three MusketeersAlexandre Dumas1999Verified existence - No ISBN1999(US) 1999(UK)[2]
086The Mayor of CasterbridgeThomas Hardy19991999(UK)[2]
087Far From the Madding CrowdThomas Hardy2002 1999(UK) 2002(US)[2]
088The Age of InnocenceEdith Wharton2003ISBN 1122049161[1] 2003(US)[2]
089This Side of ParadiseF. Scott Fitzgerald2003ISBN 0-7432-4729-9[1] 2003(US)[2]
090FrankensteinMary Shelley20032003(US) 2004(UK)[3]
091Sense and SensibilityJane Austen20032003(UK)[3]
092Lord JimJoseph Conrad20032003(US)[3]
093***Ten Book Set - Already in Collection***2004
094***Three Book Set - Already in Collection***2004
095Robinson CrusoeDaniel Defoe2004Verified existence - No ISBN2005(US)[3]
096My AntoniaWilla Cather2004ISBN 1-4142-1218-6[1] 2004(US)[2]
097The Invisible Man and The Island of Dr. MoreauH. G. Wells20042004(US)[2]
098Gulliver's TravelsJonathan Swift20042004(UK)[3]
099The Moon and SixpenceW. S. Maugham20042004(US)[3]
100Main StreetSinclair Lewis20042004(US)[3]
101Daisy Miller and The Turn of the ScrewHenry James20052005(US) 2005(UK)[2]
102The Jungle BooksRudyard Kipling20052005(US)[2]
103Madame BovaryGustave Flaubert20052005(US) 2005(US/UK)[2]
104Mansfield ParkJane Austen20052005(US/UK)[2]
105The Magnificent AmbersonsBooth Tarkington20052005(US)[2]
106***Three Book Set - Already in Collection***2005
107The War of the Worlds and The Time MachineH. G. Wells20052005(US)[3]
108Little MenLouisa May Alcott20062006(US/UK)[3]
109The Man of PropertyJohn Galsworthy20062006(US/UK)[3]
110Hard TimesCharles Dickens20062006(US/UK)[3]
111Barchester TowersAnthony Trollope20062006(US)[3]
112Moll FlandersDaniel Defoe20062006(US/UK)[2]
113The AmericanHenry James20072007(US/UK)[2]
114The Phantom of the OperaGaston Leroux20072007(US/UK)[3]
115PersuasionJane Austen20072007(US/UK)[3]
116The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde20072007(US/UK)[2]
117The Black ArrowRobert Louis Stevenson20072007(US/UK)[2]
118DraculaBram Stoker20072007(US/UK)[2]
119Sons and LoversD. H. Lawrence20082008(US/UK)[2]
120Northanger AbbeyJane Austen20082008(US/UK)[3]
121The House of MirthEdith Wharton20082008(US/UK)[2]
122The Prisoner of Zenda and Rupert of HentzauAnthony Hope20082008(US/UK)[2]
123The AmbassadorsHenry James20082008(US/UK)[2]
124Heart of Darkness and End of the TetherJoseph Conrad20082008(US/UK)[3]
125Agnes GreyAnne Brontë20092009(US/UK)[3]
126Howards EndE. M. Forster20092009(US/UK)[3]
127The Confidence-ManHerman Melville20092009(US/UK)[3]
128Return of the NativeThomas Hardy20092009(US/UK)[3]
129The Secret Garden and A Little PrincessFrances Hodgson Burnett20092009(US/UK)[3]
130Ethan Frome and SummerEdith Wharton20092009(US/UK)[3]
131Fathers and SonsIvan Turgenev20102010(US/UK)[3]
132Where Angels Fear to Tread and A Room With a ViewE. M. Forster20102010(US/UK)[3]
133Adam BedeGeorge Eliot20102010(US/UK)[3]
134Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë20101982/1985(US) 1982/1985(AUS) 1990(UK) 2010(US/UK)VDL 2010 (US/UK) [2]
135Jo's BoysLouisa May Alcott20102010(US/UK)VDL 2011 [1]
136The Way of All FleshSamuel Butler20102010(US/UK)[1]
137Treasure Island / KidnappedRobert Louis Stevenson2010ISBN 0276446585VDL 2010 (US/UK)[3]
138Oliver TwistCharles Dickens2010ISBN 9780276446597VDL 2010 (US/UK)[3]
139Pride & PrejudiceJane Austen2011ISBN 9780276446603VDL 2011 (US/UK)[3]
140BabbittSinclair Lewis20112011(US/UK)[3]
141The Adventures Of Huckleberry FinnMark Twain2011ISBN 0-89577-252-3 1986(US) 1991(UK) 2011 (US/UK)[2]
142The Scarlet LetterNathaniel Hawthorne20111984/1990/2011(US) 1990(AUS) 1990 (CAN) 2012 (UK)[2]
143A Tale of Two CitiesCharles Dickens20111984/1993/2011(US) 1993/1994/2001/2003/2012(UK) 1985/1999/2001(AUS)[2]
144The Good SoldierFord Madox Ford20112011(US/UK)[3]
145The JungleUpton Sinclair2011
146A Study In Scarlet / The Hound Of The BaskervillesSir Arthur Conan Doyle2011OCLC 727320142 VDL 2011 (US/UK)
147MoonstoneWilkie Collins2011ISBN 9780276446627 VDL 2011 (US/UK)
148Robinson CrusoeDaniel Defoe2011ISBN 9781780200316 VDL 2011 (US/UK)
149The War Of The Worlds / The Time MachineH. G. Wells2011ISBN 9781780200323 VDL 2011 (US/UK)
150Jo's BoysLouisa May Alcott2011ISBN 9781780200330 VDL 2011 (US/UK)
151IvanhoeSir Walter Scott2012ISBN 9781780201184VDL 2012 (US/UK) [4]
152Lorna DooneR D Blackmore20131995(UK) 2013(US)

Variations Within The Series

There are many variations within the WBR series. The most common variations include cloth boards versus smooth boards, patterned end papers with ribbon bookmarks versus plain colored end papers without ribbon bookmarks, different colored covers but retaining the same embossed cover image, and books that have completely different cover art than other editions.

One example of cloth boards versus plain boards is Far From The Madding Crowd. Both the cloth and the plain editions are the same color with the same artwork, only the material of the boards is different. Other examples include Moby Dick, Treasure Island, O Pioneers, The Sea Wolf, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

An example of the variation of patterned end papers with ribbon bookmarks versus plain colored end papers without bookmarks is Silas Marner. Both books have the same artwork on the outside cover, but on the inside one edition has plain white end papers and the other has marble patterned end papers and a colored ribbon bookmark. Other titles with this variation are Pride And Prejudice, The Call of the Wild/White Fang, The Scarlet Letter, The House of Seven Gables, The Last Of The Mohicans, A Tale Of Two Cities, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court, Little Women, Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, Twice-Told Tales, and The Innocents Abroad.

An example of a title having different colored covers but retaining the same embossed artwork image is A Tale Of Two Cities. Cover variations of A Tale of Two Cities include a blue cloth cover, a brown cloth cover, and a red cover. Other editions with this variation include The Innocents Abroad, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Tale of Two Cities, Tales of Suspense, Silas Marner, Wuthering Heights (old cover style), Ben Hur, The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles is an example where in two editions the boards are the same color (gray) but the embossed parts of the cover and the faux quarter leather covering are different colors. The artwork and faux leather is red in one edition and blue in the other edition.

Some books have been printed with completely different cover artwork from other editions. Examples include Barchester Towers, The Jungle Books, Captains Courageous, Beau Geste, and Wuthering Heights. For some books, such as The Jungle Books and Barchester Towers, the UK edition was published with illustrations where the American version was not.

A spelling variation in a book title occurs with A Journey to the Center of the Earth. In the UK, the edition was published under the title A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

In the United States, the James Hilton titles (Lost Horizon, Good-bye Mr. Chips and Other Stories) were printed in two separate volumes whereas in the UK edition, they were combined into one book.

Each edition in the WBR series includes a sheet folded in half numbered with page numbers one through four with a synopsis of the history of how the book came to be published and a short biography of the author and perhaps some information about the artist in illustrated editions. On Our Selection/Our New Selection is different from the rest of the books because not only is the author biography insert included, but also a folder containing six 5.5" x 8.5" prints of artwork by artist Lionel Lindsay. The prints included are titled Judy Wasn’t Frightened Of Jew-Lizards, Sarah Thought It A Fine Effect, ‘It’s A Lie!’ Dad roared, Daniel Damascus Rudd, Sir!, and Dad Come to See the Great Metropolis. These are illustrations found in the actual book. One print is not from the book. It is not given a title and depicts the father scratching his bare head riding a horse in the woods at a walk towards the lower right hand foreground.

Reader’s Digest also issued a book safe as part of the WBR series, Paradise Lost by John Milton. The outside of the book safe is designed to look like other editions in the series, but inside the safe are two separated compartments. The interior of the safe is lined with light gray velvet and is kept closed with velcro strips on the back of the cover and on the middle divider between the two compartments.

Vivat Direct Limited, t/a Reader's Digest, a publishing company in the UK that usually prints Reader's Digest Select Editions,[5] has published World's Best Reading books starting in 2010: Kidnapped/Treasure Island (ISBN 0276446585), Wuthering Heights (ISBN 0276446518), Oliver Twist, Pride & Prejudice, A Study In Scarlet/The Hound Of The Baskervilles(ISBN 9780895772541), Moonstone, Robinson Crusoe, The War of the Worlds/The Time Machine, Jo's Boys, Three Men in a Boat/Three Men on the Bummel, and Ivanhoe (ISBN 9781780201184). These editions were published with insert pages like the other World's Best Reading books with the World's Best Reading logo at the top of the first page just like the other inserts. However, the inserts have the initials WBR above the spelled out World's Best Reading on the insert pages and the WBR initials on the spine of the books. These books are different from the original World's Best Reading books because they are bound in cloth and do not have the faux quarter leather binding over the spine. They also have illustrations on the front and back covers, unlike the rest of the series which have illustrations on the front cover board only.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 Publication information from Amazon.com
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 "Abebooks". Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Publication information from book. Amazon.com does not have this ISBN in their database.
  4. http://www.amazon.co.uk/ivanhoe-worlds-reading-walter-scott/dp/1780201184/ref=sr_1_123?ie=UTF8&qid=1376952214&sr=8-123&keywords=worlds+best+reading+readers+digest
  5. "Reader's Digest UK". Vivat Direct Limited, ta Reader's Digest.
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