Abridged Books and Living Books

One of the most essential parts of Charlotte Mason's philosophy is that children's minds should feast upon living books. Sometimes it's easy to spot a living book, other times it's unclear whether a book is living or not.

There's a misconception that a living book has to be old, but the truth is: not all old books are living, and not all living books are old. While it is true that many CM curricula utilize older books, the age of a book doesn't automatically guarantee it to be living. Conversely, not all modern literature should be relegated as twaddle.

Additionally, not all versions of a particular book are guaranteed to be living. For instance, an abridged book might change a living book into something that's considerably different than its original form.

What Is an Abridged Book?

Put simply, an abridged book is a shortened version of a book. Sometimes the front cover of a book might be clearly labeled as "Abridged" or "Adapted"—which means that it's missing some (or much) of the author's original content and/or language.

However, sometimes it can be hard to tell if a specific title is abridged. For example, Robinson Crusoe has been republished over 700 different times—making it harder to spot an abridged copy. Sometimes a book may not be clearly marked as abridged on the cover, but further inspection of the publishing information (typically located in the first few pages) will state that it's an abridgment or adaptation of the original.

Why Abridgments Exist

So, why might someone choose an abridged version of a book over the original? Generally, the thought is that it makes the text more accessible for readers and/or it helps familiarize children with the plot of a specific story.

Regardless of the rationale, abridged versions of books are created by:

• Removing scenes and dialogue
• Shortening exposition or descriptions
• Sometimes changing what is written (e.g., the ending)

Charlotte Mason said, "Children have a right to the best we possess; therefore their lesson books should be, as far as possible, our best books."

This raises the question: are abridgments the best we possess? Are they better than the original? And are they filled with the same living ideas as the complete version? Probably not.

Not All Abridgments Are Created Equal

However, some abridgments stay fairly true to the original and even keep the original language.

For instance, Dangerous Journey is an adaptation of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress that maintains all the original language and simply removes portions of the original text. Therefore, the storyline, characters, language, tone, and ending are arguably quite faithful to the original. This is the best-case scenario if you're choosing to use an abridgment.

Other abridgments, however, are more or less a complete departure from the original version. For instance, the Great Illustrated Classics series publishes classics specifically geared toward children. While this might sound good in theory, these books often have heavily watered-down language and are sometimes missing the author's original tone and expression altogether.

Charlotte Mason said:

"Ideas must reach us directly from the mind of the thinker, and it is chiefly by means of the books they have written that we get into touch with the best minds."

A heavily abridged book is merely the editor's interpretation of the author's original ideas. Therefore, when we choose an abridged book over the original, we risk losing touch with the author's mind and the ideas conveyed in the original work.

Why It Matters in a Charlotte Mason Education

Charlotte Mason cared deeply about the quality of books placed into students' hands. She cautioned against distilling education into mere information. A book stripped of its original tone, rich language, character development, and descriptive imagery may no longer offer living ideas that nourish the mind.

If we consider that education is a life and that life is sustained on ideas, then what we feed our children's minds matters immensely.

Hard books are not bad books. Wrestling with challenging ideas fosters growth—for adults and children alike.

At the end of the day, children are born persons, and a person's mind grows upon living ideas. Living ideas come from living books.