Reader's Digest Condensed Books

The Reader's Digest Condensed Books were 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.

Occasional titles (The Leopard (Summer 1960), The Days Were Too Short (Autumn 1960) or Papillon (Autumn 1970) were selected from outside the English-speaking world and published as abridgments of the translated originals. In a few rare cases, new editions of older works (Up from Slavery, originally published in 1901 (Autumn 1960), A Roving Commission: My Early Life, originally published in 1930 (Autumn 1951) or Goodbye Mr. Chips, originally published in 1934 (Summer 1961) were also among the condensed selections.

For most of their publication schedule, the volumes were issued four times each year, with the rate gradually increasing 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 USA editions. Pre-1992 Canadian editions also contain different titles).

1950s

1950

Volume 1 - Spring

Volume 2 - Summer

Volume 3 - Autumn

[1]

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

[2]

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

  • 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


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 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

Most of the 1997 volumes aforementionned were also published as Reader's Digest Select Editions.

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

References

  1. My parents were charter members of the RD Condensed Book Club and I have these books in my possession. Ken Battle
  2. Ken Battle, see my ref at 1950; I have the two volumes above that were missing.
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