The Stand: What would you do?

[Haunted]

I much preferred the uncut version. The version he intended it to be. I HATED, LOATHED the first version because it lacked something for me. I loved it when they added the stuff back in.

But, maybe I'm just crude and crass.

TOTALLY AGREE!! Abridged version (first one out) left me feeling cheated.

 

[RandallFlagg19]

We only went down because it was my oldest son's wedding - it was in the "Mexican Riviera" as they called it, just south of Cancun - nice if you can make it! (One of those all inclusive places).
I remember going swimming:

Everyone was in the water and kept reaching down in the sand and saying "look! I found a piece of coral" or "look - I found a shell".

I reached in and felt something big and when I pulled it up I said:

"Look! I found a hash pipe!" - I really did, and just brought it home for a souvenir, even though I don't smoke the stuff.

Find any creepy china dolls, or see any ships named Percy?

 

[Neesy]

Find any creepy china dolls, or see any ships named Percy?

Nah - but I do love Duma Key! (might have to check that place out one of these days)
(I was worried about bringing that pipe through customs but the salt water had washed it out clean - still I put it in my checked baggage - not the carry on!)

 

[skimom2]

Take advice if you ever do decide to read it and go for the first version. The uncut version has a lot of unnecessary stuff like when

Spoiler: Spoiler

Fran's father dies, his body is described in disgusting detail. She buries him after much work and in the original version, it was poignant and beautiful in a way. In the uncut version it is unnecessarily grotesque for little reason other than King seemed to want to be gross. It ruined an otherwise moving scene and there was a reason it was edited out in the first place.

Funny how polarizing this book is I thought the stuff in the uncut edition was extraneous, and had been cut for good reason. To my way of thinking, when you can remove an entire character and have it make absolutely no difference to the story, that character is an unnecessary distraction rather than a valuable addition. I also had a sense that the additions were not all stuff that had been there originally--the way they were dated showed that they were new stuff made up for the uncut edition, and most of the time it grated up against the original text in my mind; it didn't 'fit', because Mr. King's style was already evolving.

Either way, you get an interesting story, but I far preferred the original version.

 

[Grandpa]

I just picked up and browsed the uncut version once and thought there were some interesting things but didn't take it home and have my way with it.

But...

To my way of thinking, when you can remove an entire character and have it make absolutely no difference to the story, that character is an unnecessary distraction rather than a valuable addition.

Exhibit A: Tom Bombadil

 

[skimom2]

I just picked up and browsed the uncut version once and thought there were some interesting things but didn't take it home and have my way with it.

But...

Exhibit A: Tom Bombadil

 

[kingricefan]

Gorgeous! the copy I am reading is in sad shape, but I do own a hard cover version:

I see someone on E-Bay is trying to sell this for 129 bucks (of course theirs is still sealed in shrink wrap). Mine is a Doubleday version but it is in perfect condition (5.99 at Value Village, I think?)

1153 pages and can also be used to throw at burglars in a pinch!

If any regular book (not a limited edition) is being touted as being in shrinkwrap, that usually means it's a bookclub edition and I wouldn't pay more than $5.00 for it.

 

[Neesy]

If any regular book (not a limited edition) is being touted as being in shrinkwrap, that usually means it's a bookclub edition and I wouldn't pay more than $5.00 for it.

Good to know!

Look at this - I paid over 80 bucks and I could have ordered this on-line for around 30 bucks (not sure how much shipping and handling might be)

Carrie by Stephen King 1974 Hardcoverdj Like New | eBay

(oh duh S&H is 14.25 - but probably more to ship to Canada)

 

[Kingfisher]

I admit to owning the mini series cover paperback and the uncut in hard...I don't know which my first copy was (the one I had rescued from the shed) because the cover had crumbled away as old paperbacks tend to do.

 

[kingricefan]

Good to know!

Look at this - I paid over 80 bucks and I could have ordered this on-line for around 30 bucks (not sure how much shipping and handling might be)

Carrie by Stephen King 1974 Hardcoverdj Like New | eBay

(oh duh S&H is 14.25 - but probably more to ship to Canada)

That copy of Carrie is a bookclub. Like I said- I wouldn't pay more than $5 for a bookclub, unless it's something like 'Secret Windows' which was a book that you could only get thru a bookclub.

 

[RandallFlagg19]

I found myself a copy of the cut version of The Stand

 

[GNTLGNT]

I just picked up and browsed the uncut version once and thought there were some interesting things but didn't take it home and have my way with it.

But...

Exhibit A: Tom Bombadil

...well rendered here by the inimitable Brothers Hildebrandt...

 

[not_nadine]

I liked the original also. I did enjoy reading the extra scenes with Fran and her mother, though.

 

[The Nameless]

I found myself a copy of the cut version of The Stand

That's cool, I think that kind of condition adds so much character to a book. I personally wouldn't want to have or even read the cut version, I loved the uncut version so much that I wouldn't want it to be different next time around, it just wouldn't feel right (even if I did hate 'the kid' as a character, and not in the sense that you're meant to hate bad guys - it means they're well written, such as Percy from green mile, or Lloyd hendried).

 

[Neesy]

That copy of Carrie is a bookclub. Like I said- I wouldn't pay more than $5 for a bookclub, unless it's something like 'Secret Windows' which was a book that you could only get thru a bookclub.

Thank KRF - I am actually quite happy with my slipcase edition - it is quite beautiful and has that afterword in it by Tabby plus some beautiful illustrations

 

[no bounce no play]

...well rendered here by the inimitable Brothers Hildebrandt...

I love the Brothers Hildebrandt. I have a couple of the Tolkien calendars illustrated by them (1977 and 1978). I don't have the 1976 calendar though with the Tom Bombadil illustration I also have the 1974 calendar illustrated by Tolkien and... I am totally off topic

 

[RandallFlagg19]

That's cool, I think that kind of condition adds so much character to a book. I personally wouldn't want to have or even read the cut version, I loved the uncut version so much that I wouldn't want it to be different next time around, it just wouldn't feel right (even if I did hate 'the kid' as a character, and not in the sense that you're meant to hate bad guys - it means they're well written, such as Percy from green mile, or Lloyd hendried).

Yeah I like the cover, and the cracking from use gives the cover a cool personality.

You don't have to read the cut version if you don't want to. I have read and love the uncut version; but for me personally I see no reason to limiting myself to reading just the uncut version.