a definitive ranking of classic editions.

[@peytonc6368]

Finding niche videos like these make me appreciate the internet

[@cs0p]

😏

[@irenerodriguez_12]

i simply CANNOT buy a classic that is not second hand, ugly, with old typography, curious smell, yellowing pages and is half falling apart, not even part of an edition series. i can't buy a recently printed one.

[@soymikleo]

real representation 🙏🙏🙏

[@cs0p]

amen.

[@MelissaBeamer-ve3nn]

Bonus points for me if it’s been highlighted, underlined and noted.

[@caranook]

My local second hand bookshop has boxes of the original penguin and pelican paperbacks (from the thirties to the sixties) for a euro each, and I love them. Their design does lack character, but they’re still such a classic series and look great on a bookshelf!

[@irenerodriguez_12]

@@caranook NOT FAIR

[@angellyic5915]

john green cosplay

[@wenonah8]

My dad core outfit

[@beckduvall5389]

My dad literally has the same shirt

[@wenonah8]

@@beckduvall5389I think I’ve seen it on mine too

[@Eliojnk]

⁠my dad is liderally he himself

[@f.arah_.a]

Its giving harry potter in the first movie

[@disgustingucci2902]

Book accurate harry vibes

[@groopledouche101]

1:43 Dover thrift (currently) 2:10 Penguin's Cloth Bound Classics 2:45 Barnes & Nobel classics 3:50 Penguin Modern Classics 4:45 Penguin Classics Deluxe Editions 6:35 Modern Library Hardcovers 7:51 New Vintage Classics Editions 8:40 Old Dover Thrift Edition 10:20 Harper Perennial Modern Classics 12 11:14 Modern Library Paperbacks 11:50 Folio Society Book Editions 14:00 Signet Classics Edition 14:43 Older Penguin's Classics Editions 15:45 Older UK Penguin's Classics Editions 16:32 Modern UK Penguin's Classics Editions 16:50 Older Modern Library Classics Editions 18:45 Vintage Publishing Editions 19:36 Older Barnes & Nobel Classics 20:40 Oxford World's Classics 21:00 New York Review Books 23:18 Vintage Contemporary Editions from the 90s

[@shisharma]

I can be a bit boring, but my Penguin Black Classics keep things interesting. They're like the stylish introverts of my bookshelf-calm, collected. I enjoy just looking at them. But I am also trying to collect oxford world classics I am not sure about the future tho , Or I might just stay boring.

[@cs0p]

no listen follow your heart if you love them its true love

[@rabbit5000]

SAME I love penguin classics especially when they have paintings on them cuz I'm a painting HOE !

[@garflied]

Your ranking of the black modern classic penguin books fills me with rage. Great video

[@cs0p]

HAHAH

[@JaspRemains-v7c]

After the lil yellow border went from Penguin, we were rocketing towards Mayan 2012.

[@AbbyElizabeth]

Can't wait for you to show off the monocle in your next video !!

[@Hagen-s7y]

Tu peux avoir le mononcle de mon oncle.

[@paperbackenthusiast]

The gusto with which you said “i prefer white to black” took me out. Your form of comedy is god tier

[@emilyb4812]

and the way he immediately switched topics after saying that 😭😭 i had to pause the video to give myself time to recover

[@liv_222]

only liking the black penguin classics in moderation is the correct opinion

[@miriamruth0701]

100% bc the look of an entire shelf full of them lined up is hideous

[@nickdolan3741]

"I prefer my vision to be in constant competition..." the Ayn Rand love is showing itself

[@Dvrgrl]

The blue Dovers make me inexplicably full of rage and I feel validated now.

[@urbaneblobfish]

They legit make me so mad.

[@enfermagembenfermagemb2251]

It’s funny cause I have a love hate relationship with them. It’s ugly yes, but I love the way they feel on my hands.😂

[@loveannasophia]

this video is the perfect mixture of silly goose and intellectualism and classics and everything that i love about books and the internet. good genre, perfect video. no notes. i will be sending this to my plethora of fellow silly gooses (my friends) and they will not understand and will shake their heads at me but i love this

[@cs0p]

HAHAH this is a silly goose safe haven.

[@sarahogborn8024]

Charles, I’m begging you to get a monocle.

[@scliffbartoni9771]

Told myself that if the worst wasnt dover id be clicking off the video, and you passed. Banger vid 🙏

[@cs0p]

HAHAH

[@georgeparasol6939]

finding out that there’s other people who care about this aside from middle-aged professors makes me feel so seen

[@cs0p]

I. SEE. YOU.

[@chaoscentralbooks]

the amount of time i have spent hunting for nyrbs at the used bookstore is unmatched

[@cs0p]

i swear i can never find them at used bookstores!!

[@iammehowru]

The temptation to buy a book just bc it's a nyrb every time I see one just because I'm Australian and they're rare is so so strong

[@Courtney6]

Did you lock yourself out again and you had to twist your shirt into a rope to climb up through a window? 😅 I can agree with most of this ranking.

[@cs0p]

HAHAHAHAHAH

[@baukjeh]

Everyman's library classics are just the best tho

[@trampledheart1]

Right, especially those from the 60’s, I have 4, but hard to find in good condition.

[@LivarThorsen]

I'm a little dissapointed at how the print on the spine rubs off so fast if you read them without the dust jacket, and I wonder how they will hold up after repeated readings. But besides that I love them! :D

[@trampledheart1]

@@LivarThorsen I’ve noticed that with the newer ones, esp the children’s classics.

[@cs0p]

no true i forgot those

[@trampledheart1]

@@cs0p the vintage hardbacks are small, but the artwork is cool on the dust jackets.

[@joelharris4399]

Penguin Black Spines. On the plus: backcovers often feature quotes from within the book. They have painterly covers, generous introductions that act like spoilers while being scholarly. Flip side: the pages discolour quite quickly after purchasing them, the covers from heavy usage chip away and crease easily, particularly at the spine and the edges where you flip. They are made to be accessible to as many people as possible, but not meant to be collector's items for posterity. For this reason alone, people buy other, more visually pleasing book versions for their favorite classics. Everyman's Library hardcovers are beautiful with picturesque dust jackets. The paper quality is very classy (though perhaps too thin), since they are conceived to be long lasting and very durable; however, a big drawback is the tiny font, that can be annoying when you are reading a very long book or a great book for that matter. Not a very immersive experience, not gentle on the eyes. Vintage are like a middle ground between Penguin Black Spine and Modern Library Classics paperback edition. After you finish reading a book, you can rest assured it will look great on your bookshelf in spite of intense reading. Covers are great. Paper quality, not classy yet it allows for marginalia.

[@cs0p]

amen.

[@joelharris4399]

@@cs0p 🙏

[@vorgebrauchschutteln3859]

I really like the penguin English library editions that look like the clothbound ones. I don't even like the designs that much, but I love how fun the spines look on the shelf and the best about them is how nice you can read in them. They are floppy, the text is big and the space between the lines is perfect.

[@cs0p]

one of my favorite booktubers loves those!! i only remembered them after i finished the vid. theyre hot

[@micham33]

these are goated!!!!!!!! they look so fun on the shelf and some of the covers are AWESOME ( i particularly like Frankenstein, White Fang & To The Lighthouse)

[@Lucas-sz9rk]

This video really just felt like my inner monologue, and it was wonderful

[@kmlkai]

the fit is so iconic, the glasses even more

[@honeyy_peach]

i agree with the NYRB! the paper is soo smooth and the font is a perfect match with the design too

[@chaoscentralbooks]

brb throwing out my glasses and just investing in carrot juice

[@cs0p]

You listened. Good.

[@genericallyentertaining]

I have an unreasonable amount of love for the old Penguin editions for the reasons you described, but my favorites are probably the old Norton Critical Editions. A lot of variation in the color of the spines, and a ridiculous amount of supplementary material in every book. I go out of my way to buy those whenever I can.

[@cs0p]

i go back and forth on the nortons. half the book being commentary aggravates me if i dont care about the book to begin with

[@benconnolly9883]

My brother in Christ, you need to turn yourself onto the Everyman's Library Classics. The gold dot matrix, the red title plate, the classical art, the quality construction and typography, it's got it all. I started reading Moby-Dick and Dracula with Everyman editions I got from the library, and when I had to return them before I could finish, I literally couldn't continue reading with any other edition, because all the rest were of mere mortal visage in contrast to their radiance. (In fairness, they aren't all created equal; but of the best ones that I've seen, they're literally some of the most gorgeous, artistic covers I've ever beheld.)

[@cs0p]

jesus i shall repent and turn toward the light 🙏

[@charlottejruthauthor]

Your outfit is giving grandpacore and I’m so here for it

[@columbosunday]

vintage editions are my absolutely favorites of all time..... im literally always on the lookout for them at used bookstores........ i love the typeface they use

[@cs0p]

sooo so sumptuous agreed

[@Larats03]

The wrinkled shirt is such a vibe

[@cs0p]

a button down isn't comfortable unless it's obscenely wrinkled

[@-AtomsPhere-]

Hello Charles, just wanted to update you that I finished “The Pillars of the Earth” yesterday, and spent all morning today starting “the Secret History”. I’m 100 pages in, enjoying the characters and vibes so far, not a TON has happened yet, but I have a feeling it’s about to kick off. Thanks for the recommendation, it’s been fun getting back into reading.

[@cs0p]

im glad youre enjoying it!!

[@salvatormaniussoter]

welcome back Princess DIANA 💜

[@annabartonickova592]

stopp i love the modern penguin classics

[@cs0p]

i just buy used and call it a day

[@-alittletoowildinthe70s-]

“thank you charles 🗣️🔥” we all chant in unison.

[@cs0p]

🫡

[@waterbottleyea]

"you know you're in for a ride if you pick up a new york review book, you might hate it but it'll be fun" TOO ACCURATE LOL i love nyrbs tho

[@cs0p]

hating be funnnn too

[@theowarner]

Whenever I'm buying a book, I look to see if there's an Everyman's Library edition and then buy that.

[@cs0p]

true i like those

[@lost_dreamers1783]

you forgot the penguin english library editions, I think they're neat but not terribly original and they just lack that certain old vibe the penguin popular classics editions (which were shamefully also not mentioned) however are the pinnacle of classics editions, I love them dearly the typewriterish font, the yellowed pages, the old drawings on the covers, absolutely immaculate enjoyed your video lots, very entertaining!!

[@cs0p]

i dont know if ive ever seen a peng pop!! ill keep my eyes peeled for one

[@Diana-ui7xe]

I enjoy watching your videos.

[@cs0p]

i enjoy you.

[@DominikBialy_]

I'm also a huge fan of Oxford World Classics. They're the most comfortable to read due to their stellar flop, have great cover design, and looks amazing as a collection, as they barely show any wear and tear. The only better edition for me is Everyman's, but for some reason (which is partly, but not entirely financial) I prefer to keep those for some special books or classic non-fiction. They're better to sit down at the table with a pencil ready to annotate the heaven out of them, but not so much to quietly chill on the balcony.

[@cs0p]

true too many everymans would become grating i think. theyre best left for the special occasion

[@boorenduh1086]

"i contain multitudes" yeah, i'm taking that, ty

[@daydreamcon]

He took it from Walt Whitman

[@scottwilliams4432]

@@daydreamconare you the Instagram music guy

[@amyslibrary]

Finally someone else who doesn't get the penguin clothbound classics! I have never seen the appeal...

[@cs0p]

theyre terrible...

[@lthecatt9667]

They look nice on a shelf, but they are not good for reading

[@olivianeukam5636]

I've never hated them but I've also never gotten the hype. I thought there must be something I'm missing because I've never actually owned one, just seen them in stores. Maybe not.

[@ondine2008]

I bought one when I was younger, appearances aside, their spines are really stiff and the cover designs wear off over time

[@josephr.gainey2079]

The glasses make you look very professorial & handsome.

[@rhoudac]

Cheered when the Penguin black spines got ranked so low

[@cs0p]

HAHA

[@BookLover19]

Sameee

[@ronetteskiestante4064]

I love your book rants! :) so refreshing!

[@cs0p]

thanks ;)

[@annarose207]

i will never get tired of you bullying me charles

[@cs0p]

good.

[@jibby1986]

I agree with the love for Oxford World Classics. I'm partial to Penguin Deluxe Editions, almost always. But I shall recommend, since you are a fan of Vintage classics, the red spine editions available in the UK. They are gorgeous on the shelf and have the same printing size and paper quality as the US versions. If you use Blackwells, you can order them with free shipping.

[@cs0p]

oooo i just googled them and they look hot

[@bailagringacovers]

NYRB are my fav 100%. PS - the glasses suit you amazingly!

[@cs0p]

thanks 🫣 theyre so sumptuous

[@pagesago]

you won me over with this video I've never seen you before thank you recommended page (not done with the video yet but putting out my number one pick: the OLD modern library floppy ass paperbacks with the golden/brown spines)

[@cs0p]

gooood good choice

[@horafantastica]

Are you a literature/ english degree or are you just cosplaying your highscool professor? Btw your shriveled, non ironed, old shirt matches perfectly your look and personality. Good video ❤

[@cs0p]

GUESS GUESS GUESS GUESSS GUESSS GEUSS GUESS

[@horafantastica]

@@cs0p I think you are just a drama queen. The glasses dont look bad on you btw. So if you have to ... Use them. You can also use contact lens.

[@entrenchpodhost]

@@cs0p wait stop I just realized you look like my dad with that shirt and glasses. And he was an English teacher. HAHAHAHAHA

[@yootubez]

The way you said it’s gorgeous like those New York City grannies who smoke a pack a day LMAO

[@sarahiterrazasalcocer8088]

Omg i love the glasses 10/10 and your videos always make my day 💖

[@cs0p]

thanks ;)

[@sterlist]

this brother is deffo on the spectrum

[@cs0p]

not no

[@jamestong8080]

You are 100% right on New York Review of Books. Love them. I buy mostly Everyman's Library classics. They are perfecr.

[@cs0p]

everyone is talkin bout the everymans!! im beatin myself up for forgetting them

[@space_1073]

The black penguin classics bend and crease on the edges really easily and because they are black the damage is super visible.

[@cs0p]

the older ones are terrrrrible about it. i meant to mention that when i started talking about them making newer editions, but forgot hahah

[@earthjay]

You are the only reason I started buying classics second hand and don't regret on bit! the covers of older editions are wayyyy better

[@cs0p]

way way better

[@jazr813]

justice for penguin orange collection 🙏🏽 (but yeah amazing list, i was waiting for my favorite editions mention like a soccer fan

[@cs0p]

i almost put the modern ones on the list but didnt 🫢

[@poetwanderess]

you in glasses is giving the secret history but like if you changed your outfit, yk?

[@cs0p]

i get that

[@poetwanderess]

@ see i knew you would

[@yV__Vy]

i just discovered your channel, the way you speak is very comforting like a trusted friend.

[@cs0p]

i will never lie to you baby

[@read1tandweep]

you remind me of my film and literature professor who loves giddily telling other students they’re interpreting things wrong. in the best way, of course.

[@Minaeatlife]

“Only one of the pair is impaired”😂😂

[@Delta5Qmp]

FINALLY an objectively correct listing. I'm so sick of people's subjective wrong opinions on these.

[@cs0p]

no its no problem youre welcome

[@KenzieCaiii]

Hey Charles thanks for posting. It really save me from my shitty day.

[@cs0p]

no no problem of course

[@given2501]

I bought Jane Eyre in Penguin Clothbound and the reading experience was HORRENDOUS. The book simply refused to open up. I'm now collecting classics editions before the 1950s. All are sown, some are original leather and the size is much shorter than a paperback so they're very easy to read and carry in a purse. They also have slip cases and all

[@cs0p]

those books are terrible quality.. i cant believe how nice some books used to be

[@jenna1739]

Girl I'm at a fall fair and they had a book sale (paper backs $1, hardbacks $2) and I got EVERY Donna tart book, including the little friend per your recommendation. Needed to share this information with you.

[@cs0p]

shut up no you didnt 🤭

[@jenna1739]

@@cs0p literally gonna have such a mysterious girl fall 🧛

[@WoWhunter007]

What's your opinion on Everyman's Library classics? I quite like them, both with and without dustjackets. They are a very high quality with stitched pages and built-in bookmarks, and they don't even cost that much!

[@cs0p]

theyre hot

[@HoratioAccel]

Everyman's library is best to me for hardcover -- excellent paper quality, includes a ribbon, looks good with or without dust jacket, decent price!

[@cs0p]

i just picked up one of them ! very solid

[@daphne.bphnix]

“Babe wake up! Charles dropped a definitive ranking of classic editions!!” Judging a book by its cover>>>

[@cs0p]

judging books by their covers is imperative

[@ryanwoo4347]

I miss those hand drawings by various artists on the covers, even though i can't afford them sometimes, such as Paul Hogarth's water color for Graham Greene (vintage penguin) and William Edwards's oil painting for Hermann Hesse (Bantam), just miss them.

[@cs0p]

i almost put edward gorey's handdrawn covers from the 1950s as number one on the list and now im wishing i did bc i agree! hand drawn covers are really nice

[@ryanwoo4347]

@@cs0p maybe you can do another video I gasped when i googled those covers

[@syndprod]

I am so glad I discovered this side of BookTube, finally! I'm mainly a nonfiction reader, and when I do read fiction, it's lit fic. Really enjoyed the video.

[@cs0p]

i do love a good nonfic book fairly often. WELCOME

[@edren106]

first video I've watched of yours and I gotta say you're hilarious man

[@cs0p]

🤝

[@bageIbites]

youre so right about the black penguin classics like i despise that penguins classics box set

[@cs0p]

theeeee worst

[@iasminorum]

i really missed procrastinating uni work by watching your content 🤍

[@cs0p]

WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS

[@katejonson8206]

Gotta say, I hate buying classics new, but something about those new oxfords makes my heart happy. Very glad i discovered your channel, finally someone else who appreciates the art of the ugly cover!

[@cs0p]

me too me too the new oxfords are so crisp. WELCOME

[@Holdyehorses]

I really enjoyed this video! I definitely agree with most of your design opinions, a certain messiness does a lot for me when considering a book cover. A favourite of mine are the vintage classics with the red spines. The covers can be a bit hit more miss but I love the way they look on my bookshelf (Im biased because most of my John Cheever collection is in these editions and I adore that man). I also loved the New York Review Books mention, they're one of my absolute favourite publishers. I particularly like their comics wing they always publish really interesting stuff (the gull yettin by Joe Kessler is an alltime favourite)

[@cs0p]

i need to get a red vintage edition..i think theyre only uk maybe

[@RWoodland57]

Entertaining, informative, and bespectacled butch Charles is a jam. (Weren’t we going to read The Divine Comedy this year?) - and I can confirm that this is indeed an authoritative and definitive list.

[@cs0p]

HAHA i havent been in the right mood for poetry and i really wanna give it a fair chance but hopefully i will this fall

[@iamjerseyfresh]

the smell of an old, yellowed paperback 👌

[@cs0p]

mmmmm mm mmmm

[@ceceny]

loveeee nyrbs. even if one is mid im still going to treasure it anyways and thank you for the sexy librarian visual it really spiced things up

[@cs0p]

😏

[@gem0308]

This is the first video I watched of you but I just knew you were going to drag the black penguins a little. 😂

[@ririschannelx]

Hi dad ❤ The older pocket sized penguin classics are my new faves. The size is just endearing to me. I unapologetically bought all the Bronte books on Vinted in these editions 🙊 The modernising of classics are truly hideous!!! Off with their heads.

[@cs0p]

You HEARD her.. OFF!

[@carolines416]

What Dover Publications did to our beloved classics with their new "Bookshelf" hardcover collection is horrendous....I was so hopeful, but I just can't.

[@cs0p]

i havent seen it 👀

[@entrenchpodhost]

Listen, I am watching on my TV and you pulled up One Hundred Years of Solitude and I was "I need to know what he thinks of that book." Then, of course, when you said you hated it I SQUEALED and ran to my room to get my laptop just to write this comment. I love reading classics but we hate all the same classics and the amount of joy this gives me is beyond words. I've got your back, G!!!!

[@cs0p]

hahaha hating the same classics as someone else is so gratifying

[@MrNiceguyjin]

I also love those old yellowed penguin classics editions. I hate reading books (classics or otherwise) on white paper. I wouldn’t even read on a Kindle until they came out with one with a warm backlight.

[@cs0p]

SAME ABOUT EREADERS

[@OpalHearstMezzo]

I love the penguin clothbound editions and yes I do actually read them! I think they are very pretty and they feel nice to hold or touch. The only problem is the design on the cloth fades after a while, but it's not so bad because it reminds me the book is well-loved. But my favorite is the word cloud classics, which I don't think you mentioned, because I love the texture of them and I enjoy reading all the quotes on the front. They have a really unique look as well. But it does depend on the book, because there are some books I wouldn't want to look like that. And most books I just have whatever cheap used paperback I found anyway.

[@cs0p]

the word clouds look like 3D penguin clothbounds 👀 tbh same i usually just end up getting whatever edition i find at a thrift store

[@wildbitt]

I legit can't tell if you have the ability to even read or not and I love it

[@cs0p]

listen we cant all be perfect

[@miaallen9073]

finally someone else who doesn’t like the penguin clothbounds. I don’t know why I can’t stand seeing them everywhere

[@cs0p]

maybe it's all just a big prank

[@keekeekakakookoo]

the way you talk is so fun

[@violetpaull8598]

this is so fucking good this is what the internet is for

[@cs0p]

wait thanks

[@soymikleo]

i love penguin modern classics with the ugly grey/silver motif with the authors picture on back cover. I have a few secondhand and i realized i gravitated towards them more bcos they look like pure functionality. Not that if I dropped them or wrote in whatever they would survive it, but I respect that they looks like they would. Like meant to be thrown across a freeway or sumn Also the flop factor is a big part you’re right- it’s only in books that I think of being a flop as positive

[@cs0p]

hahaha the silver ones are great

[@jettodle2269]

Okay Steve Jobs I see you

[@allishahenrie]

✨conventiable✨

[@Samwell-L]

Dunno if available in the US but in the UK there’s a publisher called Macmillan's Collector's Library who do the most lovely little hardbacks. Aesop's Fables and Leaves of Grass both look beautiful on the shelf with their gold and teal spines 👌🏻

[@cs0p]

i think i mightve seen them!

[@thomasp6034]

What are your thoughts on the older small greyish Penguin classics from the 1960s?

[@cs0p]

the ones that look like hand drawings? hot.

[@happyvolts]

finally someone who shares my opinion on penguin black editions

[@nyahreads]

you're really serving PhD realness here 😻

[@cs0p]

HAHAH

[@sluvarhedgehag]

brotha sound like an italian aunt

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

So many books and so little time. The ever expanding and groaning tbr!

[@cs0p]

yes.

[@channel2maya]

do you own an iron

[@cs0p]

HAHA it's the way it was balled up in a pile of clothes for months and i didnt even hang it for a sec before putting it on

[@vi0ia]

king you should totally get double monacles to solidify your persona

[@cs0p]

yes.

[@gs08302]

Your glasses are so cute!