19 replies to this topic

[Tim007]

Beer and Cigarettes

More 'SilverFin' edition differences revealed

[cvheady007]

Very interesting article...so I made up my mind that if I do, in fact, buy the book Silverfin that I will find the UK edition!

[Qwerty]

Definitely. Great work Heiko.

[Mister Asterix]

[mra]I so no reason why an adult would choose to read the US over the UK version. For a child, well that

[Michigansoftball#1]

Just one more reason why I am glad that I picked up the UK edition.

[TortillaFactory]

...I have not the words.

As if the twelve-year-olds don't know what beer and cigarettes are.

[Bon-san]

Jeeminee Christmas.

Thank goodness the watchdogs were there to prevent any injuries to little boys and girls. Their very eyes might have fallen right out of their heads, reading that kind of decadent prose. The Devil's Work!

[zencat]

Excellent work, Stromberg. No one has ever really documented the various differences between the US and UK editions of the continuation novels and I glad to see this finally done with SilverFin. Very interesting. I'm surprised to see how much really was cut. Here we all thought it was simply that one line about Wilder's thighs. Silly really. Just another reason to get the UK edition over the US. I wonder if the torture scene in Blood Fever will even make it into the US edition?

Again, great work.

[stromberg]

Thanks, folks.

I'm sure there's more omissions in the U.S. edition, maybe not such big ones (but honestly, who does comparative reading with this? I found out about it only by accident...). I had read the U.S. edition a while ago because it was the first one I got (apart from an advance proof of the German translation which was only the first 100 pages). Found time to read the entire German version on the weekend. I was sure I would have noticed the beer thing before . Luckily, I recently found a U.K. edition at a local book store (doesn't happen too often with English books over here), so I was able to check it out - and I saw that I was right.

[zencat]

Maybe we should start referring to this U.S. edition as the "sanitized SilverFin" because, after all, that's what it is. I wouldn't want people thinking this is the same book that is such a big bestseller in the UK. No, the changes aren't that big, but it's the principle of the thing. It should at least say on the copyright page that this version has been "edited for content." People should know what they're buying.

[doublenoughtspy]

Great Job Heiko.

John, I think the changes are minor compared to Live and Let Die - where the US and UK versions are very different - and no disclaimer on that one either.

Bryan Krofchock's article in Goldeneye went into great detail about it.

I can undestand sanitizing some of the Harlem stuff, but the weirdest is where a ham sandwich was changed to a chicken sandwich. Or vice versa I can't remember.

What on earth caused that I don't know.

Not to break my arm patting myself on the back - but I got Bryan interested in examining the differences between US & UK versions when I told him that the Pearson bio UK version has snippets from the unused Bond story with the greek gambler. The us version doesn't.

[zencat]

[quote name='doublenoughtspy' date='30 September 2005 - 12:49']Not to break my arm patting myself on the back - but I got Bryan interested in examining the differences between US & UK versions when I told him that the Pearson bio UK version has snippets from the unused Bond story with the greek gambler.

[Bondian]

How about 'Slimmerfin'?.

Maybe we should start referring to this U.S. edition as the "sanitized SilverFin" because, after all, that's what it is.

[TortillaFactory]

Hee.

Still trawling (ha! trawling! eels! I'll stop now.) eBay for a reasonably-priced UK edition. Glad I didn't buy the U.S. I prefer my Bond uncensored.

[Qwerty]

http://cgi.ebay.com/...1QQcmdZViewItem - that might be good, I'm assuming it's the UK edition. Or it's still at a rather fair price on amazon UK.

[The Minister Of Silly Walks]

i'm soooo tired of US censoring everyting. I guess it's one of those era's. Tight, than loose than tight again. like the difference between the 60's and the 70's. Both were similar but the 60's were considerabally tight to the public until the 70's pointed out some rebellious 60's things. But for the most part, the 60's were more loose than the '50s. I blame Janet Jackson, her boobie popped out and now everyone is censoring things left and right. Than again we can only blame ourselves for being fat. No wonder they're taking vending machines out of shcools. To protect us from ourselves.

this Silverfin article is very good. Stromberg, thank you, i now know to buy higsons books imported. If i ever read them.

[zencat]

I was just emailed this new one by "J B":

I found another change.

Bottom of page 11, US edition:

"Watch where you're going, you idiot," sneered one of them - a large
boy with a big square head [...]

On page 25 of the UK edition, he calls Bond a "new-tit", not an idiot.

Oddly, the American graphic novel uses "new-tit".

[zencat]

Some more discoveries from my too-shy-to-post friend:

I've done a careful line by line comparison of several chapters - wish
I had a scanner - and it seems there's at least one difference every
page. Most of these changes are matters of style and I think the US
edition is all the better for it. Shame about the missing paragraphs,
though. Makes me wonder what else of substance is missing.

One last change for you. Makes you wonder why the editor chose to do this.

Bond and Charmian's trip to Kent. It takes them three days in the UK
edition (p 370 line 21), and only two days in the US edition (p 333
line 12).

Oh, and here's something else... typos!

SilverFin: UK edition p. 362, line 4 "he" appears, should be "she"
since Aunt Charmian is speaking.

SilverFin: US edition p. 328, line 11 "nosense" appears instead of "nonsense".

Bloodfever, UK edition: "Blood Fever", Puffin edition, 9th printing
(though probably in other printings):

Page 307, near the end of chapter 24 reads, "He opened one eye a
crack. She was still sat there." I suspect the author either meant
"she was still there" or "she still sat there".

Page 310, near start of chapter 25, reads, "The bangs of the guns so
loud they stunned him," should probably read "The bangs of the guns
*were* so loud they stunned him,"

[Matt_13]

It's funny you posted this. I've caught a number of typos in the YBN. I always wondered how that happened, since it's uncommon to find such mistakes in popular fiction. Seems like the editor was a bit careless.

[Jeff007]

Must of missed that article years back. Nice finds Heiko.