/lit/ - Literature

Get the 57 hour audio book.

>>5357516
None. Buy a good book instead.

>>5357518
Got recommendations?

Get Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon" or "V." instead.

>>5357520
>>5357522
^This or Gravity's Rainbow if you're looking for post modernism.

>>5357522
>>5357525
Which ones?

>>5357516
Why does it matter?

>>5357527
Whoops, forgot to attach image.

>>5357516
I don't think it matters. I have the cheapest one in this image and the print gets pretty ugly in some spots but not a big deal and I'm not sure if the other editions are any better.

>>5357532
I've heard the 'millions of cartoon characters on the cover' versions of Pynchon have numerous errors. I have the other editions in this image and they seem fine.

>>5357632
They have no errors. Holy fuck. They are by vintage, the same company that makes the faggot pride rocket and the orange star cover. Only penguin has errors. That retarded chart image with the subjective cover tastes is the cause of this, but that fucking cover on amazon isn't even necessarily one you'll even get were you to order it.

And only Gravity's Rainbow even has the errors.

bottom right

>>5357635
Alright, thanks for the clarification.

>>5357638
No problem. I wonder now if there are people who ordered and got the cartoon squiggle cover or star and had a meltdown, or if people are carefully selecting the publication of every pynchon book for no real reason. That's pretty funny. Kind of reminds me of something he would throw into a book, actually.

>>5357532

>>5357532
I have the copy of V. from Vintage (The one with the big red V) ad the text is quite smeary and blurry in many places. I recommend paying the extra money and getting the Harper Perennial version.

Pic related is from my copy. It gets little annoying when you are used to sharp, crisp text.

>>5357720
This one is sitting on my bookshelf. Are there errors in this edition?

>>5357731
I don't know. I know that poster "The cats" knows of the exact error in the Jackson Pollock, and maybe he can point it out so you can check.

But if there are error(s), they are not severe enough that you will notice them.

>>5357731
I'm on page 656 and haven't noticed any yet.

>>5357740
The errors are really insignificant. If you already have a copy, don't sweat it. The chart info is just for people who are buying it new and want the best copy available.

>>5357720
Is it worth the extra bucks for hardcover version of Bleeding Edge?

>>5357790
In my opinion it is. It's a nice hardcover.

>>5357800
It does look really nice and it isn't that much more expensive than the paperback.

>>5357801
I have it. It's a really nice hardcover.

>>5357826
How much did it set you back?

>>5357843
I payed too much, as I wanted it immediately, and my bookstore wanted 25 pounds for it.

You should be able to find it cheaper on amazon or bookdepository.

>>5357865
It's going for around $30aud on bookdepo, seems reasonable enough since it's up around $40 in stores.

>>5357826
I love hardcover books but I'm usually reading on the go. Would it be too heavy/awkward to carry around?

>>5357879
Could grab the paperback now, and then the hardback when it goes down in price to put on the shelf?

>>5357879
It's a big book, but it will fit just fine in any bag or backpack. It's not a pocket book.

>>5357879
e-reader

>>5357868
I'd pay that.

>>5357889
well, i guess that for a big book you gotta need a BIG GUY

>>5357907
go away

I love how quickly a DFW thread derails into Pynchon

>>5357956
And vice versa.

>>5357800
I'm 15 chapters into Bleeding Edge, when does it pick up? I have to admit, I really haven't enjoyed it at all so far. Even Inherent Vice which is often called Pynch's worst book was a hell of a lot of fun at this point. Bleeding Edge just feels like run of the mill detective fiction with a penchant for meandering in restaurant scenes. At least the other "pynchon-lite" books feel a little post-modern.

>>5357968
It picks up. Don't worry.

>>5357635
Should I generally avoid penguin translations or is it just Gravity's Rainbow?

>>5358024
Generally.

Harper Perennial and Vintage are both better than Penguin.

Everyman's Library is GOAT

>>5357516
The bottom right one. It has the best cover.

If V. is 5/10 in terms of difficulty, what is Gravity's Rainbow?

>>5357516
Bottom left is the way to go.

>>5359352
7-8, maybe? Not too much harder than V. and still much easier than Finnegans Wake or even Ulysses

I'm 400 pages into M&D, and goddam is it a blast to read. I've heard that it gets even better, but it's hard to see how that's even possible at this point. Probably the most I've enjoyed a book in terms of both entertainment and provoking thought.

>>5359373
I'm very glad to hear that. I was going to read it after I'm finished with Gravity's Rainbow.

How long does it take to get used to the old-timey language?

>>5359469
Not very long, actually. I felt good with it by about page 15, although every once in a while there'll be a word with awkward spelling that I need to think about for a second. Probably the hardest part about it is that his sentences are longer and more winding than in any of his other works I've read.

>>5359483
I personally love that.

Finding a word that is spelled in a strange or unique way and then "getting" it is really fun to me. Just a small pause where you have to read the word 2-3 times and think a little really boosts my enjoyment.

>>5359501
Yeah the entire style adds so much character to the storytelling. It's really a great book and I can't wait to finish it.

>>5359509
So when people say that Mason & Dixon is a superior book to Gravity's Rainbow, they're not just being hipster pricks?

>>5359515
Nope, I can totally see someone preferring it over GR

>>5359522
Very, very interesting.

Thank you so much for your opinion. I hold it in high regard and now I can't wait to start reading Mason & Dixon.

>>5357720
I cannot find that vintage edition of gravitys rainbow anywhere. Know where its sold?

>>5359689
I think i saw it on amazon and the book depository.

>>5357532
Wait isn't that the 'v for vedora' book?

Do Pynchon's hardbacks go out of print fairly quickly or something? Can easily get my hands on a hardcover of Crying and Bleeding, but it's almost impossible to find a hardcover version of Inherent Vice.

>>5361023
Some do and some don't. Bleeding Edge, Against The Day, Mason & Dixon are all easy to find as hardcovers, but the rest are a but more difficult.

Getting an original hardcover of V. or Gravity's Rainbow is both incredibly expensive and nearly impossible.

>>5361255
Is there any particular reason? I get that they're (V, GR) his oldest, but so is Crying which is readily available unlike them so I don't really get it.

Would I be wasting money going for Bleeding Edge in hardcover when it's easily cheaper in paperback?

>>5361718
As I said before, the Bleeding Edge hardcover is really really nice. Very high quality for a mass market hardcover.

>>5361255
>>5361023
>tfw hardcover [spoiiler]Vineland

>>5361769
pic please

>>5361758
Penguin Press or Vintage or doesn't matter?

>>5361813
For the hardcover? Mine is Jonathan Cape, so I couldn't say.

If the paperback is what your inquiry concerns, then I would go for the Vintage. On average, they have slightly better paper quality than Penguin.

>>5361821
Nah, the hardcover. I have a lot of books by Vintage and I do like them as a publisher but Penguin Press was the initial publisher so they might've done the first edition.

>>5361813
This is penguin, pretty good.

>>5361827
Penguin did the first edition,but I like the Jonathan Cape/Vintage better.

They are both very good, so it's up to you.

>>5361773

>>5361829

>>5361833
Oh yeah, I forgot. The Penguin has this rainbow shine reflector effect, while the Vintage has a plain matte cover.

>>5361834
I know that the John Cape has the matte cover, but wasn't sure about the Vintage one. I'll go with Penguin. Thanks, guys.

>>5361832
Very nice.

>>5361838
$1 from my local library's emergency funding sale
I still haven't read it.

>>5361840
I wish my library actually had good books.

And feel too bad about not having read it yet. It is at the bottom of the chart posted earlier.

ALL HAIL THE CHART

>>5357720
Why would Pynchon 'lite' not be the best intro to reading Pynchon? Is the chart supposing you work for the reward of easier Pynchon afterwards?

>trying to choose between GR and M&D

>>5361853
Because Pynchon "Lite" isn't as good as V. or The Crying of Lot 49, and new readers shouldn't be put off by Bleeding Edge or Inherent Vice.

>>5361860
Gravity's Rainbow first.

Then read Mason & Dixon.

>>5361861
Are they that bad?

>>5361867
I mean in reference to which I like more. I've read Gravity's Rainbow more times but the end of the Tchitcherine/Enzian plotline excepted I think I generally like M&D more.

But god damn the end of that plotline hits me every time.

>>5361868
Not at all. They just aren't as good V. or Crying.

>>5361868
It's not that they're terrible, it's just that they often read like Pynchon imitating himself and thus don't paint a great picture of what "classic Pynchon" reads like. His reputation, after all, was built on his pre-Vineland work.

>>5361868
Well, I'm halfway through Bleeding Edge and it's pretty bad so far, but I absolutely loved Inherent Vice. I feel like it was one of those books that was just made for me.

By the way, to the guy who yesterday told me Bleeding Edge picks up; when?

>>5361888
That was me.

At around page 300.

>>5361888
50-20 pages before it ends, then it settles back into mediocrity

>>5361896
Well all-right! Looks like it'll pick up next time I sit down to read.

Negative comments aside, I do like some of the characters and there are a few passages that I've really enjoyed, but overall it plays out like an even more meandering Inherent Vice only this time Ruggles doesn't have an idea what he's talking about with the pop culture or tech and it all comes across as wonky.

Hoping 9/11 comes around soon to liven things up.

>>5357641
I don't like you.

>>5361913
So be sure and talk to me when I wake up in some hours, sweetie <3

>>5357730
My copy of V. from Vintage is like that as well.

>>5362028
I hate it. It's like my eyes are trying to focus but can't.

The Harper Perennial has much sharper text.