David Copperfield (Edited Classic)

When David Copperfields widowed mother remarries, David suffers from his stepfathers abuse. At age 8, David is sent away to a harsh school where the principal routinely beats the students. Davids circumstances become even worse when he is removed from school and, at age 10, forced to labor from morning to night in a London warehouse. David then decides to take desperate action. He will run away to his great-aunt, who lives in Dover. Having never met her, David doesnt know whether shell welcome him or reject him. With almost no money, no food, and inadequate clothing, he sets out on a journey that will change his life.

Townsend Library classics have been edited to make them more accessible to todays readers. But the books have not been abridged in the sense of shortening them by sacrificing story development, character richness, and the authors voice. In our experience, abridged books result from a simplistic removal of large chunks of material or a formulaic translation that robs a book of its distinctive flavor. By contrast, as we produce a Townsend Library title, we seek to edit the material carefully and respectfully in order to preserve the qualities that have made the book a classic.

TL editors approach every book entirely on its own merits, guided constantly by these questions:

What will get in the way of a readers enjoyment of this wonderful story?

How can the story be made more readable while preserving the integrity of the original book?