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Around the World 80 days-Mercier transllation?

From: Norm Wolcott <nwolcott2~at~kreative.net>
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 21:48:06 -0400
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>

The Taves and Michaluk lists a translation by Mercier Lewis of "Around the World in 80 Days" pub by Nelson Doubleday 1964 illustrated by Robin Jacques.. The Evans article the "Most Translated book in the World" also lists this as Collins, 1962.

http://home.netvigator.com/~wbutcher/articles/mosttranslated.htm

This is a juvenile edition, listed as the "Junior Deluxe Edition

This is the only known mention of a translation by Mercier Lewis of this volume. Therefore one is immediaately suspicious.

Actually a physical examination of the book shows that it is an exact reprint of the Towle translation (No 1 on Evans'list), the main difference is that the words "the house where Sheridan died in 1814" are removed from the first paragraph (for the benefit of juvenile readers). Some victorianisms are replaced --"had not absented himself from London" replaced by "had not been away from London" etc. but complete with the "swan skin soles".

So translation no 5 by Mercier may now be dropped as another publisher's goof-up.

nwolcott2~at~post.harvard.edu Friar Wolcott, Gutenberg Abbey, Sherwood Forrest
Received on Thu 12 Aug 2004 - 04:54:25 IDT

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