About me
the person who actually reads these books
I made this because I’ve wasted real hours standing in bookshops with two translations of the same book in my hands, unable to choose. Which Dostoevsky? Is this Monte Cristo secretly abridged? I got obsessed with the answers — so now I buy the editions, read them, photograph them on my own table, and write down what I actually think. No algorithm. Just one person and a lot of books.
Right now I’m reading
War and Peace (Briggs) — slowly, happily.
My shelf — what I’ve actually read
- ✓ The Iliad · Fagles
the one that finally made it click for me. - ✓ Crime and Punishment · Ready
read it in one feverish week; couldn't stop. - ✓ Meditations · Hays
permanently dog-eared on my desk. - ✓ The Count of Monte Cristo · Buss
1,200 pages and I didn't want it to end.
Think I’m wrong about a translation? Want a title I haven’t covered, or a way to feature or partner with the site? I read every message — write in.
How this is funded: Preferred Edition is reader-supported through affiliate links. If you buy a book through a link here, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which edition I recommend — the pick is the pick.
Made by one person who loves books. Last updated June 2026.