Abridged Classics: Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read But Probably Didn't by John Atkinson

 Abridged Classics: Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read But Probably Didn't by John Atkinson, 160 pages

"'Classic.' A book which people praise and don't read." (Mark Twain)

From the MARC: "Abridged Classics is a witty collection of some of the major works of Western literature. John Atkinson, the creator of Wrong Hands cartoons, cleverly sums up these works in the least amount of words possible, enhanced by his delightfully deadpan illustrations... The literary endeavors contained in these pages -- which make pithy molehills out of verbose mountains -- are sure to amuse, confuse, educate, or irritate."

This humorous take on western classics was a delightful respite, even though the summaries were a little hit or miss. But when they hit, oh boy, they hit hard. My personal favorites were Little Women and Lord of the Rings.