UK vs. US edition

[erisedstraeh2002]

No: HPFGUIDX 55605

Kristen asked:

> For those of you who have read both the US and UK versions of the 
> books, which one would you recommend as the best contrast between 
> versions?

Now me:
 
I've read both the US and UK versions of all of the books, but it's 
hard for me to recommend which one would be the best contrast.  The 
changing of British words into American words diminishes as you go 
along - for example, it's a "dustbin" in PS and a "trashcan" in SS, 
but in either version of GoF it's a "dustbin."  Similarly, in both 
versions of GoF, Harry recalls the password to Dumbledore's office as 
being "sherbet lemon" in his second year while in the American 
version of CoS this was changed to "lemon drop" (this one actually 
annoys me - IMO, if they're going to change it in one book, they 
should be consistent and change it in all of the books!).  So if 
you're looking for the book that has the most changes, I'd go with 
PS/SS.  There are pages on the Lexicon that detail the changes 
between the UK and US versions that you could also consult in making 
your decision.

But if you're looking for the book where the changes are substantive 
rather than stylistic, go with GoF.  In the first chapter, the UK 
version has Wormtail telling Voldemort "If I curse..." while the US 
version says "If I murder..."  This change completely changes the 
meaning, IMO, and was very confusing to me (since Moody was cursed, 
not murdered) until I (by participating in this wonderful group) 
discovered it was an editorial change rather than JKR's original 
intent.  In addition, the UK version of GoF has Fudge saying at the 
end "I've heard of scars acting as alarm bells before" while the US 
version has him saying "I've *never* heard of scars acting as alarm 
bells before" (my emphasis).  Again, changing the meaning.

I've also noticed that the later versions of the UK books correct 
errors that are not corrected in later versions of the US books - 
ancestor to descendant in CoS, for example.  Also, the UK PS adult 
version has Hagrid saying that he has to put Sirius' motorbike away 
while prior UK and current US versions have Hagrid saying that he has 
to return the bike to Sirius (clearing up one of our many mysteries!).

I've probably made your decision harder rather than easier, but I 
hope this has been helpful.  Whichever book you choose to buy, I'm 
sure you'll enjoy it tremendously!

~Phyllis