Abridged Classics: Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read but Probably Didn’t

A collection of irreverent summations of more than 100 well-known works of literature, from Anna Karenina to Wuthering Heights, cleverly described in the fewest words possible and accompanied with funny color illustrations.

Abridged Classics: Brief Summaries of Books You Were Supposed to Read but Probably Didn’t is packed with dozens of humorous super-condensed summations of some of the most famous works of literature from many of the world’s most revered authors, including William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Emily Brontë, Leo Tolstoy, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, J.R.R. Tolkien, Margaret Atwood, James Joyce, Plato, Ernest Hemingway, Dan Brown, Ayn Rand, and Herman Melville.

From "Old ladies convince a guy to ruin Scotland" (Macbeth) to "Everyone is sad. It snows." (War and Peace), these clever, humorous synopses are sure to make book lovers smile.

“Very funny stuff…There is a lot going on in Atkinson’s deceptively simple cartoons…and the magic is in how he achieves the maximum impact with as little as possible. So, it makes total sense for Atkinson to tackle some of the most celebrated books–with hilarious results.” - Comics Grinder

He compiles super-succinct summaries of literary classics in the light-hearted, humorous style that his blog readers have grown to love. - Wordpress

John Atkinson, is giving all book lovers a chuckle with his condensed literary classic cartoons, which include abbreviations of famous works of literature. - Buzzfeed

John Atkinson has illustrated and summarized the books you don’t want to read but nevertheless feel you should. - the Paris Review

Turns out you can summarize Proust’s In Search of Lost Time with two pictures. - Lithub

This book will appeal to people that read the New Yorker for the cartoons, or enjoy Tom Gauld’s reading-themed cartoons. - ComicsDC