The Barnes and Noble edition is a Constance Garnett translation from 1922 and is shitty.

Also, I'll probably make a thread tomorrow about our first meeting. I'm getting the book from the library.

BTW, I'll be out of town from June 3 to 11 for my brother's wedding, so !@#$% can take over then if you guys want to do stuff while I'm gone. I won't have internet access.

Will it be down at the fire hall?

It'll be in the basement of the Lion's Club on Mulberry Street downtown. Like we discussed.

Ok good. Don't forget to bring yr old glasses down folks.

I'm going to start reading the library copy I have, but I just ordered the paperback off of Amazon for $7.64, including S&H.

I just read the first chapter to see what it's like. Pretty good. Extremely sarcastic, which is great. But I have no idea what this book is about - I just read the back of the book.

So are there alotted times to read each chapter or what?

We haven't gotten that far yet. We've been giving it some time for everyone to get the book. Tomorrow, I'll probably get the ball rolling.

Ok. I thought I was coming in a little late or something. That's good.

I've been operating under the assumption that everyone who was interested in doing this has kept their head extracted from their ass and is aware of what we're reading and when. I'm simply waiting for the elected chairman (i.e. Noumenal) to let us know when discussion begins and at what intervals.

I say we begin soon, and leave the unprepared amongst us floundering in the dust. If they haven't got it together by now, they've missed the ship of literary enlightenment, or something clever.

That being said, I couldn't find that translation, so I haven't gotten the book yet. I still advocate immediate commencement; those of us who are behind should take it upon ourselves to catch up.

If I don't, I reserve the right to whine petulantly about the lack of consideration of insensitive and impatient board members, and will likely troll the book discussions, peppering them with bad grammar, nonsensical obscenities, cheap personal insults, and shouted synopses of Janet Evanovich novels.

Whoa, this has begun?
I already own the B&N classic edition; will it be a problem if I read it? Or must we all read the same translation?

great, i don't mind taking over... anything :P

and for those asking is the BERNARD GUERNEY translation, reglardless of what year--- that's the only one to have been received nabokov's blessing.

I know people keep asking this... but really, c'mon...

I was cleaning out my classroom today and found an copy that made me say "wuhaw" while my students were taking their finals. It is the Norton Critical Edition and has gobs of literary criticism at the end. I think I'll be all right, even if Nobokov would spite me.

Really, to what extent is THAT version necessary?

See, I'm thinking exactly the same thing, but I was going to keep it quiet. Either I find the one everyone's reading, and there's no problem, or I find another one and don't tell anyone and there's no problem.

Yeah I can't really see each edition being different to each other.

Ya, just instead of quoting page numbers and stuff, we'll have to say, "You know, that one part where..." It's all good.

Yep, the first chapter did have its moments. But it also lost me a lot of the time, he goes into a lot of description and it gets confusing. Incredibly long paragraphs too. But its good, I think I'll enjoy it.

OK, let's get started. Read whatever translation you want. There are several different ones. The Guerney one is the "official" book club one.

First meeting will be tomorrow at 5 PM Central time. It is 3:30 Central Time now, for reference. We will discuss the first chapter. I will start a thread here on the board and I will open a chat room on Yahoo. You need to register at Yahoo to get in. Details will be in the thread tomorrow.

Let me know if this is a bad time. I have to work Thursday and Friday night and I'm flying to Georgia on Saturday. I will be back on June 11. We can discuss Chapters 2 and 3 one day the week I get back.

I know that it will be hard to all meet at exactly the same time. Tell me if you can think of a better time. Any later might be too late for boardies in the UK. I will make the thread tomorrow AT 5. Or whenever we decide.

About the translations: what translation you read makes a big difference. (I've always really loved Norton Critical Editions and Norton Critical Scores. I'm sure you'll be fine.) I think that you guys should avoid the earlier translations though. If you want to go with the P&V, you'd probably be fine. I read their Crime and Punishment and it was good. I'm just scared of translations before Guerney because, like !@#$% said, Nabokov said they suck. And Nabokov is my hero and everything he says is truth.

So, tomorrow at 5 PM unless there is a consensus that that time doesn't work.

O! sweet Arthelion, you have arrived.

Who wants to help me test out the chat thing?!!?!?! PM me.

So this will happen all in chat... I was thinking it would be a thread..

Any possibility that it could be both, as I don't have a computer at home, I wouldn't really get to participate?