Classic English Novels Abridged: free ebooks.

This is a collection of famous novels which have been shortened and slightly simplified for the general reader.

These are not summaries; each is half to two-thirds of the original length. I've selected works that people often find daunting because of their density or complexity: the aim is to make them easier to read, while keeping the style intact. It's hoped they will also appeal to students of English who are not quite ready to tackle the originals.

There are currently ten books in the series:

Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights
Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
George Eliot's Daniel Deronda
Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy
W.M.Thackeray's Vanity Fair
Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South
Charlotte Bronte's Shirley
Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now
Anthony Trollope's Can You Forgive Her?
Charles Dickens's Bleak House

and one non-fiction book:
The Plague of 1665: Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year, abridged, and other contemporary accounts

There are also Omnibus Editions for Kindle.

You can download the books below. All are free.

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Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights Abridged

Emily Bronte's complex book has at its heart the famous story of lovers Cathy and Heathcliff, but also contains a great deal more.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

Or go to the book's webpage at:
Nook Books iTunes store Kobo Books
Smashwords (for all ebook formats, or to read online)

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Jane Austen's Mansfield Park Abridged

Timid young Fanny Price finds that life is not easy in the house of her grand relations. Jane's Austen's most serious novel is regarded by some as her greatest.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

Or go to the book's webpage at:
Nook Books iTunes store Kobo Books
Smashwords (for all ebook formats, or to read online)

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George Eliot's Daniel Deronda Abridged

Two very different people influence each other's lives: the beautiful, worldly Gwendolen Harleth, and the idealistic Daniel Deronda, whose parentage is a mystery to him.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

Or go to the book's webpage at:
Nook Books iTunes store Kobo Books
Smashwords (for all ebook formats, or to read online)

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Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy Abridged

An 'autobiography' in which the narrator seldom gets much beyond his own birth, instead producing a bewildering bundle of anecdotes, musings and entertainment.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

Or go to the book's webpage at:
Nook Books iTunes store Kobo Books
Smashwords (for all ebook formats, or to read online)

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W.M.Thackeray's Vanity Fair Abridged

Thackeray's sweeping novel follows various families through the battle of Waterloo and beyond, all described with a satirical yet compassionate eye.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

Or go to the book's webpage at:
Nook Books iTunes store Kobo Books
Smashwords (for all ebook formats, or to read online)

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Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South Abridged

A great novel of the Industrial Revolution; southerner Margaret finds herself at loggerheads with stern northern mill-owner John Thornton. Includes an appendix on the book's social context.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

Or go to the book's webpage at:
Nook Books iTunes store Kobo Books
Smashwords (for all ebook formats, or to read online)

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Charlotte Bronte's Shirley Abridged

Two young women (one based on Emily Bronte) question their roles in a restrictive society.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf
(If pdf fails to download, please try here.)

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Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now Abridged

Trollope's longest yet highly readable novel depicts a society in which money and ambition rule.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf
(If pdf fails to download, please try here.)

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Anthony Trollope's Can You Forgive Her? Abridged

The first of Trollope's famous series of Palliser novels, revolving around political ambition and personal relationships.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf
(If pdf fails to download, please try here.)

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Charles Dickens's Bleak House Abridged

Orphan Esther Summerson encounters mystery and intrigue amidst a host of vivid characters, as she finds her path in life.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf
(If pdf fails to download, please try here.)

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The Plague of 1665: Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year, abridged, and other contemporary accounts

Daniel Defoe's journalistic account of London's last great plague is followed by summaries and extracts from ten more contemporary sources: doctors, diarists and others.

Download: epub, mobi (for Kindle), pdf

There is an extended Kindle edition of this book, with material from 23 sources in all, for sale at Amazon UK here and Amazon US here.