Okay, I'm pretty frustrated...
As of only a few months ago, I really started reading a lot of classics. But what annoys me is when I see editions of the book with notes, and better translations, etc. When I read a book, I want to take away as much as possible, and so I feel I need to buy the editions with more extra material. Does anyone know any resource that can provide info as to what the best edition (or translation, if foreign) of a book is?
A good example is War and Peace. I bought the Modern Library Classics edition, but then I see the Penguin edition with a different translation. And then the oxford edition with a 3rd translation AND notes, and then the Signet version with another translation!
It's pretty damn annoying, and I've already bought some books twice!

Is this akin to wishing to pick up the DVD with the most extras and the "best" cut?

Translations will vary because idiomatic language is perceived and will be translated differently: if you want the "definitive" version of a book by someone writing in another language I'd say you need to learn that language and then read the book as it was originally written. But that is extreme and not something I'd ever do myself!

.... one option is to use the library rather than buying each new edition.

With regard to the notes that might accompany a novel, perhaps these should be seen as the icing on the cake. I would not see them as essential to your enjoyment of the book as you are reading it.

However, if you want to get more out of a particular novel then by all means pick up a separate critical tome from the library and work your way through its bibliography. And there are various online notes available, too, I hear.

If you have access to a college course reading list, the list should be a good indicator of what editions are best. I just scanned the books I kept from college (english lit major) and most of my professors seem to have preferred either penguin classics or oxford university press editions.

Another option would be to simply email or call a lit professor and simply ask. I'm sure they'd be willing to help out. Hope this helps!

This is very true. My parents told me I couldn't read Ovid's Metamorphosis when I was in Jr. High, which of course meant that I immediately checked it out from the library. I couldn't find anything that they would find offensive, and after I got caught, they pointed out that I had a translation from Victorian times. Oh the disappointment!

I think the library is a good place to look. Also, if you look at college syllabi, keep in mind that professors are limited in what they can choose as texts--sometimes the best books aren't chosen because they're out of print or too expensive.

tasha

sexymama - That's not necessarily the case -- some professors select texts based on price, rather than quality (ie, they might prefer the Modern Library W&P, but they recognize that students are on a budget so they assign a paperback instead).

natevines - As to War and Peace, you might find this interesting. This fall, Harper Collins UK is releasing the long-lost original version of War and Peace. Apparently it's shorter, with different emphasis, although preserving the same narrative. Should be a fascinating textual comparison project...

For Classics, I always go with Penguin Classics. Just my personal preference. I love the notes, biographical information and editing that goes into them. They are currently reissuing the entire classics line in new packaging (a much better looking black cover than the old pale yellow or light blue) and many of the titles are getting new translations, new notes or both.

I just read the Penguin Classics version of August Strindberg's Three Plays and the biographical information on Strindberg in the front of the book really gives you a better understanding of the plays.