Reader's Digest Condensed Books was a series of hardcover anthology collections, published by the American general interest monthly family magazine Reader's Digest and distributed by direct mail. Most volumes contained five (although a considerable minority consisted of three, four, or six) current best-selling novels and nonfiction books which were abridged (or "condensed") specifically for Reader's Digest. The series was published from 1950 until 1997, when it was renamed Reader's Digest Select Editions. Frequently featured authors in the original series include Dick Francis (17 titles), Henry Denker (16 titles), Victoria Holt (15 titles) and Mary Higgins Clark (13 titles). The series was popular; a 1987 New York Times article estimated annual sales of 10 million copies. Despite this popularity, old copies are notoriously difficult to sell, and scholarly attention has been sparse. For much of their publication schedule, the volumes were issued four times each year. Each year the company produced a Volume 1 (winter), Volume 2 (spring), Volume 3 (summer), and Volume 4 (autumn). In later years they added a Volumes 5, and then a Volume 6, going to a bi-monthly schedule by the early 1990s. The series was produced for 47 years (1950–1997), until being renamed Reader's Digest Select Editions. (Note: UK editions seem to have been somewhat different from US editions. Pre-1992 Canadian editions also contain different titles.) Occasional books such as The Leopard (Summer 1960), The Days Were Too Short (Autumn 1960), and Papillon (Autumn 1970) were not published in English originally but were abridgments of translations. In some cases, advanced copies of the hardcover edition were printed in paperback form. In a few cases, new editions of older works (Up from Slavery, published originally in 1901 (Autumn 1960), A Roving Commission: My Early Life, published originally in 1930 (Autumn 1951) or Goodbye Mr. Chips, published originally in 1934 (Summer 1961)) were also among the condensed selections.

1950s

1950

Volume 1 – Spring Volume 2 – Summer Volume 3 – Autumn

1951

Volume 4 – Winter Volume 5 – Spring Volume 6 – Summer Volume 7 – Autumn

1952

Volume 8 – Winter Volume 9 – Spring Volume 10 – Summer Volume 11 – Autumn

1953

Volume 12 – Winter Spring 1953 Selections Volume 14 – Summer Volume 15 – Autumn

1954

Volume 16 – Winter Volume 17 – Spring Volume 18 – Summer Volume 19 – Autumn

1955

Volume 20 – Winter Volume 22 – Summer Volume 21 – Spring Volume 23 – Autumn

1956

Volume 24 – Winter Volume 25 – Spring Volume 26 – Summer Volume 27 – Autumn

1957

Volume 28 – Winter Volume 29 – Spring Volume 30 – Summer Volume 31 – Autumn

1958

Volume 32 – Winter Volume 33 – Spring Volume 34 – Summer Volume 35 – Autumn

1959

Volume 36 – Winter Volume 37 – Spring Volume 38 – Summer Volume 39 – Autumn

1960s

1960

Volume 40 – Winter Volume 41 – Spring Volume 42 – Summer Volume 43 – Autumn

1961

Volume 44 – Winter Volume 45 – Spring Volume 46 – Summer Volume 47 – Autumn

1962

Volume 48 – Winter Volume 49 – Spring Volume 50 – Summer Volume 51 – Autumn

1963

Volume 52 – Winter Volume 53 – Spring Volume 54 – Summer Volume 55 – Autumn

1964

Volume 56 – Winter Volume 57 – Spring Volume 58 – Summer Volume 59 – Autumn

1965

Volume 60 – Winter Volume 61 – Spring Volume 62 – Summer Volume 63 – Autumn

1966

Volume 64 – Winter Volume 65 – Spring Volume 66 – Summer Volume 67 – Autumn

1967

Volume 68 – Winter Volume 69 – Spring Volume 70 – Summer Volume 71 – Autumn

1968

Volume 72 – Winter Volume 73 – Spring Volume 74 – Summer Volume 75 – Autumn

1969

Volume 76 – Winter Volume 77 – Spring Volume 78 – Summer Volume 79 – Autumn

1970s

1970

Volume 80 – Winter Volume 81 – Spring Volume 82 – Summer Volume 83 – Autumn

1971

Volume 84 – Winter Volume 85 – Spring Volume 86 – Summer Volume 87 – Autumn

1972

Volume 88 – Winter Volume 89 – Spring Volume 90 – Summer Volume 91 – Autumn

1973

Volume 92 – #1 Volume 93 – #2 Volume 94 – #3 Volume 95 – #4 Volume 96 – #5

1974

Volume 97 – #1 Volume 98 – #2 Volume 99 – #3 Volume 100 – #4 Volume 101 – #5

1975

Volume 102 – #1 Volume 103 – #2 Volume 104 – #3 Volume 105 – #4 Volume 106 – #5

1976

Volume 107 – #1 Volume 108 – #2 Volume 109 – #3 Volume 110 – #4 Volume 111 – #5

1977

Volume 112 – #1 Volume 113 – #2 Volume 114 – #3 Volume 115 – #4 Volume 116 – #5

1978

Volume 117 – #1 Volume 118 – #2 Volume 119 – #3 Volume 120 – #4 Volume 121 – #5

1979

Volume 122 – #1 Volume 123 – #2 Volume 124 – #3 Volume 125 – #4 Volume 126 – #5

1980s

1980

Volume 127 – #1 Volume 128 – #2 Volume 129 – M Volume 130 – #3 Volume 131 – #4 Volume 132 – #5

1981

Volume 133 – #1 Volume 134 – #2 Volume 135 – M Volume 136 – #3 Volume 137 – #4 Volume 138 – #5

1982

Volume 139 – #1 Volume 140 – #2 Volume 141 – M Volume 142 – #3 Volume 143 – #4 Volume 144 – #5

1983

Volume 145 – #1 Volume 146 – #2 Volume 147 – M Volume 148 – #3 Volume 149 – #4 Volume 150 – #5

1984

Volume 151 – #1 Volume 152 – #2 Volume 153 – M Volume 154 – #3 Volume 155 – #4 Volume 156 – #5

1985

Volume 157 – #1 Volume 158 – #2 Volume 159 – M Volume 160 – #3 Volume 161 – #4 Volume 162 – #5

1986

Volume 163 – #1 Volume 164 – #2 Volume 165 – M Volume 166 – #3 Volume 167 – #4 Volume 168 – #5

1987

Volume 169 – #1 Volume 170 – #2 Volume 171 – M Volume 172 – #3 Volume 173 – #4 Volume 174 – #5

1988

Volume 175 – #1 Volume 176 – #2 Volume 177 – M Volume 178 – #3 Volume 179 – #4 Volume 180 – #5

1989

Volume 181 – #1 Volume 182 – #2 Volume 183 – M Volume 184 – #3 Volume 185 – #4 Volume 186 – #5

1990s

1990

Volume 187 – #1 Volume 188 – #2 Volume 189 – M Volume 190 – #3 Volume 191 – #4 Volume 192 – #5

1991

Volume 193 – #1 Volume 194 – #2 Volume 195 – #3 Volume 196 – #4 Volume 197 – #5 Volume 198 – #6

1992

Volume 199 – #1 Volume 200 – #2 Volume 201 – #3 Volume 202 – #4 Volume 203 – #5 Volume 204 – #6

1993

Volume 205 – #1 Volume 206 – #2 Volume 207 – #3 Volume 208 – #4 Volume 209 – #5 Volume 210 – #6

1994

Volume 211 – #1 Volume 212 – #2 Volume 213 – #3 Volume 214 – #4 Volume 215 – #5 Volume 216 – #6

1995

Volume 217 – #1 Volume 218 – #2 Volume 219 – #3 Volume 220 – #4 Volume 221 – #5 Volume 222 – #6

1996

Volume 223 – #1 Volume 224 – #2 Volume 225 – #3 Volume 226 – #4 Volume 227 – #5 Volume 228 – #6

1997

Volume 229 – #1 Volume 230 – #2 Volume 231 – #3 Volume 232 – #4 These 1997 volumes were also published as Reader's Digest Select Editions, and all succeeding volumes were published as Reader's Digest Select Editions.