tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post3229336592879311537..comments2023-08-27T10:28:30.200+01:00Comments on Temporarily Significant: Why Leslie Plays Soccer on the SidewalkBen Aaronovitchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14827057173097312360noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-76509763705979229492017-02-21T07:01:34.703+00:002017-02-21T07:01:34.703+00:00ADDENDUM: I don't know why I said "Foxglo...ADDENDUM: I don't know why I said "Foxglove Summer" above. It is "Hanging Tree" that has the two different versions and the less-than-helpful note.raikenclwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02157053565757408717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-47949456720410788542017-02-21T05:42:16.318+00:002017-02-21T05:42:16.318+00:00I read the first couple of books in American paper...I read the first couple of books in American paperback, but for the rest I've used Audible.com. The only trouble I've had with "Britishisms" is with a couple of things Peter alludes to that have nothing to do with the plot. One that springs to mind (from Foxglove Summer) was his saying that in the event of a zombie apocalypse he intended to nick a warthog from somewhere. Suspecting that this was a weapon of some sort, I paused the book and googled "warthog Britain weapon" and the second thing on the list that popped up in response was a row of pics of a tracked armored vehicle with a prominent pintle weapons mount. Nodding to myself, I went back to listening.raikenclwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02157053565757408717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-81752721000290974692015-02-26T16:56:05.966+00:002015-02-26T16:56:05.966+00:00Just finished up Foxglove Summer and was wandering...Just finished up <i>Foxglove Summer</i> and was wandering through your blog. I found this post and its implications very interesting. As a lover of books, an ignorant American, and someone who likes all things British (except some of the food), I have to say that I barely even noticed many of the things mentioned in this post while reading or listening to the books. I know what lorry, loo, crisps, chips, and football mean in England, thank you; can tell that color and colour sound the same; and I can work out the meaning of "nick" in context after a while. I will admit, though, that my first reading of Rivers of London was difficult as I was unfamiliar with the vernacular. I could tell there was a good story there, but I had some trouble following it. Thank goodness I gave the audiobook a try because <b>hearing</b> it made all the difference in the world. Now that I'm familiar with Peter-speak, I can read the books just fine. Perhaps this is what American publishers are afraid of -- that the next reader will be too lazy to work at understanding the language? Lazy IS our middle name, ya know. Just a thought. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-40319616265106319082014-09-26T06:27:26.833+01:002014-09-26T06:27:26.833+01:00I have a packed bag and everything but neither DTV...I have a packed bag and everything but neither DTV or Orion ever invite me.Ben Aaronovitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14827057173097312360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-63964344764171587782014-09-26T02:32:45.331+01:002014-09-26T02:32:45.331+01:00As a very impressed German, I'll just say &quo...As a very impressed German, I'll just say "krass" (try to figure it out *g*). I actually am so impressed that I will not mention any maps for broken homes this time. On a completely different note: as an author successful in Germany, shouldn't you be on the Frankfurt Book-Fair? (and no, of course my question has nothing to do with me being on the fair for all five days...)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08286029518248739240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-40038053468769884112014-09-26T01:15:24.131+01:002014-09-26T01:15:24.131+01:00I read "Rivers of London" at the recomme...I read "Rivers of London" at the recommendation of a friend; i bought a copy of the UK edition from a used bookstore. Having lived in the UK (admittedly a long time ago), the language wasn't an issue. If I could leave middle america and live in Teeside for a year and manage to communicate, I figure most American readers can figure out crisps, football, and blues-and-twos. <br />The US edition of Moon over Soho was a bit of a shock, but I was really pleased to see that subsequent books weren't so heavily edited. The assumptions that Americans can't handle slightly different language is really frustrating to me, especially when we're handling it fine on TV.<br />Trying to decide if we're going to order the UK edition of Foxglove Summer as an import, or wait for the US release...<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-68886148887448389642014-09-24T06:30:17.220+01:002014-09-24T06:30:17.220+01:00Hi,
since you mention sales in germany being ten ...Hi,<br /><br />since you mention sales in germany being ten times higher than in the US (which are probably still minor compared to UK sales, right?), do you know how many english copies are sold in germany? (at least I bought one ;) )Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02373693685568566652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-21393316901918081972014-09-22T16:24:04.562+01:002014-09-22T16:24:04.562+01:00Thanks for the post! This is way more of an answe...Thanks for the post! This is way more of an answer than I was expecting. <br /><br />With respect to that last bit, I enjoy Peter's grammatical adventures. To me at least, it makes the books read more like he's narrating, and the occasional "and me" makes him feel more real. (Especially when he consciously fixes it and ends up "correcting" it from "right" to "wrong" by classical usage.)Casshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10003525924548376068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-81896835980722059692014-09-22T15:57:39.672+01:002014-09-22T15:57:39.672+01:00(2) US publishers are stuck in their NY tall build...(2) US publishers are stuck in their NY tall building / summer Friday world. The rest of us would be glad to read about Lesley eating crisps and playing football.DBPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03564511371709227863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-52042717237415805672014-09-22T13:08:21.578+01:002014-09-22T13:08:21.578+01:00As to Peter's constant "Me and"s, my...As to Peter's constant "Me and"s, my pedantic little heart is made whole just knowing that it bothers Nightingale as much as it bothers me. Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13943854290539335426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1763010932242315938.post-85200166896394276682014-09-22T12:57:13.613+01:002014-09-22T12:57:13.613+01:00This post makes me more grateful than I already wa...This post makes me more grateful than I already was for your fabulous audiobook readings, in which spellings are irrelevant and, I presume, vocabulary is left as you wrote it. I can understand, barely, why American publishers change the -ours to -ors, but it drives me nuts to find British characters using ballpoint pens, going to soccer games, or discovering sorcerers' stones, whatever the hell those are. It's embarrassing to think that in the internet age Americans who still read novels are thought to be so stupid that publishers have to alter original texts to accommodate their ignorance. Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13943854290539335426noreply@blogger.com