Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First things first: my one star review has nothing to do with the story itself. I first read "The Westing Game" in 1981 as a third grader. Since then, I've made it a point to read it once each year; it's *that* well written. No, there are no surprises left in store for me, but rereading this story is like visiting a dear old friend. That said, this edition is an absolute disgrace. Why? Ellen Raskin was an illustrator. She had very specific desires for the layout and design of this book. I know that because it's documented ever-so-briefly at the back of this edition: pictures of galley proofs and notes she wrote delineating exactly how she wanted things to look. And that's important, because the style of the original is unique. Unique and beautiful. Whether it was the typography (which fonts to use, and where) or the chapter headers (the title between two rows of dots) or the dividers (single centered lines of dots), or even the chapter numbers themselves, she was meticulous about how it should look. Penguin Publishing was kind enough to include thirteen pages' worth of pictures of her notes regarding these issues so the reader could get a better feel for just how much design went into the book. Then they took her ideas and threw them all out and replaced all the custom formatting with generic. They took the lifeblood out of the design of the book and replaced it with something easier for their typesetters to do. If they'd just done this and nothing else, it wouldn't be a big deal; they did it with the Kindle editions of the book. But this "Deluxe Anniversary Edition" specifically celebrates Raskin's design, and they ignored it! It would be like hosting a celebration of the world's greatest chef, but catering the dinner with McDonald's. This edition is an absolute slap in the face to anyone who appreciates the original. If you're *just* looking to read the story, fine. Understand that you're missing out on a significant part of the charm and feeling of this book. On the other hand, if you want to see the notes Raskin wrote, the ones in this book and many, many more are available online thanks to the University of Wisconsin-Madison ( http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/authors/raskin/intro.htm ). But if you're like me, and you're looking to replace your tattered old copy, look elsewhere.