The Chalet School
and Jo

HB/PB comparisons  Publishing history  

Click to see a larger image of the dustwrapper. On the right is a paperback edition.

The Chalet School and Jo - Hardback versus Paperback

This article appeared in FOCS 48 - May 2000

The most interesting thing about this comparison is that there are 2 passages in the paperback that are not in the hardback! Both additions involve Rufus, and I couldn't recall him being mentioned elsewhere in the book (but I didn't reread the book to check - someone correct me if I'm wrong).

Apart from the 2 additions there are several small cuts and numerous minor changes in the paperback. The total number of lines cut would amount to no more than a page or two so it couldn't have been done to reduce the size of the book, and most of the changes are trivial. It seems a bit pointless.

I compared my 1937 hardback (22 chapters, 285 pages) with my 1992 paperback (22 chapters, 160 pages). There is more text on each pb page than hb, which explains the apparent discrepancy.

Page numbers are hb/pb.

General changes throughout, not specifically mentioned chapter by chapter.

(i) "head-girl" is changed to "head girl" (i.e. hyphen dropped)
(ii) "sha'n't" is changed to "shan't" (one apostrophe dropped)
(iii) longer paragraphs are split into 2 (or in one case 3) shorter ones
(iv) various minor punctuation changes, e.g. commas omitted, semicolon changed to comma, comma changed to a dash, etc.

Chapter I - A big problem

p10/5 -"the small maid" is changed to "the small girl"
p11/6 -"Don't fret, babykin" is changed to "Don't fret darling"
p12/6 -"No baby; you can't understand" is changed to "No Robin; you can't understand"
p15/8 -"and, since she had been told" is changed to "and when she had been told"
p16/9 -"where he enacted the part of general secretary" is changed to "of which he was the general secretary"
p18/10 -"charming voice" is changed to "pleasant voice"
p23/13 - "the babes" is changed to "the babies"
p24/13 -"wife's merry laughter" is changed to "wife's laughter"

Chapter II - The term begins

p28/15 -"had had to be made" is changed to "had to be made"
p29/16 -"sixteen o'clock" is changed to "sixteen hours"
p29/16 -"so-called" is changed to "so called"
p32/17 -"child of fourteen" is changed to "girl of fourteen"
p35/19 -"merry, jolly way" is changed to "alert way"
p36/20 -"for though the official language of the school was English," is cut in the description of Joey carrying on 4 conversations at once
p36/20 -"so far as" is changed to "as far as"
p36/20 -"with library" is changed to "with the library"
p37/21 -"as they call this meal" is changed to "as this meal is called"

Chapter III - The Prefects' Meeting

p43/23 -when Joey refers to Grizel, ", speaking about a former head-girl, and a great ally of hers." is cut
p46/25 -"- Guide honour she isn't" is cut when Joey talks about how Stacie is not like she was last term

Chapter IV - A little prep

p50/27 -"child of fourteen" is changed to "girl of fourteen"
p51/28 -"the Science mistress" is cut, referring to Miss Wilson
p56/31 -"Hungarian child" is changed to "Hungarian girl"
p58/32 -"quiet child" is changed to "quiet girl"
p61/34 -"the senior mistress" is cut, referring to Miss Annersley

Chapter V - Guides

p65/36 -misprint in paperback - (Sir Walter) "Raleigh" becomes "Ralegh"
p67/37 -"babes" is changed to "juniors"
p71/39 -"the term of our lives" is changed to "the time of our lives"

Chapter VI - On the Sonnalpe

p74/41 -"jolly doctor" is changed to "young doctor"
p78/43 -"kiddies" is changed to "girls"
p78/44 -"They remained a little, chatting merrily" is changed to "They remained for a little, chatting"
p86/48 -"pretty curtsy" is changed to "curtsy"
p87/49 -when Madge is telling Joey about the illness they feared for Robin, several lines are cut where Joey says Robin's mother's illness was brought on by the war, and Madge replies that Robin was born after that, and that they (Madge and Jem) never keep things from her (Joey)
p88/49 -"Wien" is changed to "Vienna" (I can never understand why we have to Anglicise European place names.....)
p89/50 -"Don't lose faith, Joey; and don't lose hope" is cut, when Madge is telling Jo about the illness they fear for Robin

Chapter VII - The Robin

p91/50 -"Tears were very foreign" is changed to "Tears were foreign"
p92-3/51 -Several lines are cut in the descriptions of how Madge asked Marie to go and see Jo after Jo had been told about the fears for the Robin's illness, e.g. Madge had tears in her eyes as she told Marie that "we are all in great trouble"
p94/52 -"Wien" is changed to "Vienna"
p96/53 -Marie saying "Don't lose hope, Joey, till you must" is cut while discussing the Robin
p98/54 -A paragraph is cut describing how Madge was anxious. She knew that if the Robin was really ill nothing could have saved her, but she (Madge) knew that Jo would blame Stacie, at first anyway
p99/55 -"small maid" is changed to "small girl"

Chapter VIII - A chapter of accidents

p106/58-9 -a paragraph is added to the paperback describing how Joey, while she was so worried about the Robin, found comfort in the company of Rufus, who sensed that something was wrong, and how his devotion helped her to endure one of the worst weekends of her life
p107/59 -"Wien-Paris express" is changed to "Vienna-Paris express"
p108/60 -"eighteen o'clock - six, by English time" is changed to "eighteen hours - six o'clock by English time"
p117/65 -"which completed the ruin" is cut when Luise dropped a dish which broke, caused by Jo waving her hands about while she was talking
p118/66 -referring to Miss Wilson, "the Captain of the Guide Company" is cut
p119/66 -misprint in pb "Rats!" has become "Rat!s"
p123/68 -"into such a mess" is changed to "in such a mess"
p123/68 -"pretty chairs" is changed to "chairs"

Chapter IX - Better News

p129/72 -"the children" is changed to "the girls"
p133/74 -describing Simone, "a French girl of their own age, had a deep adoration for Jo, and" is cut
p133/74 -"very jealous of her" is changed to "very jealous"

Chapter X - Sunday

p137/76 -"when the baby was about" is changed to "when the child was about"
p139/77 -"slender hand of a surgeon" is changed to "slender surgeon's hand"
p142/79 -"you awful children" is changed to "you awful people"
p144/80 -"small maid" is changed to "small girl"
p145/80-81 -second addition to paperback, describing how Rufus went with Jo when she went for a walk with Gottfried, Frieda and Violet, and how Jo was much happier than the last time he saw her
p145/81 -"little sister" is changed to "young sister"
p146/81 -when Jo spoke to Stacie, "she said sternly" is changed to "she said gently" - which changes the meaning somewhat!

Chapter XI - Half-term rejoicings

p147/82 -it would seem that EBD's knowledge of cricket wasn't very good. "and beat them by two wickets and seventy-nine runs" is changed to "and beat them by seventy-nine runs", which makes more sense
p148/82 -"hasn't come downstairs yet" is cut, referring to Wanda whose baby Kurt is three weeks old
p151/84 -"she was a very tall, slim person" is changed to "she was tall and very slim" (Juliet)
p153/86 -"whom Jo" is changed to "who Jo"
p155/86 -"Mr O'Hara" is changed to "Donal O'Hara"
p155/87 -"Juliet's face was very black" is changed to "Juliet's face was stormy"

Chapter XII - Juliet's Secret

No changes

Chapter XIII - Oberammergau

No changes

Chapter XIV - The Sensation

p181/101 -"babies" is changed to "juniors"
p184/102 -when Jo was describing in a letter to Madge how they took off their stockings when they left the train at Oberammergau and no-one thinks anything of it, "except tourists who aren't accustomed to such things in England and America, and so on" is cut
p185/103 -"she really is ripping at it!" is changed to "she really is wonderful at it!". Perhaps whoever did the paperback changes didn't want to pay a fine for using slang.....

Chapter XV - The Passion Play

p191/106 -"children ran to straw their palms" is changed to "children ran to strew their palms". This looks like correcting a misprint in the hb

Chapter XVI - The Middles' latest

p199/111 -"waited" is changed to "awaited"
p200/112 -"ripping food" is changed to "super food". More fine avoidance by the pb editor?
p211/118 -"Now, Biddy, here's your clothes" is changed to "No, Biddy, here's your clothes". This looks like a misprint in the pb.
p212/118 -"nineteen o'clock" is changed to "nineteen hours"

Chapter XVII - A mystery

p219/122 -"Wien" is changed to "Vienna"
p222/124 -"he went and got his line" is changed to "he went in and got his line"
p224/125 -"prickles" is changed to "pickles". Looks like a pb misprint

Chapter XVIII - All is discovered

p234/130 -"one of the babes" is changed to "one of the juniors"
p237/132 -"Jo coming in" is changed to "Jo coming it" -  another pb misprint

Chapter XIX - Whatever next?

No changes

Chapter XX - The boat race

p251/140 -"The boat race was left to them as quite undecided" is changed to "Only those and the boat race remained to be decided"
p252/140 -"bidden them to go ahead" is changed to "bidden them go ahead"
p255/143 -"starting-shot" is changed to "starting gun"
p258/144 -"she flung the word to the stern of the boat" is changed to "she flung the word along the boat"
p259/145 -"Ripping race" is changed to "Splendid race". Yet more fine avoidance

Chapter XXI - Donal

p270/151 -"Ah, Joey acushla" is changed to "Ah, Joey Macushla"
p270/151 -"chance to mend the hurt" is changed to "chance to mend that hurt"
p271/152 -when Jo and Juliet sat down to talk and Jo had a little difficulty getting rid of Simone, ", who was terribly jealous of Juliet" is cut

Chapter XXII - The Sonnalpe again

No changes

Tim Gurner

Publishing history