Repeat readers- what's the book you have been reading for longest, and do you still have the original?

Jane Eyre here too. It made me cry at 12 - and I was a tomboy into punk! I re-read it at 22 and cried again.

I have been reading The Magician by Raymond Feist forever and yes, the copy is torn and worn but I still have it.

Just remembered I've still got my original Puffin of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - it was published in 1959 & I will have had it then or soon after

www.goodreads.com/book/show/1045149.The_Lion_the_Witch_and_the_Wardrobe

I have a collection of Jill books but they're not the ones I had as a child. Her first pony was called Black Boy in my Jill's Gymkhana, not Danny Boy

This edition of Jane Eyre, first read when I was 12.

Oh what a lovely thread!

All the original Laura Ingalls Wilder bks.

So happy to see the 'Jill' books, 'The Secret Island' and the 'Dark is Rising' books mentioned on here as they are some of my constant rereads too! I have all my original books, except the secret island which dissapeared mysteriously years ago when dd borrowed it.
If i lost my original copies i'd be gutted, because its the covers of them and the smell and my maiden name in the front (and occasional scribbling) which makes the experience whole.
I also love 'The Collector' by John Fowles, 'Down and Out in Paris and London' by Orwell and 'Silas Marner' by Goerge Eliot, and 'in the springtime of the year' by Susan Hill...i could go on and on and on! :)

The film was based on the second book. Ish. the title was right and some of the characters. Sort of

They did make a dark is rising film.

Don't even think of watching it. It was sooo bad Susan cooper had her name removed from credits. Worst film adaptation. Ever.

A wizard of earthsea & the dark is rising are two of my favourite books.

But my oldest, most read book is The Forsyte Saga, in three books that belonged to my father. He died nearly 30 years ago & I think the books must be about 40+ years old.

I am always amazed that The Dark is Rising series never made a film. Who would have played Will? Or Bran??

I had all the dark is risking sequences by Susan cooper and read them until they were binned by my mum. Late 90s I found a first edition of all the books together, which I still have - inside the book were two love letters, it had obviously belonged to a teenage boy and I kept those as well.

I recently found out as a first edition its very rare but I'd never part with it (cost me 50p in a charity shop at the time). I bought a hard back one of them altogether a few years ago that were published when the totally shit film came out which I read quite frequently.

I was given a copy of "the ordinary princess" by M M Kaye for my 6th birthday, 34 years ago, and have read it at least every year ever since. I have 2 copies now - the original which is a bit falling-apart and a newer one for reading.

EATmum reminds me I still have my copy of Lord of the Rings from 1969 too (& I did buy that!)

Daughter of Time, Josephine Tey, Penguin - 1971 edition

I was working in their warehouse at the time & suspect I might have nicked it

(it was only 25 p though )

Stephen King's The Stand. Bought it in France as an au pair 22y ago! Actually had to make it a new cover at one pt. It had illustrations which I tore out because I thought they made the book seem childish!

Great book.

I also have an extremely battered school poetry book. I suppose that is older actually cause it was second hand when I got it.

To Kill a Mockingbird, complete with exam notes in the margins. And Pride and Prejudice, similarly annotated. But most read over the years may well be Lord of the Rings. It has a special place in my heart.

I still enjoy Enid Blyton. And the early Rutshire Chronicles by Jilly Cooper, but I only discovered them about 6 years ago so have lots of re-reading catching up to do.

Probably the Little House series - Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have the originals of Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, the Long Winter, These Happy Golden Years and Farmer Boy. Got newer copies of all the rest.

Still read them.

And yes, I've still got one or two from the Jill pony series - re-read them many times but don't think I would now.

I also have an old copy of Jane Eyre that I've read many times.

I did keep ALL my Enid Blytons - my favourites were the Five Find-Outer series and St Clare books. I recently tried to read a St Clare's book and I couldn't finish it - the writing was TERRIBLE!

Another book liberator from the school library...

Katherine by Anya Seton. I just love it. It literally fell to pieces, so had to be replaced. I first borrowed it around 1987 and the date stamp in it before that was 1979! Borrowed it again in 1989 (not taken out at all in between) and neglected to return it.

Malory Towers possibly, though I don't have the originals.

Almost as often probably The Children Who Lived In A Barn

Wuthering Heights that I chose to do for my Alevel English Lit coursework. Bout 19 years old then. Still have the now falling apart original with included highlighted bits and notes scribbled in the side. Read it about once per year and my perception of the story and characters have changed drastically from first reading as a teen.

Wish I'd kept all my Enid Blyton books.

What Katy Did and Little Women. I got both for Christmas from my auntie and she always wrote a little message inside. These two were dated 1974...love both of them still.

I have some of my mum's copies of Chalet School books! And loads of books from my childhood, they're in the loft waiting for DD .

I have Riders, Rivals and Polo too Primal, all falling apart plus a few earlier JCs. Imogen ( bought in the 70s) and Jilly's greatest book (IMO) The Common Years.

I threw all my Judith Krantz books out too and I loved those. I read one of them again this week (charity shop find) and it was great (in an awful way).

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. It fell apart last year, after 26 years and multiple reads. I managed to get a second hand copy with the same cover art

Read it - it's fab.

Also, Riders, Rivals and Polo