# John Fowles - "The Magus" - wait, REVISED? What? Did I get the right book? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-fowles-the-magus-wait-revised-what-did-i-get-the-right-book/350979 "2006-04-02T21:40:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-fowles-the-magus-wait-revised-what-did-i-get-the-right-book/350979/1 "2006-04-02T21:40:18Z")
After reading several breathless, “This book literally changed my life and the way I see the world,” “The most brilliant creation by mankind’s craven hand”-style endorsements on this board and [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) reader reviews, I picked up a cheap, used, mass market paperback copy of John Fowles’ _The Magus_ the other day. It was cheap, and it has a really killer sleazy/sexy 1970’s mass market paperback cover. Anyway, I was all set to read it this afternoon until I hit the foreward, which told me that this is John Fowles’ “New version of _The Magus_”, where “the pace moves more relentlessly, the figure of the magician is more powerful, and the whole surge of sensual events becomes more intensely erotic. Former readers of the book with find this version even more compelling.” Yikes. That’s when I realized that this is “The Magus: **A revised version** ,” Copyright 1978. Fowles’ introduction explains that while this is not a new version of _The Magus_," many scenes have been “largely rewritten” and new ones have been added. What the hell did I buy? Is this some sort of bastardized _Episode I_-style “newfangled version” of the book? Is this the version that I should be reading, or should I be trying to track down the original 1965 version? Is there a debate over the two a la the correct ordering of the Narnia books? If I went out and bought a new $18 copy of the book, which version would I be getting? Which one changed your life? Before I commit to 700 pages, I want to make sure I’m reading the right one. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-fowles-the-magus-wait-revised-what-did-i-get-the-right-book/350979/2 "2006-04-02T21:51:33Z")
The original version of _The Magus_ really bowled me over. I was so impressed that I reread it immediately. IMHO, this was a book that didn’t need revising. But Fowles did make some nifty changes, and the revision is well worth reading. If I had to choose between them, I’d probably pick the revised version. But my real recommendation would be: read both. Start with the original; if you love it, read the revision. If you hate it or are neutral, don’t bother with the revision. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-fowles-the-magus-wait-revised-what-did-i-get-the-right-book/350979/3 "2006-04-03T00:21:39Z")
It’s worth it and the revised version has more erotic stuff in it. Be happy. Given the types of posts you contribute to the SDMB, I suspect you may like this book. It helps for the reader to be in their early 20’s or so, but is not a requirement…