Lately I’ve been reading Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series.  I’ve especially enjoyed the reprints of some of the older books, as they kept the original language and spelling (even with the occasionally inscrutable Scottish phrase).  It really came home to me as I was reading Fleshmarket Alley and realized that it had been completely Americanized (including the title; it was originally published as Fleshmarket Close, “close” being a Scottish term for an alley).  After learning the correct spelling for Scotch Whisky, it’s especially jarring to see it repeatedly spelled as “whiskey.”  (And, given the proclivities of Inspector Rebus, it’s used quite often.)  If I’d given it any thought when ordering, I’d have gone out of my way to find the original (which appears to be available through Amazon marketplace, but not Amazon.com/US directly).

In the past I’ve even gone so far as to order directly from Amazon UK to get original editions.  It’s a bit more expensive, given the international shipping and exchange rates.  But, especially for new releases, it’s the only way to get an unadulterated version.