Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a short classic of suspense, and that is probably why it is one of the first stories many people want to read in English. The problem is that the original text, from 1886, has long sentences and nineteenth-century vocabulary. The Oxford Bookworms Library edition, level 4, adapted by Rosemary Border, solves that problem and sits at B1+, the level Oxford itself shows on the cover.
What the story is about
Mr Utterson, a London lawyer, hears a disturbing story from a relative: a man called Hyde ran over a child in the street and walked away without showing any remorse. Soon after, Utterson discovers that Hyde’s name appears in the will of his old friend, Dr Jekyll. From then on, he tries to understand the link between the two men, and the reader goes looking for the answer with him.
What changes in this graded version
The edition has about 12,520 words, far fewer than the original novella, and the text is adapted to level 4 of the series, which Oxford rates as B1+. There is an audio version to download, so you can read and listen at the same time. As with any graded reader, the price of simplification is losing part of the style and texture of Stevenson’s English. What you gain is the whole story, at a pace you can follow without a dictionary open all the time.
How to get the most out of it as a learner
Use the audio: read once on your own, then listen while following the text, to lock in the rhythm and the pronunciation of the names and expressions. At the end of each chapter, try to summarise out loud, in two or three sentences, what happened and what you think comes next. It is a simple exercise, and it works very well for people who read easily but freeze when they speak.
It is the pick for readers at B1+ who want to finish a classic in English, with a mystery that makes you want to turn the page.
And after this version?
If you finish this edition and want to take on the original text, you can do it in a group. I am running a Jekyll & Hyde Book Club, in English, for B2+ level, with 12 live sessions on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. (Brazil time), starting on 31 October. If you are at B2 or above and already read comfortably, the club is the natural next step. I also wrote a reading guide on the blog about how to read the book and talk about it.
Where to buy: search for “Oxford Bookworms Library Level 4, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” on Amazon or at your local bookshop. Check that it is the level 4 edition, and pick the version with audio if you want to listen.