A well-known example from one of the best-selling book series of all time is the first Harry Potter book. In the United States, it was published as Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, but in England the title was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The following five books are just like that—they’re the same book but with different titles, and they appear here first by their U.S. name.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
This super popular saga from author Stephenie Meyer spawned several hit movies and star-making roles for actors Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart, who played the main characters, star-crossed lovers Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan. It was a tale including vampires, werewolves, and humans. Twilight was the first book in the series, followed by New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. The books were translated into several languages. And for the French translation, the title Twilight was changed to Fascination.
The Source of Self-Regard by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison has written great books like Beloved, The Bluest Eye, and Song of Solomon. She died in New York earlier this year, and her absence is already being felt. Readers and the publishing community alike mourned her. Morrison was a Nobel Laureate. Her book The Source of Self-Regard, has an alternative title: Untitled Essays, with the cover text Mouth of Blood. This nonfiction collection includes explorations of death, social issues, and culture.
After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
Writer Agatha Christie is well-known for her detective novels, and she’s one of the bestselling novelists of all time. The author of 66 detective novels, Christie also wrote 14 short story collections, and was a playwright. Her works include The Man in the Brown Suit; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; Hercule Poirot’s Christmas; and Dead Man’s Folly. Several of her books have different titles, and After the Funeral is one of them. The other title is Funerals are Fatal.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
According to Hill’s website, a lot of his writing explores identity and belonging. He grew up in Canada, the son of a black father and a white mother from the United States. So far, Hill has written ten books, some of which are novels while others are nonfiction. Some of the awards that he’s received are: the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book. His novel Someone Knows My Name has also been published as The Book of Negroes. The book is about Aminata Diallo, an African child that escapes slavery in the U.S. Over time, she further sees the toll of injustice, as she travels internationally. The television network BET is adapting this story for television.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman writes children’s books, and His Dark Materials is his most famous fantasy trilogy. It’s made up of the books The Golden Compass (Book 1), The Subtle Knife (Book 2), and The Amber Spyglass (Book 3). Pullman is now at work on The Book of Dust series, which is connected to the trilogy.
