The Twits
Encyclopedia
The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl
and illustrated by Quentin Blake
. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980
.
Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two ugly, smelly, nasty, stupid people who spend their lives playing nasty tricks on each other. They also enjoy being cruel to animals
, which they do by luring birds to glue
-smothered trees so they can be baked into bird pie, and tormenting their pet monkeys, Muggle-Wump
and his family, by getting them to stand upside down, one on top of the other. They hate children, and Mrs. Twit often carries a walking stick
in her right hand that she uses to hit children and animals.
One day, the arrival of the Roly-Poly Bird
from Africa
allows the monkeys and the surviving birds to get the revenge
they have craved for years. They glue the carpet and furniture to the living room ceiling while the Twits are out. On the Twits' return, two raven
s swoop over and drop glue from paintbrushes held in their claw
s onto the Twits' heads. When the Twits go indoors and see their furniture upside down, they stand on their heads, believing they are upside down, and because of the glue on their heads, they remain stuck that way. With the Twits out of the way, the Muggle-Wumps are able to return to their native Africa with the help of the Roly-Poly Bird. Eventually, the Twits' bodies collapse into themselves, until there is nothing left of them but their clothes.
ish person, having hair that covers his entire face, with the exception of his forehead
, eye
s, and nose
. His hair
(which he falsely believes makes him appear "wise and grand"), is spiky and hard. Because he never washes it, his beard
holds scraps of food dropped there while he ate, including tinned sardine
s, stilton cheese, and corn flakes
. Occasionally, he picks these scraps out and eats them. Mr Twit is a beer
drinker, even doing so at breakfast
. He is known to seem very quiet when he is plotting evil tricks, the victim of which is usually his equally unpleasant wife.
,and she sometimes takes it out and uses it to frighten her husband.She even has a walking stick which she tells to everyone that she has warts on her left foot and walking is very painful but in reality, she uses it to cane people (e.g. children, Muggle-Wump's family in case they do not do what Mr. Twit forces them to do etc.).
of the story. Brief descriptions appear below:
to scare him.
in Mrs. Twit's bed
, and frightens Mrs Twit by claiming the item in her bed is a 'Giant Skillywiggler', with "teeth like screwdriver
s" with which it would bite off her toes. Mrs. Twit faints during this trick,and after Mr. Twit splashed a jugful of cold water onto her,she later recovered as the frog
hops onto her face, and upon seeing it, flees.
The Wormy Spaghetti
Seeking revenge for the Frog Trick, Mrs. Twit places worms
from the garden
in cooked spaghetti, which Mr. Twit eats, being re-assured by Mrs. Twit that it is merely a "new kind" she has recently bought. When he has eaten it, Mrs. Twit reveals the truth.
no thicker than a penny
onto Mrs. Twit's cane each night, as well as onto the legs of her chair
, making Mrs. Twit believe that she is slowly shrinking. Mr. Twit then frightens her by claiming that she has contracted an illness called the 'shrinks', by which she will be caused to disappear.
-filled balloon
s to her arms, hair, and neck until she is rising into the air. Inspired by a remark of hers, he then severs her tether sending Mrs Twit into the sky; whereupon she bites the balloons off one at a time and lands atop Mr. Twit, whom she then beats with her stick.
, which Mr Twit uses to trap bird
s by spreading glue
on the branches. Captive birds are then made into a pie
by Mrs. Twit. During the story four schoolboys are caught instead of birds; but escape by unfastening their trousers
and falling to the ground outside the Twits' garden. It is this use of glue that gives the captive monkey
Muggle-Wump
and his family the idea of using it against the Twits.
There is a glue in the Twits' workshed called Hug-Tight Sticky-Glue and that's how they get birds down from the tree to make Bird pie.
, has, as Dahl himself acknowledged, occasionally made adults feel physically sick — perhaps not least because of the graphic description of what lies within Mr Twit's beard
in the second chapter of the book (all the chapters being very short by the standards of Dahl's novels). However, it seems it was written with the view that children enjoy being disgusted — and frightened. Whatever the truth in this theory, it has remained popular amongst children and due to its shortness is occasionally seen as a good "starting point" by British parents — and primary school teachers — when introducing children to Roald Dahl's stories for younger readers.
, with screenplay written by John Cleese
. Shrek
producer John H. Williams
is developing the film at Disney, and it's thought that Cleese himself will play one of the titular Twits. It is rumored that Conrad Vernon
will direct the film. It has a release date set for 2012. It will be the second adaptation of a Roald Dahl book to be distributed by Disney after James and the Giant Peach
in 1996.
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
and illustrated by Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake
Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980
1980 in literature
The year 1980 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Marguerite Yourcenar becomes the first woman to be elected to the Académie française....
.
Mr. and Mrs. Twit are two ugly, smelly, nasty, stupid people who spend their lives playing nasty tricks on each other. They also enjoy being cruel to animals
Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse or animal neglect, is the infliction of suffering or harm upon non-human animals, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur, although opinions differ with...
, which they do by luring birds to glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
-smothered trees so they can be baked into bird pie, and tormenting their pet monkeys, Muggle-Wump
Muggle-Wump
"Muggle-Wump" is a fictional character in the form of a male monkey that appears in some of Roald Dahl's books for children, and "the Muggle-Wumps" refers to his family. It is not clear whether each central "Muggle-wump" that appears in each book is the same character or not...
and his family, by getting them to stand upside down, one on top of the other. They hate children, and Mrs. Twit often carries a walking stick
Walking stick
A walking stick is a device used by many people to facilitate balancing while walking.Walking sticks come in many shapes and sizes, and can be sought by collectors. Some kinds of walking stick may be used by people with disabilities as a crutch...
in her right hand that she uses to hit children and animals.
One day, the arrival of the Roly-Poly Bird
Roly-Poly Bird
"The Roly-Poly Bird" is a fictional character, that, like the Vermicious knids and Muggle-Wump the monkey is made reference to in more than one child's book by Roald Dahl- in two cases alongside Muggle-Wump. He is described as large, with fantastically coloured tailfeathers, and in Quentin Blake's...
from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
allows the monkeys and the surviving birds to get the revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
they have craved for years. They glue the carpet and furniture to the living room ceiling while the Twits are out. On the Twits' return, two raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s swoop over and drop glue from paintbrushes held in their claw
Claw
A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...
s onto the Twits' heads. When the Twits go indoors and see their furniture upside down, they stand on their heads, believing they are upside down, and because of the glue on their heads, they remain stuck that way. With the Twits out of the way, the Muggle-Wumps are able to return to their native Africa with the help of the Roly-Poly Bird. Eventually, the Twits' bodies collapse into themselves, until there is nothing left of them but their clothes.
Mr Twit
Mr Twit is a trollTroll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
ish person, having hair that covers his entire face, with the exception of his forehead
Forehead
For the Arsenal striker see GervinhoIn human anatomy, the forehead is the fore part of the head. It is, formally, an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp...
, eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
s, and nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
. His hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
(which he falsely believes makes him appear "wise and grand"), is spiky and hard. Because he never washes it, his beard
Beard
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
holds scraps of food dropped there while he ate, including tinned sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
s, stilton cheese, and corn flakes
Corn flakes
Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
. Occasionally, he picks these scraps out and eats them. Mr Twit is a beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
drinker, even doing so at breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
. He is known to seem very quiet when he is plotting evil tricks, the victim of which is usually his equally unpleasant wife.
Mrs Twit
Mrs Twit is the shrewish wife of Mr Twit. She, unlike her husband, was once very beautiful, but became gradually monstrous by reason of thinking malevolent thoughts. One of her eyes is made of glassGlass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
,and she sometimes takes it out and uses it to frighten her husband.She even has a walking stick which she tells to everyone that she has warts on her left foot and walking is very painful but in reality, she uses it to cane people (e.g. children, Muggle-Wump's family in case they do not do what Mr. Twit forces them to do etc.).
The Tricks
A series of pranks advance the plotPlot
Plot is a literary term defined as the events that make up a story, particularly as they relate to one another in a pattern, in a sequence, through cause and effect, or by coincidence. One is generally interested in how well this pattern of events accomplishes some artistic or emotional effect...
of the story. Brief descriptions appear below:
The Glass Eye
Mrs. Twit, as if to have Mr Twit know that she is always watching him, places her glass eye in Mr. Twit's beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
to scare him.
The Frog
In revenge for the glass-eye trick, Mr. Twit places a frogFrog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
in Mrs. Twit's bed
Bed
A bed is a large piece of furniture used as a place to sleep, relax, or engage in sexual relations.Most modern beds consist of a mattress on a bed frame, with the mattress resting either on a solid base, often wooden slats, or a sprung base...
, and frightens Mrs Twit by claiming the item in her bed is a 'Giant Skillywiggler', with "teeth like screwdriver
Screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...
s" with which it would bite off her toes. Mrs. Twit faints during this trick,and after Mr. Twit splashed a jugful of cold water onto her,she later recovered as the frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
hops onto her face, and upon seeing it, flees.
The Wormy SpaghettiSpaghettiSpaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour...
Seeking revenge for the Frog Trick, Mrs. Twit places wormsWorm
The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...
from the garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
in cooked spaghetti, which Mr. Twit eats, being re-assured by Mrs. Twit that it is merely a "new kind" she has recently bought. When he has eaten it, Mrs. Twit reveals the truth.
The Shrinks
In revenge for the Wormy Spaghetti, Mr. Twit glues pieces of woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
no thicker than a penny
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
onto Mrs. Twit's cane each night, as well as onto the legs of her chair
Chair
A chair is a stable, raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back; however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape depending on the criteria of the chair specifications. A chair without a back or...
, making Mrs. Twit believe that she is slowly shrinking. Mr. Twit then frightens her by claiming that she has contracted an illness called the 'shrinks', by which she will be caused to disappear.
Mrs. Twit Goes Ballooning Up
To complete his trick, Mr. Twit ties Mrs Twit by her ankles to an iron ring in the ground, then tying heliumHelium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
-filled balloon
Balloon
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
s to her arms, hair, and neck until she is rising into the air. Inspired by a remark of hers, he then severs her tether sending Mrs Twit into the sky; whereupon she bites the balloons off one at a time and lands atop Mr. Twit, whom she then beats with her stick.
Sticky Tree
There is an unimaginatively-named "Big Dead Tree" in the Twits' gardenGarden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
, which Mr Twit uses to trap bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s by spreading glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
on the branches. Captive birds are then made into a pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
by Mrs. Twit. During the story four schoolboys are caught instead of birds; but escape by unfastening their trousers
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
and falling to the ground outside the Twits' garden. It is this use of glue that gives the captive monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
Muggle-Wump
Muggle-Wump
"Muggle-Wump" is a fictional character in the form of a male monkey that appears in some of Roald Dahl's books for children, and "the Muggle-Wumps" refers to his family. It is not clear whether each central "Muggle-wump" that appears in each book is the same character or not...
and his family the idea of using it against the Twits.
There is a glue in the Twits' workshed called Hug-Tight Sticky-Glue and that's how they get birds down from the tree to make Bird pie.
Rescuing the Birds
Using their friend the Roly-Poly Bird as an interpreter of languages, Muggle-Wump and his wife and children convey the warning that any bird landing on the Big Dead Tree will be cooked into Mrs. Twit's Bird Pie. When Mr. Twit, in retaliation, spreads glue on the monkeys' cage (which serves as a substitute perch), the monkeys alter the warning, so that the birds land instead on the Twits' roof. This prompts Mr. and Mrs. Twit to buy fire-arms; and during their absence on this errand, Muggle-Wump plots another trick, described below.Turning the Twits Upside-Down
In the Twits' absence, the monkeys and birds use Mr. Twit's glue to attach all the Twits' living-room furniture upside-down to the ceiling, so that Mr. and Mrs. Twit will, upon entry, believe themselves upside-down. Upon the Twits' return, they are themselves soiled with glue, so that when they enter the house and attempt to reverse themselves, they are attached to the floor. Thereafter the weight of their bodies compresses them until they can no longer be said to physically exist, so that an inspector, upon arriving, finds only their possessions.Overview
The Twits, as a bookBook
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
, has, as Dahl himself acknowledged, occasionally made adults feel physically sick — perhaps not least because of the graphic description of what lies within Mr Twit's beard
Beard
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
in the second chapter of the book (all the chapters being very short by the standards of Dahl's novels). However, it seems it was written with the view that children enjoy being disgusted — and frightened. Whatever the truth in this theory, it has remained popular amongst children and due to its shortness is occasionally seen as a good "starting point" by British parents — and primary school teachers — when introducing children to Roald Dahl's stories for younger readers.
Trivia
- The idea of The Twits was triggered by Dahl's desire to "do something against beards", because he had an acute dislike of them himself. The first sentence of the story — "what a lot of hairy-faced men one sees nowadays" — is a genuine complaintComplaintIn legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons that the filing party or parties In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties In...
. - The Twits as a book has remained so successful since its publication in 1980 that it was adapted for the stage in 1999.
Film
A film adaptation of the book is in the works with Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, with screenplay written by John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
. Shrek
Shrek
Shrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
producer John H. Williams
John H. Williams
John H. Williams is a film producer known for his work both in live-action and in animation. He is famous for co-producing the 2001 animated feature Shrek...
is developing the film at Disney, and it's thought that Cleese himself will play one of the titular Twits. It is rumored that Conrad Vernon
Conrad Vernon
Conrad Vernon IV is an American director, writer, and voice actor, best known for his work on the DreamWorks animated films Shrek 2 and Monsters vs...
will direct the film. It has a release date set for 2012. It will be the second adaptation of a Roald Dahl book to be distributed by Disney after James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach (film)
James and the Giant Peach is a 1996 musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick, based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. It was produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi. The film is a combination of live action and stop-motion animation....
in 1996.
Relations to Other Roald Dahl Books
- A monkey named Muggle-WumpMuggle-Wump"Muggle-Wump" is a fictional character in the form of a male monkey that appears in some of Roald Dahl's books for children, and "the Muggle-Wumps" refers to his family. It is not clear whether each central "Muggle-wump" that appears in each book is the same character or not...
also appears in The Enormous CrocodileThe Enormous Crocodile-Synopsis:One day an enormous crocodile goes tramping through the forest telling all the animals he's going to eat children. The animals tell him that it's a horrible thing to do but he tries to use his tricks to eat the tasty children nonetheless. However, every time he tries, the animals of the...
. A monkey bearing resemblance to Quentin BlakeQuentin BlakeQuentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
's illustration of the same character also appears in The Giraffe and the Pelly and MeThe Giraffe and the Pelly and MeThe Giraffe the Pelly and Me is a children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake.-Synopsis:The story itself is loosely based around Billy, a young boy who has always dreamed of owning a sweet shop, especially since there is an abandoned one named The Grubber near where he...
. - A Roly-Poly BirdRoly-Poly Bird"The Roly-Poly Bird" is a fictional character, that, like the Vermicious knids and Muggle-Wump the monkey is made reference to in more than one child's book by Roald Dahl- in two cases alongside Muggle-Wump. He is described as large, with fantastically coloured tailfeathers, and in Quentin Blake's...
likewise makes an appearance in The Enormous CrocodileThe Enormous Crocodile-Synopsis:One day an enormous crocodile goes tramping through the forest telling all the animals he's going to eat children. The animals tell him that it's a horrible thing to do but he tries to use his tricks to eat the tasty children nonetheless. However, every time he tries, the animals of the...
and is also to be found in Dirty BeastsDirty BeastsDirty Beasts is a 1983 collection of Roald Dahl poems about unsuspecting animals. Intended as a follow-up to Revolting Rhymes, it was originally illustrated by Rosemary Fawcett. However, a revised edition was published with illustrations by Quentin Blake. An audio book version was also released in...
. - Certain things within the book, such as Mr Twit's beard, "Wormy Spaghetti" and bird pie, appear within Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes
Editions
- ISBN 0-224-06491-6 (hardcoverHardcoverA hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...
, 2003) - ISBN 0-14-130107-4 (paperbackPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
, 2002) - ISBN 0-375-82242-9 (hardcover, 2002)
- ISBN 0-14-131138-X (paperback, 2001)
- ISBN 0-14-034640-6 (paperback, 1991)
- ISBN 0-14-031406-7 (paperback, 1982)
- ISBN 0-224-01855-8 (hardcover, 1980)