Faust vs The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Devil, Magicians, English drama, Poetry, Drama, Fiction
Faust
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A complete annotated translation of Goethe's "Faust," plus extensive interpretive notes, "Faust" illustrations and other visual sources used by Goethe, several pieces of Goethe's correspondence and commentary, eleven…
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus
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Marlowe's play has two different recognized texts, with most editions based on the B text. Due to recent arguments for the authenticity of A, this edition is based on the A text. It includes a discussion of…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 5 for Faust.
- The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus has the widest readership — 73958 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Faust | The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (53132) | 3.8 (73958) |
| Hardcover | 5.0 (1) | 3.8 (6) |
| Google Books | 2.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (131) | — |
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Reception
| Faust | The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 53132 | 73958 |
| Editions | 633 | 92 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 85207 | 47142 |
| Reading it now | 4751 | 1067 |
| Written reviews | 3063 | 3150 |
| Wikipedia attention | 49623 | 17387 |
| Pages | 316 | 91 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Faust or The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus?
Faust has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Faust 3.9/5, The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Faust or The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus?
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (91 pages, ≈ 1 h 41 m); Faust (316 pages, ≈ 5 h 51 m).
Which is harder to read: Faust or The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Faust: Demanding; The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Faust: 1 film adaptation; The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus: no film adaptation on record.