If you want the room to
lean in, pick an edition that actually breathes on the page. For reading 'Good Spirits' aloud, my top priority is clarity: clean typography, obvious dialogue markers, and generous paragraph spacing so I can pause without losing my place. I prefer a recent corrected edition — typos and wonky punctuation can wreck a cadence or a joke mid-sentence. A paperback with a sewn binding sits in my lap nicely and stays open when I need both hands free for gestures or a cup of tea.
Beyond that, a large-print or trade paperback is a friend to a live reader: bigger type means fewer misreads and the pacing becomes easier to control. If there's an annotated or illustrated edition, it's lovely for immersion, but I treat those as secondary performance tools — they’re great for prepping, less ideal for actual live readings if the artwork distracts or the extra notes clutter the
Margins. For fantasy names or unusual pronunciations, an edition with a pronunciation guide or an appendix is invaluable; otherwise I make my own quick cheat-sheet.
Practically speaking, I mark the book lightly with sticky tabs at scene breaks and jot small performance notes in pencil. If you do community readings, consider carrying a backup digital copy on a tablet: adjustable font, quick searches, and a built-in light are extremely handy. Personally, a sturdy trade paperback, latest corrected printing, and a few penciled
cues are my go-to setup — it feels smooth, comfortable, and keeps the audience hanging on every line.