A title cannot choose your next piece
The Easy Version is worth considering when you want a different route into Hollow Knight at the piano. It is not a promise that a first-time player can immediately perform the music. Materia describes this edition as intermediate. That qualification matters more than the inviting word on the cover.
The practical choice is between two arrangers’ treatments: David Peacock’s original collection and Sydney Kjerstad Zuretti’s Easy Version. Start with the kind of passage you want to practise, rather than treating one book as the automatically correct starting level.
A new arrangement changes the decision
The publisher explicitly presents the Easy Version as newly arranged music, not strict reductions made by removing notes from the original book. That makes it a meaningful alternative even for someone who owns Peacock’s collection. You would be choosing another treatment, not purchasing a guaranteed line-for-line stepping stone to the same pages.
For a player who specifically wants Peacock’s arrangements, the original printed collection remains the more direct choice. For someone who wants Zuretti’s approach and is comfortable with the stated intermediate level, the Easy Version has its own purpose. The title alone does not establish which one will feel more satisfying under your hands.
The printed object has a defined boundary
The original physical-book listing says that the digital album and digital sheet music are not included. A paper score for the music stand and a downloadable copy for a tablet are separate needs. If the latter is central to your practice, identify that format before assuming the printed book covers both.
For a gift, ask which arranger or edition the pianist already uses. “Hollow Knight piano book” is too broad an answer. Naming the desired arrangement and printed format is a small conversation that can prevent a beautiful duplicate from solving the wrong musical problem.
Sources & further reading
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