Dear George and friends,

I received this information kindly sent to me by Dr. Nityanand Mishra

“I do not have the contact of George Thompson, so the following response may be forwarded to him.

The English translation by Gita Press is by far the most popular. It is scholarly and reliable, but not ‘modern’ as it dates to 1960s. Originally published in Kalyāṇa Kalpataru, the monthly English magazine of Gita Press, in its annual editions 15, 16 and 17, the English translation was first published as a book in 1968. One of the recent editions is: 

The Publisher, Gita Press (2004). Sri Ramacharitamanasa With Hindi Text and English Translation (revised ed.). Gorakhpur, India: Gita Press. ISBN 978-81-293-0146-8.

The latest edition is available free of cost on the website of Gita Press under http://www.gitapress.org/BOOKS/English/1318_Shri_Ramcharitmanas_Web.pdf

The best English translation I am aware of is by Dr. Ram Chandra Prasad, who was a professor of English at the Patna University. He authored both Hindi and English translations of the epic. For the English only translation, please refer:

Prasad, Ram Chandra (1999). Sri Ramacaritamanasa (Illustrated, reprint ed.). Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0762-4. 900 pages.

For the edition with bilingual Hindi and English translation, please refer:

Prasad, Ram Chandra (1989). Sri Ramacaritamanasa or The Holy Lake Of The Acts Of Rama (Illustrated, reprint ed.). Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0443-2. 894 pages.

If I may add, many of Dr. Ram Chandra Prasad's interpretations were drawn from discourses and books by my Guru Ācārya Giridhara Miśra (known in the current Āśrama Jagadguru Rāmānandācārya Svāmi Rāmabhadrācārya). Prasad says the following on page xiv of the 1999 edition: “Acharya Giridhar Mishra is responsible for many of my interpretations of the epic. The meticulousness of his profound scholarship and his extraordinary dedication to all aspects of Rama's story have led to his recognition as one of the greatest authorities on Tulasidasa in India today ... that the Acharya's knowledge of the Ramacharitamanasa is vast and breathtaking and that he is one of those rare scholars who know the text of the epic virtually by heart.” 

Will this help?

Best

Dipak B.