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Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer
Ya, new digital editions can come out, but how is that different than new versions of a paperback book? Is it just because digital text is easier to revise? But so what? how does that affect the digital edition that you bought before it was revised?.
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Also, these 'unnamed' revisions tend to take place mainly with self-published books. Although the technology is still in its childhood (possibly gone past infancy!) most mainstream publishers, especially the ones that also own journals or other periodicals and so have had a longer time to get used to it, are far more circumspect about this, and don't generally allow changes willy-nilly. Instead, the book is brought out as another edition, or a correction page is added. This is partly due to the fact that...
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Originally Posted by Catlady
When I look at an e-book file, I don't know what some overzealous person might have changed. E.g., when I download a book from the MR library, I can't tell what grammar, punctuation, or spelling might have changed. I can't tell if the uploader might have used a euphemism for an objectionable word. I have no reference point unless there is a printed copy of the book to refer to. If we reach a point when there is no printed copy, where are we? The digital file can be constantly in flux.
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... in the UK and Ireland, publishers (which means anyone who's applied for an ISSN/ISBN) have a legal requirement to deposit a copy of the material with the British Library, so that is then the original copy. Not sure if a similar law applies in other countries.