Quote:
Originally Posted by murraypaul
I think there are two very different approaches in conflict here.
The first is the PG approach, which is about preserving an exact edition of a work. It is the formation of a museum of books, and each oddity should be preserved as an artifact of the original book. Whether people actually enjoy reading the books is of secondary concern.
The second is that there are some old books out there with good stories that people might still enjoy reading. The aim is entertainment, not preservation. If there are obvious changes that make the book more entertaining, without distorting the original meaning, why not make them?
Both approaches are equally valid, and you can't judge either by the standards of the other.
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I agree completely Murraypaul. My position changes depending on the material I'm working with. With a book of poetry, I was so anal about accurate reproduction of the original text that I counted spaces and measured the margins on each poem. But even in that case the book as a whole is not a mirror copy. I made a new cover. My book comes with a sixty-page word-frequency report.
The one book I did make some changes to was the 32nd in a 40 book children's fantasy series. It was the second to last book by a writer that contributed 19 books to that series. She made one bad choice that sticks out like a sore thumb and taints her legacy and the series. I made the very tough choice to modify the work. I clearly communicated my mental dilemma in the editor's note. I archived the original text for anyone interested in seeing it. And I made it crystal clear in the titling and sales blurbs that I made changes. I know I angered some fans--I fully expected to--but I also know readers now have more choices and the work is more accessible than it was before. People can read and enjoy the original book or they can read and enjoy my release.