Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
It's simple. I get a digital copy of a public domain book. I tweak it to make it suit my tastes--changing words, punctuation, sentence structure, whatever. Maybe I have an agenda, maybe I just think I'm making it better. I upload it to the library here, to my Web page, to other sites. People download it. They don't know that I've made changes. They think they're reading the book the author published way back when, but they're not. They're reading my bastardized version..
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Yes, that can happen but it's nothing new. People have been editing and reworking works like that for pretty much as long as the written word has existed. The Jefferson Bible comes to mind as a famous historical example. There are others. When someone releases such a personalized edition of something it won't make the older editions disappear. When it happens it'll be noticed and remarked upon.
What it comes down to is that the reader needs to be aware of the sources. Someone releasing such bastardized editions of works of literature would likely have a reputation after a time. If you want to be sure of what you're getting then only accept the work from a source you trust.