ABSTRACT
In the opening pages of From Writer to Reader, a work committed to redressing the 'sadly inadequate' state of the then available editions, Philip Gaskell lays down the responsibilities of the would-be editor. Chief among this is the duty to 'presen[t] a text purged as far as possible of accidental errors and of deliberate but unauthorized alterations'. Gaskell's caveat encapsulates one theme of the case study that follows: namely the challenge of identifying error. Multiple changes were an essential process in converting research material into a publishable work and ensuring its consistency and quality. Final drafting is especially important in a big edition, since it has so many dimensions and takes so much time; but sometimes it is difficult to accomplish. For scholarly editions, the design of the volume is part of the editorial task, but the editor may be hampered in fulfilling it.
