Library of America scholarly editions.

[prince_alfie]

I always loved the Library of America scholarly editions as the definitive text for American classics. I was wondering whether there are any textual differences between the LOA version and the corresponding B and N version.

Could Barnes and Noble versions of the classics be considered definitive scholarly editions for research use? Just wondering.

Plus how does a B and N version differ from an open source version such as the Project Gutenberg version?

[fanuzzir]

You have excellent questions. In some cases, BN Classics and Library of America use the same primary source, if there is a definitive one available. In some case, Library of America will do archival research to create a definitive text or make some important changes. It differs by book, I'm afraid. The front material and bibliography would be different in each book as well, so that's a matter of your needs and tastes.

Bob

[Everyman]

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fanuzzir wrote:
You have excellent questions. In some cases, BN Classics and Library of America use the same primary source, if there is a definitive one available. In some case, Library of America will do archival research to create a definitive text or make some important changes. It differs by book, I'm afraid. The front material and bibliography would be different in each book as well, so that's a matter of your needs and tastes.

Bob

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I was an LOA subscriber for several years, so have most of their volumes that interest me. They are wonderful volumes for a complete, compact, well edited version of the works, but for the serious reader who wants further insight, their weakness is that they have very little supplementary material. Although they do have fairly comprehensive summary biographies, and in many cases some limited notes (though not referenced in the text, so you have to look in the back of the book to see whether there is a note for any particular question), they have no analytical essays and no useful comprehensive notes, so in many cases where I already have a LOA edition, particularly for eras which I don't have a good historical background in, I will purchase another edition such as the BN Classic, Oxford World Classic, Penguin Classic, or other as a reading copy for the additional materials.

[donyskiw]

I love the LOA editions but I think Everyman has a great suggestion to purchase something like a BN Classic (they are certainly priced right!) because the LOA editions do not have any essays or scholarly material in them. I have not looked at the LOA college editions. I don't know what they contain.

Denise

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Everyman wrote:

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fanuzzir wrote:
You have excellent questions. In some cases, BN Classics and Library of America use the same primary source, if there is a definitive one available. In some case, Library of America will do archival research to create a definitive text or make some important changes. It differs by book, I'm afraid. The front material and bibliography would be different in each book as well, so that's a matter of your needs and tastes.

Bob

---

I was an LOA subscriber for several years, so have most of their volumes that interest me. They are wonderful volumes for a complete, compact, well edited version of the works, but for the serious reader who wants further insight, their weakness is that they have very little supplementary material. Although they do have fairly comprehensive summary biographies, and in many cases some limited notes (though not referenced in the text, so you have to look in the back of the book to see whether there is a note for any particular question), they have no analytical essays and no useful comprehensive notes, so in many cases where I already have a LOA edition, particularly for eras which I don't have a good historical background in, I will purchase another edition such as the BN Classic, Oxford World Classic, Penguin Classic, or other as a reading copy for the additional materials.

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[Everyman]

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donyskiw wrote:
I love the LOA editions but I think Everyman has a great suggestion to purchase something like a BN Classic (they are certainly priced right!) because the LOA editions do not have any essays or scholarly material in them. I have not looked at the LOA college editions. I don't know what they contain.

I don't know whether it's typical, bu thte College Edition of Melville just contains a fairly extensive selection of his writing -- Moby Dick, of course, Bartleby, the Scrivner, Billy Budd, a few essays and a selection of his poetry, and then the usual chronology and limited notes that are in all their editions. No introduction, no critical essays, none of supplementary materials that one is used to with, for example, the Norton Critical Editions. It appears that as a matter of editorial principle the LoA is entirely focussed on the work of the actual author, and leaves any critical commentary or analysis to other sources.

[donyskiw]

So the college editions are structured the same as the other editions. I think your other idea is the best one of adding the BN Classic edition. Then you have the original manuscripts bound in the nice format I enjoy so much but the paperback with the supplementarty material. And prices you can't beat!

Denise

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Everyman wrote:

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donyskiw wrote:
I love the LOA editions but I think Everyman has a great suggestion to purchase something like a BN Classic (they are certainly priced right!) because the LOA editions do not have any essays or scholarly material in them. I have not looked at the LOA college editions. I don't know what they contain.

I don't know whether it's typical, bu thte College Edition of Melville just contains a fairly extensive selection of his writing -- Moby Dick, of course, Bartleby, the Scrivner, Billy Budd, a few essays and a selection of his poetry, and then the usual chronology and limited notes that are in all their editions. No introduction, no critical essays, none of supplementary materials that one is used to with, for example, the Norton Critical Editions. It appears that as a matter of editorial principle the LoA is entirely focussed on the work of the actual author, and leaves any critical commentary or analysis to other sources.

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[prince_alfie]

Apart from extra notes, etc. etc., would LOA editions be considered the definitive text as the author originally intended?

[donyskiw]

Theoretically, yes. But it would usually require a seance to find out what the author wanted. And some authors, like Kafka (although he wouldn't be published by the Library of America since he wasn't an American author) wanted his manuscripts burned, not published.

Denise

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prince_alfie wrote:
Apart from extra notes, etc. etc., would LOA editions be considered the definitive text as the author originally intended?

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[ziki]

While LOA are nice books, BN paperbacks/classics are annotated and have also an additional information that can be useful.

ziki

[holyboy]

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ziki wrote:
While LOA are nice books, BN paperbacks/classics are annotated and have also an additional information that can be useful.

ziki

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ziki:
I think though, that the LOA editions are more definitive. Plus, they contain lesser known works that are hard to come by in other venues.

[prince_alfie]

I agree. For example, I really love the Nabokov's series within the LOA edition. The Vintage classics are nice but they don't have the definitiveness of the LOA version.

[ziki]

Alfie,
I think you answered your own question there. For the same reason I bought Chopin in LOA.
OTH I've got Moby-Dick in BN. Perhaps it also depends on what you read and what your level/aim is.

ziki

[holyboy]

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ziki wrote:
Alfie,
I think you answered your own question there. For the same reason I bought Chopin in LOA.
OTH I've got Moby-Dick in BN. Perhaps it also depends on what you read and what your level/aim is.

ziki

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Ziki,

Yes, but with LOA you get Redburn and White Jacket along with your Moby Dick! Actually, I will admit though that I read another addition of MD for the discussion.

[ziki]

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holyboy wrote:... with LOA you get Redburn and White Jacket along with your Moby Dick! Actually, I will admit though that I read another addition of MD for the discussion.

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holyboy and why don't you speak with us on Moby then? :-)

ziki

[Touchett]

Hello, all. (my first post here)

Am I the only one finding typographical errors all over some of the LoA editions?

Certainly this hasn't been the case for all of them, but I've come across several so far in the first volume of Henry James's stories, and I seem to recall a page number error on the contents page of one of the Roth volumes, though I can't remember which just now...

Anyway, am I alone here? They're really gorgeous books, and contain large amounts of text in a relatively small space, which I think anyone who loves American lit can appreciate (make no mistake, I am very impressed at its inclusion of all of James's stories), but it is rather jarring sometimes to come upon these errors, especially in what it appears is becoming the new "standard" edition for research and citation.

Message Edited by Touchett on 03-24-2008 04:53 AM

[RCM]

Touchett wrote:

Hello, all. (my first post here)

Am I the only one finding typographical errors all over some of the LoA editions?

Certainly this hasn't been the case for all of them, but I've come across several so far in the first volume of Henry James's stories, and I seem to recall a page number error on the contents page of one of the Roth volumes, though I can't remember which just now...

Anyway, am I alone here? They're really gorgeous books, and contain large amounts of text in a relatively small space, which I think anyone who loves American lit can appreciate (make no mistake, I am very impressed at its inclusion of all of James's stories), but it is rather jarring sometimes to come upon these errors, especially in what it appears is becoming the new "standard" edition for research and citation.

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Yes, I have about 30 LOA volumes.  I've read most of them, and most of what I found was in good order, but then came the Chopin volume.  I started from page one and by the midpoint I had found at least a dozen mistakes.  I e-mailed LOA, and each time they replied: "Thanks, it will be corrected in the next printing."

RCM