Editions and Printings:  Editing Records

Part II.A.

Edition statement:  250 field

The edition statement that is in the record may generally be left as it appears.

E.g.      T.p. verso:    1. Ausgabe  1.-50. Tausend  Juni 1955

                      2. Ausgabe    51.-63. Tausend  Februar 1957

                      3. Ausgabe  64.-75. Tausend  April 1958

   250    1. Ausg.

Since this first edition record is a match (the "3. Ausgabe" represents a printing) and a first edition statement is present in the piece, this 250 field does not need to be edited.

E.g.      T.p. verso:    Huitième édition    1972

                      c1959

   Colophon:    Imprimé ... juin 1972

   250    [2. éd.]

   260    $c [1959]

The 250 field of this record, the earliest matching one, does not need editing.

Exceptions:

1. Errors:  If there is clearly an error (i.e., one that has not prevented the record from being a match), the statement should be changed or deleted.  Edition statements in CIP records, for example, should be corrected.  Such changes do not need to be bracketed.

2. Clarification:  If a change is needed to clarify an ambiguous statement, it should be edited.

   E.g.       T.p. verso: Tercera edición actualizada y aumentada

                     [i.e., 3rd updated and enlarged ed.]

      250    3a ed.

   The 250 should be edited to read "3a ed. actualizada y aum." to confirm that this is a genuine edition statement, not just a printing statement.  (See also Part I.A.2, on matching based on foreign-language edition statements indicating revision.)  Since the lack of "actualizada y aum." is likely to be a result of cataloguer omission, no brackets are needed.

   Genuine edition statements presented in 500 quoted notes fields should be re-tagged to 250 edition statements.

3. First edition statements:
   • If a first edition statement is missing from the record but present in the piece, it should be added in brackets as:
     • 250 [1st ed.] (English -- cf. Part I.A.1., on matching based on English-language first edition statements)

       or

     • 250 [1. ed.] (foreign languages).

   • If a first edition statement is missing from the piece but present in the record as "250    1st ed." or a foreign-language variant, the 250 statement should be bracketed.

4. Possible printing statements:
   • If a statement is explicitly a simple printing statement, using a term for "printing," it should be deleted from a record or altered to match the actual edition statement (just as you would delete or change simple printing dates -- see Part II.B.2, on editing printing dates).  Any changes should be bracketed.

     (See also:

     • Part I.A.1, on matching based on English-language printing statements

     • Part I.A.2, on matching based on foreign-language printing statements.)

     E.g.      T.p. verso: Third edition ... 4th printing

        250    3rd ed., 4th printing.

     The 250 "4th printing" should be deleted.

     E.g.      T.p. verso:  2a edizione, riveduta     1988

                                   [i.e., 2nd ed., revised]

                             Ristampa [reprint]    1990

        250    2a ed., riv., ristampa.

     The 250 "ristampa" should be deleted.

     E.g.      T.p. verso:    1. Ausgabe  1.-50. Tausend  Juni 1955

        250    3. Ausg.

     The 250 in this matching record should be changed to [1. Ausg.]

     (This example, in which the piece is the first edition, first printing, while the record reflects a later printing, contrasts with the reverse situation illustrated at the beginning of Part II.A., in which the record is for the first edition while the piece reflects a later printing.)

     E.g.      250    3. ed.

        The piece has no edition statement.  Otherwise, everything in the piece matches the record.

     The 250 field should be deleted.

   • Statements using the term "edition" together with a generic term -- such as "First paperback edition," "Book club edition," "Deluxe edition," etc. -- that actually relate to printing variations not affecting matching should be left in a record. If the statement is not present in your piece, it should be bracketed.

     However, such statements should not be added to a record.  (See also Part I.A.1, on matching based on edition statements including generic terms.)

   • Statements using the term "edition" together with specific additional information, such as a series or publisher name, should be added or the record edited to match the piece.  (See also Part I.A.2., on matching based on edition statements including specific additional information.)

     E.g.      "First McGraw-Hill paperback edition" should be added as

        250    [1st McGraw-Hill pbk. ed.].

     E.g.      T.p. verso:  Tercera edición, Primera en la Editorial Sudamericana

        250    3. ed.

     The 250 should be edited to read:  3. ed., 1. en la Editorial Sudamericana.  (The omission of "1. en la Editorial Sudamericana" was probably a cataloguer error, so no brackets are needed.)

   • If you are not certain whether information in the 250 field reflects printing information or actual edition information, do not alter it.

     E.g.      T.p. verso:  1a edizione      1982

                          2a edizione      1986

        250    2a ed.

        You are using the "2a ed." record because there is no matching record for the first edition.

     The 250 should not be changed.  Without more evidence that the first edition was identical to yours, it would be risky to change the 250 to "1. ed."

HTML document last reviewed:  16 November 1999