Pointed Roofs

A comparison of the two first editions of Pointed Roofs establishes that the American Edition of 1919 (A) was set from a copy of the English edition of 1915 (E). English spelling prevails throughout, and words like realise are unchanged. The English text is faithfully, even slavishly, reproduced. For example, hollyhocks is divided by a line end at E4.9-10 holly-|hocks. The hyphen is dutifully copied at A5.24 but of course omitted at CE16.21. Overall, an extremely conscientious and accurate resetting.

Of 52 variants, 21 are matters of punctuation and minor irregularities in spelling and italicization. There are 31 substantive differences between the English First Edition and the American Edition. Of these 11 may be regarded as misprints in E, all of which are corrected in A and in CE. The most important are E113.4 Emma and Marie was, A104.1 Emma and Marie were, CE76.17 like A, but correcting the name as well Emma and Clara were; E194.8 sighted, A178.6 and CE 120.25 sighed; and E206.1 mannerishness, A189.2 and CE127.34 mannishness. Of the 20 variants in which CE follows the English Edition, 4 are American misprints, the most notable being A61.16 Carlo's, E65.21 and CE50.12 Clara's; and A109.5-6 less indifferent, E118.18-19 and CE 79.18 less than indifferent. The other 16 variants ignored in CE represent either tinkering or carelessness by the American editors. For example A44.3 high peak, E46.7 and CE39.38 high neat peak; and A273.19-20 sobbing girls, E299.5-6 and CE178.33 sobbing of the girls are representative of 9 instances in which a word or words have been omitted from A. In one case a word was added: A50.5-6 thin and broad, E53.6 thin broad, CE43.23 thin, broad.

That all 11 misprints in E were corrected in A suggests that Richardson inserted these revisions on the English sheets before they were sent to Knopf and that she kept a record of the corrections, which she later inserted in the CE text. There is no evidence that she read American proofs or that Dent used the American Edition as copy text for, corrections of misprints aside, not one of that editions several variants is found in CE.

NOTE There are some irregular points used for ellipses in the English First Edition. These were corrected in the Collected Edition. Normally they are corrected also in the American Edition, in which case the irregularities of the English Edition will not be noted here. Where the American Edition does not follow the standard practice of using three spaced points, thus . . . , at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence and a period and three spaced points at the end of a sentence, this irregularity will be noted. Exception: when the irregularity occurs in both first editions; in that case the irregularity will have been noted in comparing the English First Edition with the Collected Edition.

NOTE The American Edition does not revise words like apologise and realise.

Chapter 5 introduction

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