"The volume is outstanding for the wealth of evidence Brewer brings to the topic. I find this a penetrating and provocative book. I think Brewer forces into the center of discussion the variety of ways inwhich editors have often forgotten...the varying assumptions that underlie their efforts at retrieving an author's ipsissima verba. Brewer's volume stands...as an impressive plea for both editorial conciousness and conscientiousness." Ralph Hanna, Speculum

• Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The Early Phase: 1. Crowley; 2. Percy, Warton, Tyrwhitt, Ritson; 3. Whitaker and Price; 4. Wright; Part II. The Late Nineteenth Century: 5. The early English text society and its editorial context; 6. Skeat: Introduction; 7. Skeat's A-Text; 8. Skeat's B-Text; 9. Skeat's C-Text; Part III. The Skeat Aftermath: 10. Manly versus Chambers and Grattan; 11. Excursus: Westcott and Hort; Part IV. Chambers Grattan, Knott and Fowler: 12. Chambers 1909–10; 13. Chambers versus Knott; 14. Chambers' graduate students; 15. Chambers 1931; 16. Chambers 1935–42; 17. The Chambers and Grattan collations; 18. Grattan and Kane; 19. Knott and Fowler, Donaldson, Mitchell and Russell; Part V. The Athlone Press Edition: 20. The Athlone A-Text; 21. The Athlone B-Text; Part VI. Epilogue: The Athlone Aftermath: Schmidt, Pearsall, Rigg-Brewer, et al.; Indexes.