From: Steven Harris <SteHar_at_library.lib.usu.edu>
Speaking from a literary standpoint (my expertise): I would be
very careful about this. Some editions are considered the
standard critical or scholarly edition. Withdrawing them
and replacing with a Barnes & Noble copy would be a disaster from
the viewpoint of most literary scholars. As far as reading
editions for undergraduates, it probably doesn't matter. But I
would consider them somewhat consumable.
I really like Penguin and Oxford editions, as far as being nice
and readable but still based on scholarly standards. Some of
the Oxford editions are available in cloth binding. But you could
put a perfect binding on the paperbacks and they will stand up
pretty well. One other suggestion would be the "Library of
America" (http://www.loa.org/). Most of their editions are
available in hardback.
These are some sources to check for what is consider the
standard scholarly edition (perhaps more legwork than you want
to put in--but many scholarly editions might still be in print
from a University press):
Bateson, F. W. and Harrison T. Meserole. A guide to English and
American literature. London: Longman, 1976.
Marcuse, Michael J. A Reference Guide for English Studies. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1990.
The New Cambridge bibliography of English literature, edited by George
Watson. Cambridge University Press, 1969-77, 5 v.
and
The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature, 3rd Edition, 2000.
(This is actually newer than the previous item, but only Volume 4,
1800-1900, has been published)
MLA Committee on Scholarly Editions (approved editions)
http://www.mla.org/cse_approved_edition
--Steven Harris
Steven R. Harris
Collection Development Librarian
Utah State University
(435) 797-3861
http://cc.usu.edu/~srharris/
Received on Sat Aug 05 2006 - 01:18:45 EDT