Notable Variorum Editions
A variorum of the Bible has been produced at various times in history and of various scopes. Documenting each line of text with all variants in wording, from all known source documents, presented chronologically, helps translators of the Bible establish primacy and prevalence of various line readings.
There have also been noteworthy variora of the works of William Shakespeare, including the readings of all quartos and folios; the textual decisions, or choices, of past editors; and a compilation of all critical notes. Variorum editions help editors and scholars understand the historical evolution of the Shakespeare texts, as well as to decode dubious lines and decide upon most likely authorial intent.
Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species went through six editions with extensive changes. The text became a third larger, with numerous parts rewritten five times. A variorum was published in 1959.
There is also a variorum of the Leaves of Grass. Walt Whitman produced either six or nine editions during his lifetime. The New York University Press produced a variorum in 1980 of these various editions.
The James Strachey translation of Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams in volumes four and five of The Standard Edition of The Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud collates eight editions.
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