The Tunnel

The American editor, like his predecessors, followed Duckworth's English text faithfully and even blindly. Witness CE162.5"He protested, E166.2 and A189.29 with omitted quotation mark; CE194.6 the firm bulk of, E203.6 and A229.7 the firm balk of. (These errors--identical in E and A--are not, of course, part of the following list.) But however faithful in intent, the American editor of The Tunnel was careless in practice. Of 97 variants, 69 of them substantive, fully 39 are misprints or errors in A. For example, fell like (A23.28) instead of felt like (E13.4, CE 22.5); hopefully (A64.15) instead of helpfully (E50.11, CE56.13); countering (A207.9) instead of counting (E183.2-3, CE175.30); and an omitted closing quotation mark after him (A328.26), included at E294.18 and CE276.8. Finally, one error results from the editor's desperate but failed attempt to make sense of an exceedingly complex passage by altering upon him (E177.2, CE171.20) to upon her (A201.18).

Meanwhile, 12 errors in E are corrected in A and, with one notable exception, in CE also. Most of these emendations could have been supplied either by an attentive American editor or by Richardson herself. For example, errors in the use of a quotation mark at E39.20 and at E302.28 are corrected at A52.25 and A337.13 and later at CE46.10 and CE283.8; thing of (E89.29) is corrected to think of (A107.19 and CE92.15); and geleibt (E272.12) is corrected to geliebt (A305.4 and CE 256.19). However, several emendations suggest authorial intervention, probably through revisions inserted on the English sheets sent to Knopf. Most decisive is the quotation attributed to Byron (CE27.6 and 27.9). Though incorrectly assigned to Tennyson in the English First Edition (E18.15 and 18.18), it is properly attributed to Byron in the American text (A29.22 and 29.25). It is unlikely, too, that the Knopf editor would, on his own initiative, change E194.31 He could to A220.10 and CE186.11 He would. Also authorial is the treatment of the error at E188.6 felt it all: Richardson's apparent attempt to substitute at for it resulted in A212.13 felt it at all; only CE179.30 establishes the correct felt at all.

The remaining 18 substantive variants result from the American editor's pleasing himself and his reader: around (A49.20) for round (E36.27, CE43.22); extending (A141.8) for extended (E120.8, CE120.7); They (A233.33) for Things (E207.24, CE198.6); gliding lights (A276.28) for gliding moving lights (E247.17, CE233.33); and are (A332.23) for were (E298.19, CE279.11). Since not one of these 18 tinkerings is present in the Collected Edition text of The Tunnel, it is certain that the American Edition was not used as copy text, a conclusion affirmed by the one misprint in the English First Edition (by night, E247.7) which was perpetuated in the Collected Edition at CE233.24, even though it was emended in the American Edition to by right at A276.18. On the other hand, it seems probable, if not equally certain, that Richardson in preparing The Tunnel for the new edition consulted revisions she had earlier supplied to the American editor.

NOTE Both first editions treat titles of books, journals and music irregularly, sometimes using quotation marks, sometimes only capitals, and in a couple of instances not even capitals. These irregularities have been noted in comparing the Collected Edition with the English First. Since the same irregularities occur in the American Edition they have not been noted here. Likewise, a number of common sayings or traditional clichés are placed in single quotation marks instead of the standard double marks. In both first editions, foreign words are sometimes italicized, sometimes not. Again, these anomalies have not been recorded here.

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