Joseph Andrews, Vol. 1

  NOTE TO GENERAL INTRODUCTION.

  _The text of this issue in the main follows that of the standard orfirst collected edition of 1762. The variants which the authorintroduced in successive editions during his lifetime are notinconsiderable; but for the purposes of the present issue it did notseem necessary or indeed desirable to take account of them. In the caseof prose fiction, more than in any other department of literature, it isdesirable that work should be read in the form which represents thecompletest intention and execution of the author. Nor have any notesbeen attempted; for again such things, in the case of prose fiction, areof very doubtful use, and supply pretty certain stumbling-blocks toenjoyment; while in the particular case of Fielding, the annotation,unless extremely capricious, would have to be disgustingly full. Far beit at any rate from the present editor to bury these delightfulcreations under an ugly crust of parallel passages and miscellaneouserudition. The sheets, however, have been carefully read in order toprevent the casual errors which are wont to creep into frequentlyreprinted texts; and the editor hopes that if any such have escaped him,the escape will not be attributed to wilful negligence. A few obviouserrors, in spelling of proper names, &c., which occur in the 1762version have been corrected: but wherever the readings of that versionare possible they have been preferred. The embellishments of the editionare partly fanciful and partly "documentary;" so that it is hoped bothclasses of taste may have something to feed upon._