Edisjonsverk

Edisjonsverk, sometimes used in Norwegian scholarly publishing, refers to the work involved in producing a definitive scholarly edition of a text. It combines editorial theory with philology and bibliographic work to establish a text that can serve as a standard reference for scholars and readers. The term is cognate to the German Editionswerk and the English edition and emphasizes the edition as an object of scholarly labor rather than a simple reproduction.

An edisjonsverk typically comprises a base text, an apparatus criticus documenting variants across manuscripts and early prints, an introduction (edition history, authorial context), and annotations or commentary explaining textual choices and interpretive questions. The method revolves around text-critical principles: identifying the most reliable copy-text, recording variants, and explaining editorial decisions. Some edisjonsverk aim for a purely scholarly presentation, while others prepare reader-oriented works with extensive notes, glossaries, and indices.

In practice, producers may be editors, philologists, librarians, and publishers who collate manuscripts, verify and standardize spelling, and decide on a publication format (print, digital, or hybrid). Digital editions increasingly use encoding standards like TEI to permit searchability, linking, and reuse, and may include facsimiles and dynamic apparatus.

Edisjonsverk are common in literature, philosophy, law, and religious studies, where precise textual history matters. They range from complete editions of an author’s works to annotated critical editions of single works. See also textual criticism, critical edition, apparatus criticus, TEI, digital humanities.