Udgaven

Udgaven is a Danish and Norwegian noun meaning the edition or issue of a publication. It denotes a specific released version of a work, as opposed to drafts or earlier printings. A publication may have several udgaver over its life, such as første udgave (first edition), omarbejdet udgave or revideret udgave (revised edition), ny udgave (new edition), and senere udgaver (later editions). In bibliographic practice, udgaven is a key descriptor in catalog records alongside title, author, publisher, and year, helping to distinguish between different releases of the same work.

The term applies to books, journals, newspapers, and magazines. The variations between udgaver can involve changes in content, pagination, format, typography, or accompanying material, making each edition a distinct release even if the core work remains the same.

In contrast to udgivelse, which refers to the act or process of publishing, udgave refers to the product or version that results from that process. The word is used in both Danish and Norwegian and has cognates in related Nordic languages.

Examples: "Denne udgave af romanen indeholder en ny forord og tilføjelser." "Anden udgave blev udgivet i 2005 som en revideret udgave." The concept is central to bibliographies, catalogs, and discussions of a work’s publication history.