General textual introduction

The contents of the present volume present great variation in their textual histories. Some come from very early in Swift's career, and some from much later; some first appeared singly, some as part of collections; some can be traced through authorial or scribal MSS, while others are known only from lifetime or posthumous printed editions. The accounts that follow are designed to allow accurate identification of the sources used in making the present edition, and make no pretence to full bibliographical description. While detailed textual accounts are separately provided for each work, this general textual introduction aims, first, to clarify some wider issues regarding the treatment of texts in the present volume, and, second, to identify the authorised collections repeatedly mentioned in the individual textual accounts.

In the textual accounts of the separate works that follow, all emendations to the copy texts are listed, in general supported by a single authority; but in some cases, notably Directions to Servants, where thewitnesses are especially complex, a wider range of authorities is cited. The absence of a witness, on the other hand, indicates an emendation on grounds of sense and syntax alone: this is particularly likely when authorised texts are few, or even unique. Notes on Emendations discuss difficult cases, and contextualise the implications of the choices available.

The historical collations provided in the textual accounts focus on substantive issues of meaning, and on other notable aspects of the work and its transmission. The // sign is used in the historical collations to show where paragraph divisions constitute an aspect of textual variation. Obvious typographical errors in copy texts that do not persist in the textual transmission are not routinely included in historical collations; nor are obvious typographical errors in the other texts collated, although thesemay be recorded, exceptionally, in cases of particular interest. The same applies to minor variations in spelling, punctuation and typography. Spelling and punctuation vary routinely among Swift's authorised editions, and some particularly striking instances are summarised in the textual accounts of individual works.

One larger pattern, which involves an increase in linguistic formality over time, is of particular interest in relation to Swift, if not entirely unique to him.