I enjoyed both Wickett’s Remedy and her first novel, Bee Season, but I’m not entirely sure I feel about this:

Because of the unusual format of Wickett’s Remedy (side notes appear in the margins of many pages), it had to be re-typeset for the paperback, which gave Goldberg the rare opportunity to substantially rewrite parts of the novel…. According to Goldberg’s note in the paperback, “The spirit of the book and its story remain unchanged, but certain threads are developed a little further. Scenes… that had been implied in the hardcover edition are made explicit in the paperback; other scenes that had been curtailed are extended. The revised material deepens Lydia’s experience on Gallups Island, as well as her relationships with Percival Cole and Frank Bentley.” Goldberg’s editor, Alice Van Straalen, said, “Though no one’s counted, we figure there have been approximately 6% to 7% changes.”

Via Ed Rants.

Revisions like this, even if relatively minor, are a tricky subject. I think an author has to make a very strong argument that they’re justified. Part of me wants to say that art, once it’s out there, should remain in that form, warts and all. And yet a part of me accepts the perogative of the author to revise his or her work; I can definitely the authorial impulse to do so.