Differences and Revisions

[lone_ichabod]

My college library has a copy of The Nightmare Factory, and I was wondering if there are differences between the versions of the stories that appear in that volume, and more recent reprints of the stories. I originally read most of these stories in either the Penguin Classics reprint for SoaDD and Grimscribe, and the Virgin Books edition of Teatro Grottesco. I read Noctuary as a first edition, so I don't assume any differences will be present. Still, I have heard that older Ligotti is more strange and erudite, and I have also heard that these stories have been changed and revised many times throughout publications. Am I going to notice significant differences?

	SOADD Songs of a Dead Dreamer   Songs of a Dead Dreamer was the first book published featuring a collection stories by Thomas Ligotti. Original Printing Revised Printing

[Maria B.]

The ending of The Shadow at the Bottom of the World is different in the Penguin Classics edition and The Nightmare Factory. And in my opinion, it's a significant change, so much so that I thought I had read the wrong story when I came across Matt Cardin's Thoughts on "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World"

[Ascrobius]

Just for the record, I have discussed this idea with Tom, that is, of making any small revisions/edits to story through the reprinting process after various pieces make it from one edition of publishing to another. I believe that Tom's take on this was that many stories have endured mostly minor edits but that he looked at it, in many cases, as an opportunity to refine small details that he may have decided to modify because he thought it was a perfect time to do so. He is quite a perfectionist, and he also has stated that most people would not notice most of them, and that hardcore readers who were super familiar with any given story might be the only people that would notice, care, or actually get into comparing "old" versus "new." But yes...there are some minor changes that were made to some stories upon reprinting.