Sean B. Palmer: “Unless the publication is to be a faithful reproduction of the folio, where errors-and-all may as well be preserved, it behooves the editor to reduce the untoward effect that the spelling, typography, and inconsistencies between the versions have on the reader. The difficulty is, as always in careful editing, retaining the intent and style of the author. With any work of Shakespeare's, this becomes ever more imperative.”
In the three works of Shakespeare I've read—Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and Hamlet, which I can say without embarrassment were all assigned readings—I also made sure to read the introductions written by the editor. (I read the acknowledgements of every book I read, in case I recognize a name, and in one case, the first acknowledgment was a friend of mine.) I can't remember a single thing they've written, but it always struck me as interesting as to the number of versions of Shakespeare's place as well as the amount of work put in to make Shakespeare's plays accessible, at least in a typographic sense, to as many people as possible.
