Question about series of editions

[Shelby]

Hey,

I've just become a librarian recently, and I had a question regarding a series of editions dedicated towards classics:

Say there's a series of adaptations of a classic, all created by one publisher with one style. Can you add individual editions to a series, or would adding, say, their version of Beowulf to a series then add every version of Beowulf to that series?

[Abcdarian]

It probably would connect every edition. That would not be considered a series under Goodreads standards anyway; it's a publisher imprint.

From the Librarian Manual: Imprints and other unrelated collections of works (usually by multiple authors) are not series. They can be grouped with a Listopia list, or the collection/imprint information can be listed in the edition field, but they should not be grouped into a series, or listed on a book's title line.

As a general rule, a book is only part of a series if that designation would apply to all editions of a work. To be a series, books should have characters and/or universes in common. In the case of imprints and other non-series collections, it is common for some of these books to be published under numerous other imprints as well.

For example, SF Masterworks would not be a series, and neither would Harlequin Blaze.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Shelby wrote: "Can you add individual editions to a series"

No, that is not possible. Which is precisely why Goodreads does not consider imprints series.

[Shelby]

Ok. Thanks!