Same description for all editions?

[Sofia]

I've noticed that for different editions of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, there are different descriptions. I haven't checked for other books yet to see if this is the same but shouldn't different editions of the same book all have the same description, as technically they are the same book?

[Paula]

Not necessarily, descriptions can be different for different editions.

UK vs US editions of books can have different names for the same book

[Cheryl]

I prefer having different descriptions available, to get more information before deciding whether to buy a book. And of course some editions are different, perhaps with a different illustrator or format for example. Please do not force any sort of conformity of descriptions!

[James]

Sofia wrote: "...but shouldn't different editions of the same book all have the same description, as technically they are the same book? "

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "...And of course some editions are different, perhaps with a different illustrator or format for example. Please do not force any sort of conformity of descriptions!"

Sofia, the reply to your question from Paula is spot on (brief as it may be). This diversity can be especially important since some descriptions contain information about a particular edition that doesn't "belong" elsewhere in the book's data. We see numerous examples in this group's discussions where GR's most experienced librarians have suggested something like: "That sort of information doesn't belong there. Make a note of it in the description and add a librarian note." The thing that one should be watching for, however, is when a description is so far off the mark from the other editions of the same book that it appears to be a different book -- usually it isn't a different book, but sometimes it is -- checking accuracy and making appropriate corrections or additions is why GR has librarians. :)