Q. I’m preparing the fifth edition of a book. Each edition has had a preface, and all will be included. Should the old prefaces be reproduced verbatim, or should mechanical changes (e.g., a reference to chapter 12 which is now chapter 11) be made?
A. Think about your readers; sending them to the wrong chapters would just be mean. You can update all the references and explain in a footnote at the beginning of the first preface, or you can leave the original references in place and add updates in square brackets [chapter 16 in this volume].