I am delighted that, over thirty years after it was first published, Copy-editing continues to be widely used as a reference guide for copy-editors. We all still have the same aims of clarity and consistency, but technology and production methods have moved on since the publication of the third edition in 1992, and the ways in which copy-editors work have changed. This new edition has been extensively revised to take account of the fact that most authors and many copy-editors now work electronically; and it addresses a new generation of copy-editors, most of whom now work freelance and for more than one publisher. As today's copy-editors have less in-house support and less contact with designers and production departments, written guidelines are more important than ever before. I hope that this new edition will offer good advice on the points that the modern copy-editor should look out for and the ways that some of the problems can be tackled.

I am extremely grateful to Caroline Drake and Maureen Leach, who have edited and updated this new edition on behalf of Cambridge University Press.