Why do books uncombine when you edit other info than title and/or author

Just added original language info to my English and Dutch translations of the Poetic Edda. Previously they were combined with other translations, but now they got uncombined automatically. That can't be right!

They also don't show up as potential combinations for the main work.Both are pre-ISBN by the way.

How did you add that info, to the title?

Incidentally, it's a hard problem. If it's an edition (title, author, ISBN) that's never been seen before, not splitting out seems right. But if it's an existing one, and the edition is linked to another work, auto-combining would be very dangerous. For example, take your copy of Huckleberry Finn and rename it the Da Vinci Code. Kabloom?

>2 timspalding:: No, through the normal edit book option, in the designated original language field.

>3 timspalding:: Yes, I do understand that. But these ended up as orphaned works. Also, I did not edit the title or the author - in which case I would have understood. Just the original language field.

Is it possible that this is related to the thing with the secondary author being put into the author field? I know you guys said that was just display, so it shouldn't relate to combining - but it is a major change right after an (unrelated) editing session.

>4 Nicole_VanK:

I'd like to see it happen again. With respect, I don't think it happened quite like that. Something else intervened, whether it was text edits, not being part of the work to begin with or someone else changing the work at the same time.

>5 jjmcgaffey:

Huh? No. Secondary-authors don't affect work/edition definition.

>6 timspalding:: Just trying to describe it as I perceived it. It was properly combined before and no text edit occurred - I assure you. But obviously I can't rule out somebody else changing the work at the same time.

Okay, it sort of happened again. To check, and because the data were not entirely right, I updated language info on Surinaamse Gedichten (http://www.librarything.com/work/6558340/book/28181669).

In detail:

Sranan (the creole language spoken in Surinam) is both the original and the primary language of this book - but it does include side by side Dutch translation. But since until recently I didn't know I could enter that it had earlier been listed as primary language = Dutch.

Doing so - and REALLY just altering those language fields - the book count dropped to 0 after saving. Trying to force an update of that count didn't work. Going to the author page, however, I found an entry for it with one user (me).

Since I'm the only user having this pretty obscure work, we can now be almost sure nobody else was working on it at the same time. I do notice that the url now says "6558340/book/28181669" Did the work get a new code maybe?

8>

When I follow your link now, I see one user (you) listed as having the book. The primary language is listed as "English-based creoles and pidgins", and the secondary language is listed as Dutch. Whatever happened, it seems to have caught up.

I have had this happen many times, indeed with only filling the primary language and original language. It becomes a new work (other number). And then I had to re-combine them.

I've had this occur editing the summary field.

I just entered http://www.librarything.com/work/1997504

I first combined my copy with the three already there in editions.

Then I edited the publication information. I did not touch title or author. I saved.

I got the main page of the other three copies, but mine was no longer combined, and was not on the editions page to recombine.

I then had to go to the author page and recombine. I forgot to add my code in comments and BCID. Luckily that took without uncombining.

Just for the record I then added http://www.librarything.com/work/16398/38071393 and edited the author (removed a .) and added in the ISBN in separate saves. It never uncombined, I just had to change away from the Amazon cover after adding the ISBN.

Where did you edit the summary field—in the catalog or on the edit page?

On the edit page.

Well, that's peculiar. We're—Mike's—about to some very major changes to that page. So I'll check it out post-push.

Curiouser and curiouser... Now some of the books I edited (language info only) show up as recently rated on my profile.

Ah, interesting. I think I know why...