Suppose you search a book [not yet on your WL] and there are several editions of it on the site.  You don't care if you get hardcover or paperback, or about the publication date; you just want the book.  Do you pick one randomly to request, and wait for the member to reply, hoping that the others will still be available if needed?  Or do you request them all, then take the first one that accepts and cancel the rest?  Or is there some other way to deal with this that I haven't thought of?

I request them all.  I put a sticky note on each telling me to remove the others once I receive one.  the system is supposed to PM you with an offer of a similar book - but some times (most times) the system isn't coordinated enough. 

Ruth

If you need to add it to your WL, add them all, but don't put them on auto-request.

If you are talking about placing an order for a posted book, I would only do the one version you would prefer it in. Often orders are accepted and printed within seconds and you may end up paying a credit for multiple copies. If the senders have paid for DC or PBS postage it would not be fair to ask them to cancel.

I only order one (existing in system)...it would end up being a real big hassle I think, making 3 or 4 different orders and then cancelling some of them...especially since some people accept, print and mail almost immediately. You could easily end up getting more than one version of the book that way, plus it's annoying as all heck for the sender to agree to send a book and then have it cancelled. I mean, it does happen, but if it were a regular occurance I think I'd be peeved.

But as far as wishlisting different versions, it depends on how badly I want the book. My WL is usually pretty full even though I've only got three or four books with more than one version wishlisted, so it's got to be one I really want. I do go through my WL periodically and click on the author's name for those books that I don't care which version I get...sometimes I've found other versions of the wishlisted book just sitting there waiting to be ordered.

Cheryl