The methodology and practice of Latin text editing is presented in the paper as an example of a humanities scholar's work that combines scientific effort with artistic activity, including forgery of works by old masters. Part one outlines the methodological situation in textual criticism in the 1960s and 1970s, when the author was a university student and novice researcher. Next, the author considers what caused changes in editing methodology in subsequent decades and, finally, he comments on present-day debates surrounding the role of the academic editor, with a special focus on the interdisciplinary aspects of this issue.