The Text of the Old Testament: An Introduction to the Biblia Hebraica

Rating:
Summary: Good introduction
Review: Covers most important issues in textual criticism. If you only get one book on textual criticsm this is the one to get. Emmanuel Tov covers much more ground and is less dated, but it is much more expensive and more difficult to read. If you want both, definitely read Wurthwein first.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction to its subject
Review: This book is ostensibly an introduction to Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, a standard work giving the text of the Hebrew Bible and a list of variants and plausible emendations. It serves that function superbly, but it is also one of the best books ever written on the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible. It is well worth buying even if you do not have a Biblia Hebraica. Some may prefer Tov's book on the subject, but ideally you should have both.