>> Ad hoc customization for individual parts done by different authors, >> such as % \mathcode`\"=8000 % \begingroup % \catcode`\"=\active % \gdef"{^{\prime\prime}} % \endgroup >> will make trouble even if each article is enclosed in its own group and >> there are many ways for this kind of trouble to come up. Isn't this the sort of construct that LaTeX implicitly proscribes? If there were a clean LaTeX method (there probably is!) for achieving the effect without the need for \global hacks, then all would be well. ** Phil.