EINSTEIN once said, ''Whoever undertakes to set himself up as judge in the field of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods.''

This newspaper, no rust bucket on the sea of facts, has simply tried to harvest the news while avoiding the shoals of inaccuracy, lo these 150 years. But it's a fair bet that the spirits have more than once doubled over in paroxysms of giant glee at its factual founderings.

This is because to err is . . . you know. So the paper's editors ( mindful, too, that the howls over its mistakes are often not mirthful) have for a long time published corrections. In 1970, these were given a place of regular, prominent display with the daily news summary, now on Page 2. Corrections have even appeared on the front page, at article length.

After all these years, you could fill a book with 'em. And somebody is about to do just that. To be called ''Kill Duck Before Serving: Red Faces at The New York Times,'' it will be published by St. Martin's Press in January. Here are excerpts. TOM KUNTZ