Can't edit in iPhoto

Hello--
My copy of iPhoto '09 Version 8.1.2 (424) is exhibiting anomalous behavior and I'd like some suggestions  to fix it.
I've done the following procedure successfully many times.  Day before yesterday it started acting up.  I'd appreciate your ideas on what to try next.
In Photos mode, double-click on a photo to edit it.
Pull Down from Photos to Duplicate (or Command-D) to produce a duplicate photo.
     The duplicate will appear in the top row, to the right of the original.
Click on the duplicate to edit it.
     Here's where the fun starts.  The edit area turns all black!
Click on the "Adjust" tool.
     Notice that the spectrograms suggest a proper photo -- certainly not all-black.
Make a small adjustment in the "Exposure" slider.
Close the "Adjust" tool.
     In the top row, the two photos look very similar side by side.
     The original is on the left, the slightly-edited duplicate on the right.
Click on the original.
     The duplicate turns to a solid green rectangle.
I have made a 24-second video of this procedure to help you visualize my problem.  (Unfortunately, I forgot to record the mouse.)
I have stumbled upon a workaround, which may provide a clue.  While the "Adjust" tool is open, if I click on the "Reset" button, the edit area reverts to the proper photo and all proceeds normally thereafter.  So now I actually can edit. 
I would really appreciate  understanding  what is happening.
--Gil

Thanks, TD, for your suggestions.  Sorry it took so long to get back to you.  Out-of-town visitors.
I tried importing a few photos into a new library as you suggested, and the problem did not pertain in the new library.  Switching back to my old (regular) library, the problem persists.
I also tried relaunching iPhoto while holding option-command to rebuild things and checked ALL the boxes. (I got this idea while browsing these pages: it may have come from you!)  The problem persists.
Thanks for the suggestion about wasting space.  I had wondered about that.  When I edit a photo without manually making a duplicate first, the edited photo seems to replace the original in the "slide-sorter" window.  To get at the original without losing the edited version, I guess I would make a copy of the edited photo, then select "Revert to Original" on one of them.  Is that sort-of what you were suggesting?
I'm not familiar with Aperture, but I very much like iPhoto (modulo a few bugs like this one.)  I actually have a lot of room on my disk (160 out of 320) and I don't take many photos.  But I sure like retaining the original as well as the edited version of a photo.
Thanks again for your suggestions.  This problem seems awfully weird, even with the workaround.
--Gil

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