TITLE-ENTRIES AND REPETITION DASHES.
=98.=--The extent to which title-entries, as distinct from
subject-entries, are called for in a dictionary catalogue has in some
measure been already shown. Works of fiction, plays, poems, volumes of
essays, and sometimes sermons, nearly all demand such entries, they being
for the most part sought for by their titles. Examples of each of these
are
Far from the madding crowd. Hardy, T.
Michael and his lost angel: a play. Jones, H. A.
Aurora Leigh: poem. Browning, E. B. 1890
Obiter dicta. Birrell, A. 2v. 1887-96
Discipline, and other sermons. Kingsley, C. 1890
These are apart from the title-as-subject entries, such as
Miners and their works underground. Holmes, F. M. n.d.
Moravian Church, Short history of the. Hutton, J. E. 1895.
There are very few books outside the above classes that really require
title-entries, and, as a rule, this feature of cataloguing is overdone.
Books like
Finck, H. T. Lotos-time in Japan. 1895
Hollingshead, John. My lifetime. 2 v. 1895
Adams, W. H. D. The Maid of Orleans. 1889
Marsh, George P. Lectures on the English language. 1874
do not require entries under “Lotos,” “My Lifetime,” “Maid of Orleans,”
or “Lectures,” besides those necessary under “Japan,” “Hollingshead,”
“Joan of Arc,” and “English language,” yet it is quite customary to see
such entries.
=99.=--It must be carefully noted that in title-entries the articles (A,
An, The) are absolutely ignored, and any other first word is the leading
word under which the entry is to be given. It is often desirable to
include the article, especially the definite article, in such entry, when
it must be got in as soon as it can be consistent with sense and sound,
or at the end of the phrase, as
Guardian angel, The. _Not_ Guardian, The, angel.
Clyde, The, to the Jordan. _Not_ Clyde to the Jordan, The.
Noble life, A. _Not_ Noble, A, life.
Evil, The genesis of. _Not_ Evil, genesis of, The.
The articles are occasionally left out of such entries as
Guardian angel.
Clyde to the Jordan.
Noble life.
Evil, Genesis of.
but this applies only to the article preceding the first word of the
title and _no other_.
Chariot of the flesh, The.
cannot be correctly entered as
Chariot of flesh.
The general omission of the leading article means very little, if any,
saving of space, and has a bald effect, reading often like the wording of
a telegram. Besides losing the clearness which its inclusion gives, it
may alter the sense, as
Day’s ride. _Is not the same as_ Day’s ride, A.
Phyllis of the Sierras. _Is not the same as_ Phyllis, A, of the
Sierras.
Soldier born. _Is not the same as_ Soldier born, A.
In transposing the article or any other leading word from the beginning
of the title the capital initial letter must be retained, as shown in the
above entries, and not in this way,
Animal’s friend, the.
Priestcraft, popular history of.
Primeval life, relics of.
In order to prevent a break in the alphabetical sequence, the articles
are sometimes transposed under the authors’ names, as
“Hobbes, John Oliver.”
⸻ Bundle of life, A.
⸻ Herb-moon, The.
⸻ Sinner’s comedy, The.
but so little is gained by this form of entry that it hardly compensates
for the awkwardness of it.
It is incorrect in any form, author or title, to leave out the article
in foreign languages, and to do so can only be justified by usage rather
than exactness. As in English the entry-word is never under the article,
as
Petite paroisse, La. _Not_ La petite paroisse.
Aventure d’amour, Une. _Not_ Une aventure d’amour.
Karavane, Die. _Not_ Die Karavane.
=100.=--Many works of fiction with proper names in their titles are
better known by those names, and are rarely looked for under the first
word of the title. Books so well known as,
The personal history of David Copperfield.
Mr. Midshipman Easy.
History of Pendennis.
Confessions of Harry Lorrequer.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
will oftener be sought for under “David,” “Midshipman,” “Pendennis,”
“Harry,” and “Huckleberry,” than “Personal,” “Mr.” “History,”
“Confessions,” “Adventures,” therefore judgment should be exercised,
and either a single entry given under the most likely place, or both
title-entries given. If space is a consideration always omit the
less-known entry. It will be seen that names in fiction are never
regarded as real names, and entries must not be given under the surnames
as “Copperfield,” “Easy,” “Lorrequer,” “Finn.”
=101.=--For the sake of brevity title-entries are sometimes given with
the surname only of the author, after this manner
Two hundred pounds reward, by Payn.
Two in the bush, by Moore.
Two kisses, by Smart.
Two little wooden shoes, by Ouida.
and occasionally in this style:
Afloat and ashore. Cooper.
Afloat in the forest. Reid.
After dark. Collins.
In works of fiction like these there is no very great objection to the
plan other than the bald appearance of the entries, but to carry it into
effect with all other title and subject entries is to revert to the dark
ages of cataloguing. The following selected specimens prove that such
entries can have very little value for the uninitiated. The complete
entry other than the shelf mark is given:
Holland, Through. By Wood.
Horace. By Martin.
Childs, George W. (1874). Grosart.
Christ, With (Sermon). Kemble.
Church, Of the (1847). Field.
Electricity. By Ferguson.
Epic of Hades. By Morris.
Essays. By Cowley.
Faraday. By Gladstone.
=102.=--This leads to the matter of repetition dashes, to which some
reference has already been made in paragraph 59 upon the author-entry,
and no better advice can be given to the young cataloguer than that to
_avoid repetition dashes wherever possible_, and, at most, only use them
in one of the following instances:
_a._ To save repeating an author’s name in author-entry (as
already illustrated) or under subject-heading.
_b._ To save repeating a title-entry or title-as-subject-entry
where a second copy or another edition of the _same_ work is
entered.
_c._ To save repeating a subject-heading.
Illustrations of the second form are
Condé, Princes de, History of the. Aumale, Duc d’. 2 v. 1872
⸻ (French ed.) 2 v. 1863-4
Food and feeding. Thompson, Sir H. 1891
⸻ (Enlarged ed.) 1898
Household of Sir Thomas More. Manning, A. 1887
⸻ (Illus. ed.) 1896
and of the third form:
Insanity.
⸻ Hill, R. G. Insanity, its past and present. 1870
⸻ Maudsley, H. The pathology of mind. 1895
but most cataloguers are dispensing with this form, as the indent under
the heading is sufficient to denote that all the entries belong to such
heading. If it is used, a second dash will occasionally be needed in
cases similar to this:
Ireland.
⸻ Froude, J. A. The English in Ireland in the 18th century. 3
v. 1886.
⸻ ⸻ Ireland since the Union. 1886.
⸻ Hickson, M. Ireland in the 17th century. 2 v. 1884.
Nothing is lost by avoiding this dash under headings, and some find that
the indent alone, even under author’s names, is so clear that the dash
can be altogether discarded, and that this will be no disadvantage the
following typical and genuine examples of what has been sarcastically
called the “dot and dash system” of cataloguing will show:
China Painting. By Florence Lewis.
⸻ Old highways in. By Williamson.
English Church Composers. By Barrett.
⸻ ⸻ History of the. By Perry.
Law and the Lady: a Novel. By Collins.
⸻ International. By Levi.
⸻ Physical and Moral, Difference between. By Arthur.
⸻ Reign of. By Argyll.
⸻ Science of. By Amos.
Moors, The, and the Fens. By Mrs. Riddell.
⸻ ⸻ in Spain. By S. L. Poole.
Workshop Appliances. By Shelley.
⸻ Receipts for the Use of Manufacturers, Mechanics, and
Scientific Amateurs. By Spon
⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ ⸻ _Second
series._ By Haldane.
These are quite as absurd in their way as that from a recent index to
publishers’ catalogues, viz.:
Lead, Silver and.
⸻ Kindly Light.
and attention is drawn to them simply for the purpose of showing how
ridiculous such entries can be made, and that they are more hindrance
than help to the users of a catalogue needs no further demonstration.
Therefore it can be confidently recommended to the cataloguer to make a
very limited use of these dashes, in all cases of doubt it being much
better to repeat the word. The eleven dashes under “Workshop” above are
unnecessary, and the proper form of entry is:
Workshop appliances. Shelley, C. P. B. 1885
Workshop receipts for the use of manufacturers, &c. Spon, E. 1885
⸻ (Second ser.) Haldane, R. 1885