INDEXING CONTENTS.
=103.=--The mode of setting-out the contents of books of a miscellaneous
or collective character has been referred to in sections 61-62 and
it has been pointed out that frequently an essay or article is more
useful--even more valuable--than a whole book, as it may give the pith
of the matter it deals with, and be sufficiently full for the needs of
most people. Under these circumstances, it is most desirable that not
only shall each subject-heading in a catalogue have all the books in the
library set out under it, but also portions of books, within reasonable
limits. How far these limits are to extend is a nice question, and it
is certainly one that demands the consideration of English librarians,
with a view to co-operation in the production of a work upon the lines
of the _“A. L. A.” Index: an index to general literature, by Wm. I.
Fletcher, with the coöperation of many librarians_ (Boston, 1893), to
fill the place for this class of literature that Poole’s and other
indexes do for periodical literature. The “A.L.A. Index” is distinctly
American, and does not fit in so well with the collections in English
libraries, though its value cannot be gainsaid. Pending the settlement
of this question librarians must do what they can to open up for the use
of their readers the valuable material hidden away in volumes of essays
and others of a miscellaneous character. All the rules previously laid
down for cataloguing come into application in dealing with books of this
kind, because they sometimes consist of sections by a number of authors
upon one subject, or of many authors upon many subjects, or by a single
author on many subjects. The method usually employed of completely
carrying out this indexing is shown in the following series of examples:
STEVENSON, Robert L. Familiar studies of men and books. 3rd ed.
pp. xxi., 397. sm. 8o. 1888
_Contents_:--Preface, by way of criticism. Victor Hugo’s
romances. Some aspects of Robert Burns. Walt Whitman. H.
D. Thoreau: his character and opinions. Yoshida-Torajiro.
François Villon, student, poet, and housebreaker. Charles of
Orleans. Samuel Pepys. John Knox and women.
Hugo, Victor.
Stevenson, R. L. Victor Hugo’s romances. (Men and books.) 1888
Burns, Robert.
Stevenson, R. L. Some aspects of Robert Burns. (Men and books.)
1888
Whitman, Walt.
Stevenson, R. L. Walt Whitman. (Men and books.) 1888
Thoreau, Henry D.
Stevenson, R. L. Thoreau: his character and opinions. (Men and
books.) 1888
Yoshida-Torajiro. Stevenson, R. L. (Men and books.) 1888
Villon, François, student, poet, and housebreaker. Stevenson, R. L.
(Men and books.) 1888
Charles of Orleans. Stevenson, R. L. (Men and books.) 1888
Pepys, Samuel.
Stevenson, R. L. Samuel Pepys. (Men and books.) 1888
Knox, John.
Stevenson, R. L. John Knox and women. (Men and books.) 1888
The sixth, seventh, and eighth entries are in title form, upon the
presumption that the library will have no other items upon these persons
or books by them. The remainder are headings, because the probability is
that there will be other books by or upon these authors.
There are alternative methods of treating books of this nature. It has
already been said that the list of contents can be omitted under the
principal entry, and thereby effect a slight saving. It would also
be quite possible to give only the title of the whole book under the
subject-heading, omitting the title of the particular essay or article, as
Hugo, Victor.
Stevenson, R. L. Men and books. 1888
The fact that the entry is given under Hugo would show that there was
something in the book about him, but not that it concerned his romances
only. There is also the reverse process of giving simply the title of the
essay, as
Hugo, Victor.
Stevenson, R. L. Victor Hugo’s romances. 1888
The disadvantage of this form is that it would be taken for a whole book
instead of an essay, but this difficulty could be got over by inserting
the explanatory word “essay,” as
Hugo, Victor.
Stevenson, R. L. Victor Hugo’s romances [essay.] 1888
There is also the cross-reference form, like
Hugo, Victor.
_See also_ Stevenson, R. L. Men and books.
which is the least desirable because it is vague and also extravagant so
far as space is concerned.
The next illustration is
COLLINS, John Churton.
Essays and studies. pp. xii, 369. la. 8o. 1895
_Contents_:--John Dryden. The predecessors of Shakspeare.
Lord Chesterfield’s Letters. The Porson of Shaksperian
criticism. Menander.
The fact that these essays are principally reviews of books necessitates
a consideration of their interest in this respect as well as that which
attaches to their value as contributions to the subjects, and after
examination it will be found that the essays are best placed under
“Dryden,” “Symonds, J. A.”; “Chesterfield”; “Theobald, Lewis”; and
“Menander,” in this manner:
Dryden, John.
Collins, J. C. John Dryden. (Essays and studies.) 1895
Symonds, J. A.
Collins, J. C. The predecessors of Shakspeare. (Essays and
studies.) 1895
A review of Symonds’ work on this subject.
If it were thought necessary to give the second and fourth essays under
“Shakespeare” also, they could be amalgamated into one entry in this form:
Shakespeare, William.
Collins, J. C. The predecessors of Shakspeare. The Porson of
Shakspearian criticism. (Essays and studies.) 1895
A further book of the kind is
NOBLE, J. Ashcroft.
The sonnet in England, and other essays. pp. x, 211. sm. 8o.
1893
_Contents_:--The sonnet in England. A pre-Raphaelite
magazine. Leigh Hunt: the man and the writer. The poetry of
common sense. Robert Buchanan as poet. Hawker of Morwenstow.
The word “contents” may be changed to “contains” or “containing,” or even
omitted altogether, as the position or style of type would sufficiently
indicate that the list was that of the contents. Due regard being paid
to the exact subject of each of the essays, the entries would be given
under “Sonnet” (title-entry); “Germ, The”; “Hunt, Leigh”; “Pope, Alex.”;
“Buchanan, Robert”; “Hawker, Robert S.”
=104.=--It must be clearly understood that while there is a certain
option in indexing the contents of books like the above, there is none
whatever in dealing with collected works. That a library happens to
possess say the set of the Ashburton edition of Carlyle’s Works does not
imply that they are sufficiently entered if set out under “Carlyle,” and
therefore they must be fully catalogued in precisely the same manner
as if each book had been purchased separately in various editions.
Under the author’s name they would be entered as shown in the Hawthorne
illustration (section 63), and each book dealt with upon the lines
already laid down, as for example
Cromwell, Oliver.
Carlyle, T. Oliver Cromwell’s letters and speeches
elucidated. (Works, _Ashburton ed._, v. 6-8). 3 v. 1885-6
=105.=--There is a well understood though not formulated rule, that the
contents of the great classical works do not require indexing, and upon
this principle a work, say upon “Hamlet,” would simply be entered under
“Shakespeare,” and not even a cross-reference is needed from “Hamlet.” So
with the ancient classics. The _Iliad_ or _Odyssey_, the _Æneid_, or the
_Agamemnon_ are not usually entered in any other place than under Homer,
Virgil, and Æschylus respectively. This rule would also be extended
according to the nature of the library. One that had a particular
collection say of editions of More’s _Utopia_ would not require any entry
under _Utopia_ further than a cross-reference to More, where all the
editions would be set out with every necessary particular.
=106.=--The remarks made in section 103 upon the need for a co-operative
index to essays and the like also applies to the need, which is probably
not so much felt, for an index to plays, and further indexes might
even be looked for to volumes of sermons arranged under subjects and
texts. More pressing still is the want of an index to the many portraits
contained in books.