1. Classifying the books to make subject-lists.
2. Classifying the subject-lists to make classes.
3. Classifying the classes to make a systematic catalogue.
The dictionary stops in its entries at the first stage, in its
cross-references at the second.
The alphabetico-classed catalogue stops at the second stage.
The systematic alone advances to the third.
Classification in the first sense, it is plain, is the same as
“entry;” in the second {11} sense it is the same as “class-entry;”
and in the third sense it is the same as the “logical arrangement” of
the table on p. 12, under “Classed catalogue.”
It is worth while to ascertain the relation of subject and class in
the subject-catalogue. _Subject_ is the matter on which the author
is seeking to give or the reader to obtain information; _Class_ is,
as said above, a grouping of subjects which have characteristics in
common. A little reflection will show that the words so used partially
overlap,[7] the general subjects being classes[8] and the classes
being subjects,[9] but the individual subjects[10] never being classes.
[note] 6. This note has little direct bearing on practice, but by its
insertion here some one interested in the theory of cataloguing may be
saved the trouble of going over the same ground.[/note]
[note] 7. [Illustration: Form Subject General Individual Classes.
Subjects.][/note]
[note] 8. The subjects «Animals», «Horses», «Plants» are classes, a
fact which is perhaps more evident to the eye if we use the terms
«Zoology», «Hippology», «Botany». The subdivisions of «Botany» and
«Zoology» are obvious enough; the subdivisions of «Hippology» may be
themselves classes, as «Shetland ponies», «Arabian coursers», «Barbs»,
or individual horses, as «Lady Suffolk», «Justin Morgan».[/note]
[note] 9. Not merely the concrete classes, «Natural history»,
«Geography», «Herpetology», «History», «Ichthyology», «Mineralogy»,
but the abstract ones, «Mathematics», «Philosophy», are plainly
subjects. The fact that some books treat of the subject Philosophy
and others of philosophical subjects, and that others treat in a
philosophical manner subjects not usually considered philosophical,
introduces confusion into the matter, and single examples may be
brought up in which it seems as if the classification expressed the
form (Crestadoro’s “nature”) or something which a friend calls the
“essence” of the book and not its subject, so that we ought to speak
of an “essence catalogue” which might require some special treatment;
but the distinction can not be maintained. It might be said, for
example, that “Geology a proof of revelation” would have for its
_subject-matter_ «Geology» but for its _class_ «Theology»—which is
true, not because class and subject are incompatible but because
this book has two subjects, the first «Geology», the second one of
the evidences of revealed religion, wherefore, as the «Evidences»
are a subdivision of «Theology», the book belongs under that as a
subject-class.[/note]
[note] 10. It is plain enough that «Mt. Jefferson», «John Milton»,
the «Warrior Iron-clad» are not classes. Countries, however, which
for most purposes it is convenient to consider as individual, are
in certain aspects classes; when by the word “England” we mean “the
English” it is the name of a class.[/note]
_Class entry_, registering a book under the name of its class; in the
subject-catalogue used in contradistinction to specific entry.
_E. g._, a book on repentance has class entry under «Theology»; its
specific entry would be under «Repentance».
_Classed catalogues_ are made by class-entry, whether the classes
so formed are arranged logically as in the Systematic kind or
alphabetically as in the Alphabetico-classed.
A dictionary catalogue contains class-headings, inasmuch as it
contains the headings of extensive subjects, but under them there
is no class entry, only specific entry. The syndetic dictionary
catalogue, however, recognizes their nature by its cross-references,
which constitute it in a certain degree an alphabetico-classed (not
a systematic) catalogue. Moreover, the dictionary catalogue, without
ceasing to be one, might, if it were thought worth while (which it
certainly is not), not merely give titles under specific headings
but repeat them under certain classes or under all classes in
ascending series, _e. g._, not merely have such headings as «Rose»,
«Geranium», «Fungi», «Liliaceæ», «Phænogamia», «Cryptogamia», but also
under «Botany» include all the titles which appeared under «Rose»,
«Geranium», etc.; _provided_ the headings «Botany», «Cryptogamia»,
«Fungi», etc., were arranged alphabetically. The matter may be
tabulated thus:
Alphabetical arrangement.
Dictionary catalogue.
Specific entry. (Common dict. catal.)
Specific entry and class reference. (Bost. Pub. Lib., Boston Athenæum.)
Specific and class entry. (No example.)
Alphabetico-classed catalogue.
Class entry with specific or class subentry. (Noyes.)
Class entry with chiefly class subentry. (Abbot.) {12}
Logical arrangement.
Systematic catalogue.
Class entry. (Undivided classed catal.)
Class entry and subentry and finally specific subentry. (Subdivided
classed catal.)
Alphabetical arrangement.
+──────────────────────+──────────────────────+
│ Specific headings │ Classes in │
│ in alphabetical │ alphabetical │
│ order. │ order. │
│ │ │
│ A │ B │
Single │ │ │ Classes of
subjects. +──────────────────────+──────────────────────+ subjects.
│ │ │
│ D │ C │
│ │ │
│ Specific headings │ Classes in logical │
│ arranged logically │ order. │
│ in classes. │ │
+──────────────────────+──────────────────────+
Logical arrangement.
A, Specific dictionary.
B, Specific dict. by its cross-references and its form-entries.
Alphabetico-classed catalogue.
C, Classed catalogue without subdivisions.
D, Classed catalogue with subdivisions.
A, B are alphabetical.
C, D are classed.
A, B, D contain specific subjects.
B, C, D contain classes.
The specific entries of A and the classes of B, though brought
together in the same catalogues (the class-dictionary and the
alphabetico-classed), simply stand side by side and do not unite, each
preserving its own nature, because the principle which brings them
together—the alphabet—is external, mechanical. But in D the specific
entries and the classes become intimately united to form a homogeneous
whole, because the principle which brings them together—the relations
of the subjects to one another—is internal, chemical, so to speak.
_Collector._ See _Author_.
_Cross-reference._ See _Reference_.
_Dictionary catalogue_, so called because the headings (author, title,
subject, and form) are arranged, like the words in a dictionary, in
alphabetical order.
_Dictionary and other alphabetical catalogues._ These are
differentiated not, as is often said, by the dictionary having specific
entry, but (1) by its giving specific entries in all cases and (2) by
its individual entry.
Even the classed catalogues often have specific entry. Whenever a
book treats of the whole subject of a class, it is specifically
entered under that class. A theological encyclopædia is specifically
entered under «Theology», and theology is an unsubordinated class
in many systems. The alphabetico-classed catalogues have specific
entry in many more cases, because they have many more classes.
Professor Abbot has such headings as «Ink», «Jute», «Lace», «Leather»,
«Life-savers», «Locks», «Mortars», «Perfumery», «Safes», «Salt»,
«Smoke», «Snow», «Varnish», «Vitriol». Mr. Noyes has scores of similar
headings; but neither of them permits individual entry, which the
dictionary-catalogue requires. The alphabetico-classed catalogue
enters a life of Napoleon and a history of England under «Biography»
and «History»; the dictionary enters them under «Napoleon» and
«England». This is the invariable and chief distinction between the
two.
_Editor._ See _Author_.
_Entry_, the registry of a book in the catalogue with the title and
imprint.
_Author-entry_, such registry with the author’s name for a heading.
_Title-entry_, registry under some word of the title.
_First-word-entry_, such entry made from the first word of the title
not an article. {13}
_Important-word_ or _catch-word entry_, such entry made from some
word of the title other than the first word and not indicative of the
subject, but likely to be remembered and used by borrowers in asking
for the book.
_Series entry_, entry of a number of separate works published under a
collective title or half-title or title-page caption. Such are “The
«English» citizen” series and “«American» statesmen.”
_Subject-word-entry_, such entry made under a word of the title which
indicates the subject of the book.
_Subject-entry_, registry under the name selected by the cataloguer to
indicate the subject.
A cataloguer who should put “The insect,” by Michelet, under
«Entomology» would be making a _subject-entry_; Duncan’s “Introduction
to entomology” entered under the same head would be at once a
_subject-entry_ and a _subject-word-entry_.
_Form-entry_, registry under the name of the kind of literature to
which the book belongs.
_Form_, applied to a variety of classification founded on the form of
the book classified, which may be either _Practical_, as in «Almanacs»,
«Dictionaries», «Encyclopædias», «Gazetteers», «Indexes», «Tables» (the
form in these being for the most part alphabetical), or _Literary_,
as «Fiction», «Plays», «Comedies», «Farces», «Tragedies», «Poetry»,
«Letters», «Orations», «Sermons» (the latter with the subdivisions
Charity, Election, Funeral, Installation, Ordination, Thanksgiving,
etc.). There are certain headings which belong both to the Subject
and the Form family. “«Encyclopædias»,” inasmuch as the books treat
of all knowledge, is the most inclusive of all the subject-classes;
inasmuch as (with few exceptions) they are in alphabetic form, it is a
form-class.
_Heading_, the word by which the alphabetical place of an entry in
the catalogue is determined, usually the name of the author, of the
subject, or of the literary or practical form, or a word of the title.
_Imprint_, the indication of the place, date, and form of printing.
_Polygraphic_, written by several authors.
_Polytopical_, treating of several topics.
Will the convenience of this word excuse the twist given to the
meaning of τόπος in its formation? Polygraphic might serve, as the
French use polygraphe for a miscellaneous writer; but it will be well
to have both words,—_polygraphic_ denoting (as now) collections of
several works by one or many authors, _polytopical_ denoting works on
many subjects.
_Reference_, partial registry of a book (omitting the imprint) under
author, title, subject, or kind, referring to a more full entry under
some other heading; occasionally used to denote merely entries without
imprints, in which the reference is implied. The distinction of entry
and reference is almost without meaning for Short, as a title-a-liner
saves nothing by referring unless there are several references. {14}
_Analytical-reference_, or, simply, _an analytical_, the registry
of some part of a book or of some work contained in a collection,
referring to the heading under which the book or collection is entered.
_Cross-reference_, reference from one subject to another.
_Heading-reference_, from one form of a heading to another.
_First-word-reference_, _catch-word-reference_,
_subject-word-reference_, same as first-word-entry, etc., omitting the
imprint, and referring.
_Series-entry._ See _Entry_.
_Specific entry_, registering a book under a heading which expresses
its special subject as distinguished from entering it in a class which
includes that subject.
_E. g._, registering “The art of painting” under «Painting», or a
description of the cactus under «Cactus». Putting them under «Fine
arts» and «Botany» would be class-entry. “Specific entry,” by the way,
has nothing to do with “species.”
_Subject_, the theme or themes of the book, whether stated in the title
or not.
It is worth noting that subjects are of two sorts: (1) the individual,
as «Goethe», «Shakespeare», «England», the «Middle Ages», the ship
«Alexandra», the dog «Tray», the «French Revolution», all of which are
concrete; and (2) general, as «Man», «History», «Horse», «Philosophy»,
which may be either concrete or abstract. Every general subject is a
class more or less extensive. (See note on _Class_.) Some mistakes
have also arisen from not noting that certain words, «Poetry»,
«Fiction», «Drama», etc., are subject-headings for the books written
about Poetry, Fiction, etc., and form-headings for poems, novels,
plays, etc.
_Subject-entry_, _Subject-word entry_. See _Entry_.
_Syndetic_, connective, applied to that kind of dictionary catalogue
which binds its entries together by means of cross-references so as to
form a whole, the references being made from the most comprehensive
subject to those of the next lower degree of comprehensiveness, and
from each of these to their subordinate subjects, and vice versa.
These cross-references correspond to and are a good substitute for the
arrangement in a systematic catalogue. References are also made in the
syndetic catalogue to illustrative and coördinate subjects, and, if it
is perfect, from specific to general subjects.
_Title_ in the broader sense includes heading, title proper, and
imprint; in the narrower (in which it is hereafter used) it is the
name of the book given by the author on the title-page, omitting
the imprint, but including names of editors, translators, etc. The
name of the book put on the leaf preceding the title page is called
the _half-title_; and the same term is applied to lines indicating
subdivisions of the book and following the title; the name given at the
head of the first page of text is the _caption_. That given at the back
of the book (the _binder’s title_) should never be used in a catalogue
which makes the slightest pretensions to carefulness.
A title may be either the book’s name (as “&c.”) or its description
(as “A collection of occasional sermons”), or it may state its subject
(as “Synonyms of the New {15} Testament”), or it may be any two
or all three of these combined (as description and subject, “Brief
account of a journey through Europe;” name and description, “Happy
thoughts;” name and subject, “Men’s wives;” all three, “Index of
dates”).
Bibliographers have established a cult of the title-page; its
slightest peculiarities are noted; it is followed religiously, with
dots for omissions, brackets for insertions, and uprights to mark
the end of lines; it is even imitated by the fac-simile type or
photographic copying. These things may concern the cataloguer of the
Lenox Library or the Prince collection. The ordinary librarian has in
general nothing to do with them; but it does not follow that even he
is to lose all respect for the title. It is the book’s name and should
not be changed but by act of legislature. Our necessities oblige us
to abbreviate it, but nothing obliges us to make additions to it or
to change it without giving notice to the reader that we have done
so. Moreover, it must influence the entry of a book more or less; it
determines the title-entry entirely; it affects the author-entry (see
§ 3) and the subject-entry (see § 104). But to let it have more power
than this is to pay it a superstitious veneration.
_Volume_, a book distinguished from other books or other volumes of the
same work by having its own title, paging, and register.
This is the bibliographic use of the word, sanctioned by the British
Museum rules. That is, it is in this sense only that it applies to all
the copies of an edition as it comes from the printer. But there is
also a bibliopegic and bibliopolic use, to denote a number of pages
bound together, which pages may be several volumes in the other sense,
or a part of a volume or parts of several volumes. To avoid confusion
I use “volume” in the present treatise as defined in the Rules of the
British Museum catalogue, and I recommend this as the sole use in
library catalogues, except in such phrases as 2 v. bd. in 1. which
means 2 volumes in the bibliographical sense united by binding so as
to form one piece of matter.
* * * * *
In the present treatise I am regarding the dictionary catalogue as
consisting of an author-catalogue, a subject-catalogue, a more or less
complete title-catalogue, and a more or less complete form-catalogue,
all interwoven in one alphabetical order. The greater part, however, of
the rules here given would apply equally to these catalogues when kept
separate.
These rules are written primarily for a printed catalogue; almost all
of them would apply equally to a card catalogue.