~Remark 1.~ The titles are _not to be translated_ by the cataloguer.
If, however, the original title, being in a language which does not
admit of being represented in the Roman character, be accompanied by
a translation into a language for which the Roman alphabet may be
used, the latter may be given without the former; this peculiarity
being mentioned, with such explanations as will prevent mistake as to
the language in which the book is printed. If the book be in several
languages, and be provided with title-pages for each, or for several,
the cataloguer may give the preference to languages using the Roman
alphabet in the following order: English, Latin, French, Italian,
Spanish, German. The other title-pages should however be mentioned.
~Remark 2.~ The _precise phraseology_, however quaint, awkward, or
ungrammatical, must be scrupulously followed. When striking faults
or errors occur, the cataloguer should write [_sic_], after each of
them, to denote that the title has been faithfully copied, and that
the error is not attributable to his carelessness.
~Remark 3.~ The exact mode of _spelling_, however inaccurate or
antiquated, must be conscientiously copied. When abbreviations
appear upon the title-page, they should, in transcribing, be copied
accurately. They should also, if possible, be printed. These are most
frequent in early printed Latin and Greek books. If types cannot be
had for printing these abbreviations, the word should be given in
full; the added letters being italics.
~Remark 4.~ The _punctuation_ of the title-page should also be
retained. Sometimes, in the titles of modern books, no pointing is
used; in such cases, none should be introduced. Wide spaces may be
used instead.
~Remark 5.~ The _accentuation_ of the original should be preserved.
In French books, however, it often happens that parts of the
title-page are printed in capitals without accents, and other parts
in "lower-case" letters with accents. This is attributable to the
general want of accents upon what are called "title-letters." To
avoid the striking incongruity which would be occasioned by printing
one part with, and another without accents, when the same letter is
used throughout the title, it will be proper to add the accents,
where they are omitted in the titles of foreign books; but not to
omit or alter any which occur.
~Remark 6.~ When possible, the _form of letter_ (as Black Letter,
Italic, Greek, Hebrew, &c.), is to be preserved. When Black Letter,
Italic, or any peculiar letter or cut of type is used, in the title,
merely as a typographical embellishment, it is not to be copied;
but only when the whole book is printed in it. This rule has no
limitation, except the knowledge of the cataloguer, and the means
of the printing office. With reference to those languages in which
is embodied the great mass of literature, there will be little
difficulty in finding men to copy the titles with accuracy; and
the printing office should contain varieties of type, Roman, Black
Letter, German, Greek, Hebrew, and, in time, fonts of other alphabets.
Books in languages which cannot, at first, be correctly printed or
written, should be reported from each library, as accurately and
fully as possible. An arrangement may hereafter be made to employ
competent persons to catalogue such works, and means may be procured
for printing or engraving their titles. No title, however, should
be stereotyped for the General Catalogue, till its accuracy and
conformity to the rules are fully ascertained.
~Remark 7.~ This principle does not apply to the _use of capitals
or small letters_. Most title-pages are printed wholly in large
letters; some are partly in large and partly in small letters. For
the catalogue, they are to be written and printed in small letters.
~Remark 8.~ _Initial capitals_ are to be used only when the laws of
the language now require them. In English, the first word of every
sentence, proper names, adjectives derived from proper names, names
of the Deity, the first word of the title of a book quoted within
another title, and titles of respect or office, such as Hon., Mr.,
Dr., Capt., Rev., (whether contracted or not,) prefixed to a name,
should be written and printed with initial capitals. In German and
Danish, every noun begins with a capital. In French, Spanish, Italian
and Portuguese, adjectives derived from proper names, are not, as
in English, generally printed with initial capitals. In Latin,
the English usage in this particular should be followed. It would
doubtless be more satisfactory to make the titles, as printed in the
catalogue, perfect transcripts of the title-pages, in respect to the
use of initial capitals; but this is hardly practicable. The use of
both upper-case and lower-case letters in a title-page, is for the
most part a matter of the printer's taste, and does not generally
indicate the author's purpose. To copy them in a catalogue with
literal exactness would be exceedingly difficult, and of no practical
benefit. In those parts of the title-page which are printed wholly
in capitals, initials are undistinguished. It would be unsightly
and undesirable to distinguish the initials where the printer had
done so, and omit them where he had used a form of letter, which
prohibited his distinguishing them. It would teach nothing to
copy from the book the initial capitals in one part of the title,
and allow the cataloguer to supply them in other parts. The only
practicable method of securing uniformity or convenience would seem
to be, to require, as is done above, the cataloguer to employ initial
capitals according to established laws, regardless of the title-page.
There are certain features of title-pages which it is wholly
impracticable to transfer to a catalogue. For example, they
generally are (as they always should be) _inscriptions_, and as
such are meant to have a certain _local disposition_ of parts which
serves to interpret them, by showing at a glance their relations to
each other. A title in a catalogue cannot be expected to retain this
important feature of an inscription.
III. The whole Title is to be repeated for every distinct edition of
the work; and the number of the edition, if not the first, is to be
always given.
~Remark 1.~ The necessity of this rule arises from the stereotyping
of the titles separately. It is frequently the case, that publishers,
after having stereotyped a book, call every thousand copies of it
a separate edition, and, for twenty or more editions, there may
be no alteration in the book, except in the word expressing the
number of the edition, and in the date. In such cases, it cannot
be necessary to print a separate title for each pretended edition.
If there be any important alteration of the book, it should be
designated as a distinct edition. This irregularity is found mostly,
if not exclusively, in American books, and occurs principally in
school-books.
It is easy to see how this artifice of bibliopoles would occasion
great trouble to cataloguers, if it were common. Some publishers
have introduced the terms "second thousand," "tenth thousand," &c.,
instead of "second edition," "tenth edition." This is more honest,
and for our purposes more convenient. But it is not necessary to
introduce these chiliads into the catalogue.
Minor changes are sometimes made in the stereotype plates, after a
part of the copies have been printed; that is, some error may be
discovered and corrected, or some word substituted for another. But
such changes are generally slight and unimportant. They can only be
detected by comparing one copy of a book with another, and, when
known, are seldom worthy of notice.
Sometimes, the title of a book is the same in two editions, while the
body of the work is more or less altered. Sometimes, also, the title
is changed while the book remains entirely unaltered. Such instances
are, however, of comparatively rare occurrence. They are, or should
be, noted in bibliographical dictionaries. It is not often the case,
that the two editions are to be found in one library; consequently,
an account of such variations cannot be expected from the cataloguer.
But, if such facts become known to him, they should be carefully
noted.
The increase of the bulk of the catalogue, which this rule will
occasion, may appear, at first sight, to be a grave difficulty.
It should be considered, however, that the number of books, which
reach a second edition, is comparatively small; and, that, although
there may be a hundred editions of a book, those only will have
their titles repeated, which belong to the library to be catalogued.
The increase in bulk will be much less considerable than might
be apprehended, and it will be more than compensated for, by the
greater exactness of the descriptions. Any one, who has had much
experience in examining catalogues, must have been frequently puzzled
to ascertain the exact character of several editions of a book,
where the only description of any edition after the first, is "_The
same_," or "_Ditto_," with a different date. We may wish to know
whether the titles are identical. In the title of a later edition,
some particular may have been given, which to us is very important,
but which the cataloguer has omitted. To bibliographers, and men of
habits of careful investigation, different editions are different
books, and they should be always described, in catalogues, as
particularly as if they were independent works.
IV. Early printed books, without title-pages, are to be catalogued in
the words of the head-title, preceded by the word [_Beginning_], in
italics and between brackets; to which are to be added the words of
the colophon, preceded by the word [_Ending_], in italics and between
brackets.
If there be neither head-title nor colophon, such a description of
the work should be given, in English, and between brackets, as may
serve for its identification.
~Remark 1.~ Books printed before the adoption of separate title-pages
are comparatively few. Most of them have been described with great
minuteness by bibliographers, particularly by Maittaire, Denis,
Panzer, and Hain. It will be best, in all cases, to refer to their
works in cataloguing such books.
These books generally have at the beginning a head-title, which
contains a sufficient description of the book, while in the colophon
the place of publication, name of the printer, date, &c., are
given; but sometimes the book begins with a table, or dedication,
or register, and has no colophon. In such cases, not unfrequently,
there is a title at the end of the table, or in the dedication. In
short, so great is the variety of cases, that it would be extremely
difficult, if not impossible, to give rules applicable to them all.
The rule given above will, it is thought, be found sufficiently
comprehensive.
V. In cataloguing Academical Dissertations, Orations, &c., the
subject-matter is to be given as the title. If that be not expressed
upon the title-page, it is to be supplied within brackets, if
possible in the words of the author, otherwise in English and in
italics. The contracted words [_Diss. Ac._] when necessary to
indicate the character of the publication, should be prefixed. The
occasion may generally be omitted, except when the subject of the
dissertation or oration has some special reference to it.
VI. In cataloguing Sermons, the book, chapter and verse of the
_text_; the _date_, if it differs from that of publication; and the
_occasion_, if a special one, are to be given. When these are not
upon the title-page, they are to be supplied between brackets, and in
italics.
VII. Periodical publications are to be recorded in the words of the
title-page of the last complete volume; but without designation of
volume or date.
The history of the publication from its commencement, including all
changes of form, title, editorship, &c., is to be given in a note.
~Remark 1.~ This rule applies to Reviews, Magazines, &c.; not
to works issued in parts, sometimes called "serials," nor to
transactions of learned societies.
~Remark 2.~ The last title is preferred for the catalogue, because
it is that by which the work is currently known, and because of the
peculiar difficulty of finding complete sets of these publications.
If the title be changed, it will become necessary to prepare a new
one for the catalogue, and to make an addition to the note.
VIII. After the words of the title, the number of parts, volumes,
fasciculi, or whatever may be the peculiar divisions of each work, is
to be specified.
When nothing is said, in the title, respecting this point, if
the work be divided into several portions, but the same paging
continue, or, when the pages are not numbered, if the same register
continue, the work is to be considered as divided into _parts_ (not
volumes). If the progressive number of the pages, or the register
be interrupted, then each series of pages, or of letters of the
register, is to be designated as a _volume_.
~Remark 1.~ In designating volumes when the number is not stated
upon the title-page, the words Volume, Tome, Theil, Band, Deel, &c.,
may generally be represented by the initials alone. The numbers may
be always expressed by Arabic figures. If the ordinal expression of
number be used on the title-page, the figures may be given, and the
ordinal termination omitted. The numbers of the first and of the
last volume only are to be given, with a dash between them, thus:
V. 1--8. for Volume 1--Volume 8, i.e. Volume first--Volume
eighth, or First Volume--Eighth Volume.
B. 2--22. " Zweiter Band--Zwei und zwanzigster Band.
T. 1--4. " Tomo 1--Tomo 4.
Th. 1--6. " Theil 1--Theil 6.
~Remark 2.~ When there is a discrepancy between the number of
divisions of a work indicated on the title-page, and the actual
number of volumes, as defined above, (that is, of divisions with
separate pagings), the number of _pagings_ should be stated;--each
paging being considered a distinct volume. The paging of the
preface and introductory matter is to be excepted. Appendixes, when
separately paged, should be specially noticed in the title, though
not reckoned as separate volumes.
IX. Next should follow the designation of the ~place~ and ~date~ of
publication. The name of the place should be given in the form and
language of the title-page. If, in that, it be abbreviated, the full
name should be supplied, but not translated; the added parts being
between brackets.
Should either of these particulars be omitted in the title-page, the
deficiency should be supplied from the knowledge of the librarian, or
be noticed, in italics and between brackets.
~Remark 1.~ It would on many accounts be desirable to give the name
of the publisher, but, as it would add very much to the labor of
preparation, and considerably increase the size of the catalogue, it
is thought best not to do so.
~Remark 2.~ In the case of early printed books, and typographical
rarities, or where several editions of the same book are known
to have been published in the same year and place, by different
publishers, the name of the publisher should be specified.
~Remark 3.~ The date is to be given in Arabic figures, unless
numerals be used in the title-page, in such a manner as to be on some
accounts distinctive.