A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR AUTHORS WILLIAM STONE BOOTH THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ^7 7 AUc /si/^tfu /£. a^Yu*^* £*7-i^A. A-^- £+*/?' 'f*y A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR AUTHORS A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR AUTHORS IN THEIR RELATIONS WITH PUBLISHERS AND PRINTERS BY WILLIAM STONE BOOTH BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY CCbe Ribcrpibe $re£& Cambtiboe 1907 COPYRIGHT 1907 BY W. S. BOOTH Published April IQ07 PREFACE The index to this book contains a refer- ence to each of those questions and diffi- culties which may arise during negotiations for the sale of a manuscript to a pub- lisher, or in the relations which exist between a publisher and an author after a work has been accepted, and while it is being printed and published. A publisher cannot afford to let a valuable manuscript slip through his hands without good reason. He is as eager to find a manu- script acceptable as the author is to have it accepted. The prosperity of the publisher is inseparable from the prosperity of the author. Authors may therefore rest assured that their work will be carefully read, whether the directions in this book are observed or not. If they are followed, however, both author and publisher will be saved much time, money, and effort. W. S. Booth. Cambridge, Mass., December, 1906. CONTENTS Preparation of the Manuscript or Copy . i The Blue Pencil 5 Offering a Manuscript to a Publisher . . 7 Advance Royalties 9 The Literary Agent 12 Copyright 17 The British Market 19 Serial Rights 26 Agreements and Contracts 28 Cover Designs 3 8 How a Publisher may be helped by an Author 39 Advertising and Descriptive Circulars . . 42 Press Copies 46 Proof-Reading 48 Signs used in Proof-Reading 54 Types; Sizes generally used in Books . . 57 Proof with Corrections 58 Specimen of Corrected Proof 59 American Rules for Spelling and Punctua- tion 60 English Rules for Spelling and Punctuation 85 French Spelling, etc 141 German Spelling, etc 163 Division of Latin Words 171 Division of Greek Words 172 Index 175 A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR AUTHORS PREPARATION OF THE MANU- SCRIPT OR COPY Write on one side of the paper. Sheets written on both sides are called "backed copy," and are troublesome to the printers and readers. Use white paper, about eight inches wide, and ten or eleven inches long. Leave a lib- eral margin on the left hand and at the top of each sheet. Do not use two sizes of paper in the same manuscript. Let there be a full quarter of an inch be- tween the lines of a manuscript, whether written by machine or by hand. Number each sheet of a manuscript con- secutively, and do not page one chapter in- dependently of another. 2 A Practical Guide for Authors Black ink should always be used for hand- writing. The author's name and address should be clearly written on the front of the manuscript, and a copy of the manuscript should always be retained in view of the possible loss of the original. It is easy to make a carbon copy when typewriting a manuscript. To fold or roll a manuscript makes it unhandy for readers and printers. Send manuscripts flat through the mail or by ex- press. Binding, sewing, or fastening a manu- script, either wholly or in part, is trouble- some to every one who has to handle it. A manuscript can be read most easily leaf by leaf. Typewritten work is easier to read and to correct than handwriting. It saves the com- positors time and prevents typographical errors. The manuscript should be clear, with strong ink and good alignment. Faint typewriting is hard to read. Thin or tissue paper is difficult to hold. Preparation oj the Manuscript or Copy 3 An author will find that the easiest way to prepare a voluminous manuscript is to keep each chapter loosely between paper covers and not tied or fastened. The paper cover should bear the number and title of the chapter. Long notes or added matter should be written on a separate page, and numbered next to and consecutively with the text. Make a reference to it by the word "Note," or by an asterisk (*). A short note may be inserted between two lines drawn across the page, and a refer- ence made to it in the text by an asterisk, thus (*) Note. Some authors prefer to put their notes at the foot of the manuscript sheet, but it is often impossible to foresee how many notes, or how much space for them, will be needed on a sheet. Quotations or passages from the works of other authors are often printed in a type 4 A Practical Guide for Authors smaller than, or different from, that of the text, or with a different leading; they should therefore be carefully marked on the manu- script. Use mucilage to join one piece of paper to another. Do not use pins. Pinned papers fall apart, and so cause confusion and waste of time to publisher and printer. When they are separated, they are likely to be lost or set up out of place. The manuscript should be clearly marked to show where a cut or an illustration is to be placed. Illustrations themselves should be pasted on a separate sheet, following the sheet to which they refer. The illustrations of a technical work should always be num- bered. THE BLUE PENCIL When a man has something to say, he will find his chief difficulty to be, not with gram- mar nor punctuation, but with the tendency to redundance. The proof-readers will cor- rect the two former faults, but the author himself must correct the last. Compare the two following passages. The first is as it was written, the second as it is after the blue pencil has been used. i Among many interesting questions which are being discussed by educators in all parts of the country, none demands more serious consideration from parents, teachers, and pupils, from college trustees and school superintendents, than the instruction of our boys and girls in the indispensable art of writing English. To fit one's self to be able to use one's mother tongue with skill and 6 A Practical Guide for Authors precision, to gain power to explain one's ideas and to persuade others to one's view, is to make a good start on the road to suc- cess in business as well as the professions. And yet our spoken and written English, strive as we may to hold up the finest ideals to the rising generation, is, let us at once confess it, steadily and in spite of all our efforts, manifestly deteriorating. n Teaching English composition is one of the most important questions now before educators. Though skillful use of the mother tongue carries one far towards success in any calling, yet spoken and written English is steadily deteriorating. Until a writer has won a mastery over his pen, he must challenge every sentence and paragraph, and ruthlessly cut out every ad- jective, adverb, and qualifying clause which can be spared. OFFERING A MANUSCRIPT TO A PUBLISHER Before offering a manuscript to a pub- lisher with whose business you are not famil- iar, get a catalogue of his publications and satisfy yourself that his list is appropriate to the kind of book you have written. This is of importance to an author who is un- acquainted with the field, and who has made an investment of labor, time, and money in a manuscript which requires special handling, publishing machinery, and prestige. Such an inquiry will be a foundation for a good understanding between author and publisher, without which it will prove diffi- cult to maintain satisfactory relations. An author will sometimes wish to know the financial standing of a publisher, and whether he manages his business on such a conservative basis that he will be able to pay his royalties for the full term of copyright, if 8 A Practical Guide jor Authors the book is likely to be of permanent value. Such inquiries can be made through the regular credit agencies when necessary. A publisher is as eager to find a manu- script acceptable as an author is to have it accepted. It may therefore be taken for granted that all manuscripts will be carefully read by advisers of special training in the sub- ject with which the work deals, and by whose opinion a publisher always strengthens his own judgment. Attach to a technical work a concise state- ment of its purpose and scope, in order to enable the publisher to see at a glance which of his readers will be likely to give him the most valuable opinion upon it. Although in a legal sense a publisher is responsible only for those manuscripts which he has solicited, he holds himself responsible for the safety of a manuscript while it is in his hands. Manuscripts should be sent by express, for they can then be traced in case of loss or misdirection. ADVANCE ROYALTIES An author sometimes wishes a publisher to contract to pay him his royalties before they are earned, and sometimes even before the book is published. This means that the publisher not only must risk his money on the costs of manufacture and publication, but must also assume a risk which properly belongs to the author. An author may be pleased to have his money offered to him before it is earned, but it is plain that a publisher who has at heart the interests of all the authors on his list has no right to indulge in the speculation in- volved in paying out to favored individuals money which their books may never earn. It is hardly necessary to point out the dan- ger of this kind of speculative publishing. A publisher's position is in many respects like that of a trustee; and when an author has written a valuable work, from which io A Practical Guide for Authors he expects to receive an income for many years, he will consult his best interests by discouraging this kind of "liberality." It is an easy matter to use care in choosing a publisher with reference to the subject and importance of the work to be published. Write to the various firms for their catalogues, look them over, and it will at once be seen which firms are interested in those books which will live as genuine contributions to literature or scholarship, and which firms make a specialty of text-books, books for the common schools, general literature, or frankly ephemeral literature. The important question for an author is, "How can I so place my manuscript that I shall receive an income from it for many years to come, if it prove successful, and in whose hands will its future interests be best served?" Probably there is no publisher who, on occasion, does not pay royalties before they are earned ; but the practice is unsound, and is the result, in a large measure,' of an Advance Royalties n unwholesome competition for ephemeral lit- erature, the profits of which are always uncertain. The public taste for this class of work is too fickle for its use as a basis of a permanent publishing business. In this, as in all other pursuits, speculation added to the ordinary business risks can lead only to financial instability. THE LITERARY AGENT The legitimate function of a Literary Agent is to counsel and advise an author on publishing matters with which he is not con- versant, and to introduce the author to a publisher after having helped him to deter- mine into whose hands the manuscript shall be intrusted. He also often makes himself useful to the author by selling manuscripts on commission, thus relieving the author of the trouble of disposing of his own work. An agent is a practical necessity to an author who cannot afford the time to study the contents of the magazines in order to know which is most likely to want the kind of thing he writes. The agent's knowledge of the needs of the magazines often enables him to sell a story quickly, especially if the author is already well known and popular. An agent's attention is usually devoted to writers of fiction. He usually demands a The Literary Agent 13 fee on receipt of the manuscript, a percent- age of the amount which he gets for the story, or a commission on royalties in the case of a book. He tries, as a rule, to get for the author a payment from the pub- lisher on account of the royalties before they are earned. From this sum he deducts his charges or commissions. The employment of an agent is therefore always an expensive way to sell a manuscript. If an author can afford the time and has an average business intelligence, he can make the rounds of the publishers' offices as easily as an agent, and so save his money. When, however, an author has written a serial or story for which magazines will be likely to bid one against another, he will do well to employ an agent. It is an ungracious task to sing the praises of one's own work, and an unskilled person is more likely than an agent to lose one offer while trying to get better terms in another direction. It is natural that a well-known writer should receive prompt attention from an 14 A Practical Guide for Authors editor, but an unknown writer may rest assured that even though his work is not promptly read, it is ultimately read with as much care as that of his more fortunate competitor. When an author thinks of em- ploying a deputy to visit the editors in his stead, he should reflect that he is about to let slip one of the best means of placing his next work, namely, a friendly personal relation with the man to whom he may wish to sell it. An unknown author living at a distance can use the services of an agent to advantage sometimes; though even here a good short business-like letter will probably accomplish as satisfactory results. An author who has satisfactory relations with a publisher is often "approached" by a literary agent with a tempting cash bait as an inducement to desert his publisher for another. This is, of course, profitable to the agent, but it is a grave mistake for the author if his work is of such a quality that it is likely, in the long run, to be salable in a collected edition. The Literary Agent 15 In any business, most men prefer to deal with a principal rather than with an agent, and the wise author will therefore deal directly with the publisher No publisher is likely to take quite the same interest in a book brought to him by an agent as in one that is brought to him directly by an author. His relations with the author through an agent are not likely to become permanent or personal, and another publisher may reap the results of his work in the author's interest. If a publisher by his business ability and hard work makes handsome royalties for a book brought to him by an agent, he often finds that the agent will make excessive demands when bringing a second book by the same author. If a novel, for instance, is well advertised in the press and by circular, and "pushed" in the book- trade, it takes a sale of three thousand copies to reimburse the publisher. The author, on the other hand, will have made about five hundred dollars in royalties in the mean- time. If a publisher has a direct personal 1 6 A Practical Guide for Authors relation with that author and the likelihood of publishing another equally good book by him, he will probably have spent his profit, if he has made any, in giving this first book a good start in the interests of the second. If, however, he suspects that another publisher will reap the results of his efforts, as is often the case when an agent has the matter in hand, he will be careful to save all the profits, instead of using them in ways which would tend to establish the author's reputation, with future common interests in view. From the foregoing remarks it can be seen how easily an author may damage his permanent interests by giving an agent an unchecked power over the disposition of his books. An agent will lose his future commissions if he allows an author to es- tablish permanent and personal relations with a publisher who manages his business in a safe and conservative way. COPYRIGHT Authors who wish to obtain a copyright before parting with their manuscript can do so by following the directions in Bulletin No. 2, Directions jor Securing Copyrights, prepared by Thorvald Solberg, Register of Copyrights. This bulletin can be had, free of charge, by mailing a postal card to the Librarian of Congress. The Common Law protects the author's exclusive right to his work and manuscript until it is published, however. It is customary to leave the details of copyright to the publisher, who will attend to them when the book is ready for publica- tion. The entry in the Copyright Office in Washington is made in the name of the author or of the publisher, as agreed between them. Most contracts, on a royalty basis, are made to terminate only with the expiration of copyright. In any case, the sole right to 1 8 A Practical Guide for Authors publish is held by the publisher during the term of his contract with the author. If at the termination of the contract the legal term of copyright has not elapsed, the rights revert to the author, and become his ex- clusive property. After the legal term has elapsed, the public resumes the rights which it granted to the author under the copyright laws. The ownership or temporary control of the copyright is governed by the terms of the author's contract with the publisher, and is not determined by the legal notice of copyright which is usually printed on the back of the title-page. It is rarely necessary to secure copyright for an American book in Great Britain. When a book is likely to sell in such num- bers over there as to tempt a pirate, the American publisher will attend to the Brit- ish copyright through his agent or his Lon- don house. THE BRITISH MARKET American publishers usually supply the British market by selling an edition, in sheets, to their agents in London, and by keeping the later demand supplied in the same way. If an author wishes to prevent piracy in Great Britain, he should direct his publisher to see that his work is copyrighted in London in compliance with the require- ments of the British law, and the interna- tional copyright agreement. This will neces- sitate simultaneous publication on both sides of the water, and will entail the expense of a few dollars, and possibly the delay of a few weeks, in order that six bound copies may be sent to meet the legal requirements of the British copyright law. There is much misunderstanding among American authors as to the advantage of publishing with firms supposed to have a house both in England and America. The 20 A Practical Guide for Authors fact is that any American firm can arrange for the publication in Great Britain and her colonies of a book which is likely to interest British readers. Witness the activity of any one of the progressive American publishing houses, many of whose books are issued in Great Britain. Any one, for instance, who has taken the trouble to look over the advertising columns of "The Spectator," "The Times," or "The Athenaeum," will have seen that Messrs. Archibald Constable & Company, of London, have issued during the past two years in Great Britain and her colonies, jointly with Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin & Company of Boston, over one hundred and fifty works by well-known American authors. It is interesting to note that the Boston firm — the publishers of the works of Emerson, Longfellow, Hawthorne, Lowell, Holmes, and Thoreau, to mention but a few names of our national classics — are in the forefront of both American and Anglo-American houses in the international publication of works by American writers. The British Market 21 The enterprise of English publishers es- tablished in the American publishing field, and their praiseworthy activity in intro- ducing English books to American readers, have led American authors to credit them with facilities for publishing in England which are not possessed by American firms. How erroneous this impression is has been shown above. The works of Prescott, Park- man, and Motley, in history; Bret Harte, Hawthorne, and Holmes, in fiction; Emer- son and Thoreau, Longfellow, Lowell, and Whitman, in philosophy and poetry, were all published in America by American firms, and owing to the business enterprise of those firms are now the common literary heritage of Great Britain and America. The same claim might with equal fairness be made in respect of most of the living American writers whose works have struck a respon- sive chord in the hearts of British readers. When we speak of the publication of an English edition of an American book, writ- ten by an author little known in England, 22 A Practical Guide for Authors we should bear in mind that such editions usually do not exceed two hundred and fifty copies, and almost never exceed one thousand copies. These editions are sold unbound in sheets, and at a price which must be a fraction of the American pub- lished price, to allow for the cost of binding and for the trade discounts in England. An English edition of an American book by an author little known in England, therefore, brings small profit either to the American publisher or to the American author, and it is of value chiefly in so far as it brings credit to both in the English reviews, and so lays a foundation for the future among English readers. Where an American author has achieved popularity in Great Britain, his work is often manufactured there and copyright secured on both sides of the water by simultaneous publication. In such a case the author will receive payment from both his American and his English publishers. American writers who are ambitious The British Market 23 rather of adding distinction to the literary history of their country than of making a fortune will therefore show no undue anxiety over the size of their first English editions. If, however, it is the good fortune of an American publisher to issue the works of a writer of remarkable power, he will make a great business mistake if he omits to take advantage of copyright protection in Eng- land. The works of men of genius like Irving, Cooper, Emerson, Longfellow, Low- ell, and Holmes, were in a large measure un- protected in England, but under the present international laws authors can now secure their rights there, if their publisher does his duty by them, and if they are alive to their own interests. To a publisher who wishes to keep his business on a sound financial basis, it is becoming of less and less interest to issue books for authors who set money above all other considerations. Such authors are rarely frank in their business dealings, and the relation cannot be one of long standing, 24 A Practical Guide for Authors as it should be if an author wishes to reap the cumulative effect of his reputation. Longfellow, Holmes, Emerson, Thoreau, and Burroughs, to name but a few, are in- stances of authors whose works have not been scattered, and consequently are sold in complete editions, or sets, under the im- print of one publisher. As a rule, the authors who are the most eager for immediate cash returns are those who are the least likely to be heard of ten years hence, so the question is one which often solves itself. A publisher of experience prefers to launch a book fairly in the book-trade and then watch results. If the public buy it in profitable numbers from the booksellers, the booksellers take good care to re-order it, and to keep in stock a constant supply of an article in which they can so safely invest their money. When a salesman calls on the booksellers with a second book by the same author, not only is he likely to find the book- seller ready to buy a stock of the new book, The British Market 25 but he is pretty sure to sell more of the first book at the same time. This is an illustra- tion of the cumulative effect of successive books by one author when they are kept in the hands of one publishing house. The immediate returns may not be so great for either author or publisher, but in the long run they are usually greater than they can be if the books are scattered among several publishers whose interests clash. It is well to remember that the issue of each new book gives the publisher this chance to bring the former books of the same author to the attention of the booksellers and of the public. SERIAL RIGHTS When selling to a magazine the serial rights in a story or other work, an author should be careful to set down in writing to the purchaser that he reserves the right to publish his material in book form after it has appeared in the magazine. Some maga- zine proprietors are also publishers of books, and it is a common courtesy to offer them the first refusal of the book rights in the material which they have published in their magazines, unless the author has already established relations with another book publisher. They themselves often make this a condition when buying the serial rights. Before signing a contract for the publica- tion of a book, an author should see that a clause is provided to stipulate for a definite share of any moneys which may be received from other publishers or persons by the sale of, or by the permission to publish, extracts Serial Rights 27 or parts of his book. This clause should also stipulate for a definite share of the proceeds which may accrue from a sale of the serial rights after the book has been published. Such a sale is infrequent, but it should be provided for, in order to avoid later mis- understanding. AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS There is very little difference between the forms of agreement used by reputable pub- lishers. They vary in minor details, and their terms differ with the subject of the work, its purpose, and its prospect of sale. The publisher usually assumes the cost of manu- facturing, printing, and publishing, and offers the author a royalty on the retail selling price of the book. An author sometimes writes a book which, though scholarly and valuable from an in- tellectual standpoint, is likely to have so slow a sale that a publisher will not care to lock up his money in it. In such a case he fre- quently offers to publish it if the author pays the whole or a part of the cost of manu- facture. The publisher will then pay the author a much larger share of the returns, or royalty, than he can possibly afford to pay if he bears the whole cost of manufacture. Agreements and Contracts 29 Books of this nature are also published on a commission basis. The author pays the cost of manufacture and advertising, and the publisher accounts to him for the net amount of the sales after deducting his commission. The author will do well to be sure that he understands all his responsibilities before signing the agreement; and to bear in mind that prices for printing and manufacture vary according to the quality of the work done. The author is required by the terms of the contract to hold himself responsible for legal liability on account of libelous state- ments, and for any infringement of another author's copyright. The rights of translation, dramatization, and serial publication should be provided for in the contract. As the fulfillment of any contract must rest upon a mutual understanding of its provisions and upon the good faith and good will of both parties to it, the author should thoroughly scan the contract and 30 A Practical Guide for Authors master the bearings of each clause in it. Here again it is well to reiterate the advice that before deciding on a publisher, an author should assure himself of the commercial standing of the firm, and of its ability to make good the ' provisions of its contract for so long as it shall continue. The following form of agreement is a good one, and is very generally used, with slight variations, in contracts based upon a royalty to be paid to the author : — Agreement, made the_l£«*_day nf q**sl Z g06 hptwppn John Dobbin n f Oldtown, Mass., an( j Blank and Company, of the City of, Boston, Publishers, i. Said John Dobbin hereby grants and assigns to Blank and Company a work, the subject or title of which is A History of the United States of America, with all translations, abridgments, selections, and rights therefor of said work, or parts thereof, with exclusive right and power, in its own name, or in the name of said John Dobbin, to take out copyright thereof, and any renewal of the same, and publish said work during the term of said copyright in all languages. The said John Dobbin guarantees that he j s t ^ e so l e owner of said work and has full power and authority to make this contract ; that said work is not a violation of any Agreements and Contracts 31 copyright and contains no scandalous or libelous matter ; that h e will defend, indemnify, make good and hold harmless Blank and Company against all claims, de- mands, suits, actions or causes of action made or brought against said Blank and Company, and against all loss, damage, costs, charges, and expenses that the said Blank and Company shall sustain or incur on account or by reason of any scandalous or libelous matter alleged to be contained in said work, or any alleged violation by said work of any copyright. 2. Blank and Company agree to publish said work at their own expense, in such style as they deem best suited to the sale of the work, and to pay said J onn Dobbin, his representatives or assigns,_££2_per cent on its retail price for each copy by them sold. And Blank and Company shall render always semi-annual statements of account, in the months of and , and make settlements in cash four months after date of each statement. In case an edition of the work shall be sold at a reduced price for export, the percentage to be paid thereon to said J otl " D °bbtn shall be_£££_per cent on the American retail price. 3. Blank and Company may publish, or permit others to publish, such selections from said work as they think proper to benefit its sale, without compensation to the grantor herein, but the compensation for translations and dramatizations shall be subject to agreement between the parties hereto. 4. Alterations in type, plates, or otherwise in the work, after delivery of copy to Blank and Company, which exceed_£££_per cent of the cost of original com- 32 A Practical Guide for Authors position, shall be at the expense of said J onn bobbin, and any index that may be required by Blank and Company for said work shall be prepared by said John Dobbin nr at hj s eX p en se. 5. If the plates or type forms be rendered valueless by fire or otherwise, Blank and Company shall have the op- tion of reproducing them or not, and if they decline to do so, then, after the sale of all copies remaining on hand, they shall reconvey the copyright and all rights herein granted to said J°hn Dobbin, his heirs or assigns, and this contract shall terminate. 6. If, at any time after two years from the date of publication, Blank and Company shall be satisfied that the public demand does not justify the continued publication of the work, or if for any other cause they shall deem its further publication improper or inexpedient, then they may offer, in writing, to said J° n " Dobbin, his heirs or assigns, the plates and any original engravings or illustrations to said work at half cost, and all copies then on hand at cost, and said J oh " Dobbin, his heirs or assigns, shall have the right within sixty days to take and pay for the same, and shall thereupon become sole owner of the copyright herein named, and Blank and Company shall thereupon transfer such copyright; but if said offer be not accepted and such payments made within sixty days, then Blank and Company may destroy the plates, and sell all copies then on hand free of percentage to snid John Dobbin, his heirs or as- signs, and this agreement shall thereupon terminate, the copyright reverting to saiH John Dobbin, his h eirs or assigns. Agreements and Contracts 33 7. This contract may be assigned by either party, and the assignee thereof shall have all the rights and remedies of the original parties hereto, but only as a whole, and neither party shall assign any part interest therein. 8. °°° copies of the complete work will be fur- nished on publication to said J onn Dobbin hy Blank and Company without charge. Signed Blank and Company. John Dobbin. Special arrangements necessitate special forms of contract, and terms which vary with the particular needs of each case. Royalties paid by English publishers are sometimes higher than those which an American firm can afford to pay on works of a popular nature. The costs of manufac- ture and wages are much higher in the United States than they are in Great Britain. In both countries, however, royalties vary be- tween practically the same limits of ten and fifteen per cent on the published price of the book. They are rarely higher, and then only in the event of phenomenal sales. When a work is valuable in itself but is 34 A Practical Guide for Authors likely to meet with a limited demand, or slow sale, a publisher often contracts that the royalty on the first thousand copies sold shall not become payable until after the second thousand copies have been sold. An author in this way often obtains a publisher for a good book which would entail too great a risk if issued on any other royalty basis. Under this plan the royalties accruing after the sale of the first thousand copies are payable on the usual semi-annual statement of account, while those which have accrued on the first thousand will be paid later when two thousand copies have been sold. The number of complimentary copies which an author receives gratis from the publisher varies with the practice of each firm. Royalties are based on the retail selling price of a book, and the price at which a book is issued must be decided by the publisher. The main factors in determin- ing the price are the costs of material and manufacture, discounts to the booksellers, Agreements and Contracts 35 advertising, and the time it will take to reim- burse the publisher for all these outlays. No publisher can afford to lock up his capi- tal too long in any one book, so he must set his price high enough to reimburse himself within a reasonable time. The author will gain in receipts from royalties on a high price what he may think he will lose in the number of sales had his book been issued at a more popular price. For instance, com- pare the royalties on 1500 books sold in six months at $1.50, with those on 1000 copies sold in the same time at $2.50. When the market for the high-priced edi- tion has been exhausted, if there is enough interest shown in the book to warrant the assumption that a new edition at a lower price will be taken up by the booksellers, the publisher may be relied on to see the advantage of the cheaper edition. Contracts for educational text-books vary in their terms according to the purpose of the work. Owing to the expense of obtaining their adoption or use in schools and colleges, 36 A Practical Guide for Authors the royalties are often less than those which a publisher can afford to pay on some other classes of literary work, but if they become widely used, the lower royalty is counter- balanced by the large sale. In order to supplant a book already in use, the publisher is often compelled by the school authorities to exchange new books for those which he wishes to supplant. The publisher provides for this costly proceed- ing by a clause in his contract with the author stipulating that no royalty shall be paid on books thus exchanged if less than 60 to 80 per cent (according to the circum- stances) of the published price is received in cash after deducting the amount charged for the supplanted books by the school author- ities. In publishing books for the common schools, and college text-books, the meth- ods employed and the forms and terms of contracts with the author have little in common with those employed for works of general literature. School and text-book Agreements and Contracts 37 royalties are sometimes based on the whole- sale net price, that is to say, the retail list price less a discount of 20 per cent. Thus, for example, 6 per cent on the published price is equivalent to 7! per cent on the net price of a book to be used in the common schools. These figures are given merely as an illustration of a practice which varies according to the nature of the work and the probable extent of its use. COVER DESIGNS A cover should be appropriate to the con- tents of a book. The covers of works of fic- tion and general literature offer a wide scope for tasteful decoration. Works of philosophy, economics, or science are in better taste when issued with a simple and dignified let- tering. Over-elaboration is to be deprecated, on the score of good taste, for all books. Those colors should be avoided which fade and entail a loss on the bookseller who exposes them in his window or store. An author often desires a cover design or a binding which cannot be used by reason of the expense which it would entail. Each color is laid on with a separate brass stamp and by a separate handling. Expensive work and costly fabrics can be put only on expensive books. The three qualities to be desired in a binding are dignity, beauty, and durability. HOW A PUBLISHER MAY BE HELPED BY AN AUTHOR Sales can often be increased if an author will advise the publisher where and how a special interest in his book may be aroused, and if he will suggest special methods by which their common interests may be ad- vanced. As soon as the author and the publisher are agreed as to the terms of publication, the author should provide the publisher with a concise account of his book from his own point of view. This should be a simple and clear statement of the contents, pur- pose, and scope, as its character may dic- tate. The publisher takes these facts and weaves them into his announcements, his preliminary press notices, and his adver- tising. He also uses them for the informa- tion of the literary editors throughout the country. A publisher always prepares his 40 A Practical Guide for Authors own description of a book; first, because it is addressed to the booksellers, and second, because an author's own account is rarely written in an impersonal way. An author's point of view about his own work is, how- ever, generally essential to a good descrip- tion of it. In sending out presentation copies to ed- itors and others, a publisher can be aided by an author, who should provide him with the names of journals and reviews in which, for reasons within his knowledge, his work is likely to receive particular attention. The names of professors and teachers who are likely to be personally interested in an edu- cational work are also of service. Complimentary copies sent to an author's influential friends, or to co-workers in his field of scholarship, often result in valuable reputation for the book, and also in reviews. There is hardly a step either in the manu- facture or in the publishing of a book in which the publisher cannot be aided by the author. How a Publisher May be Helped 41 The height, the thickness, the price, the cover, the kind of paper, etc., involve many technical commercial questions, and, in a large measure, must be left to the publisher's good judgment. The author's wishes are always treated with due respect, and a frank and friendly talk with the publisher will decide the practical answers to all such questions. ADVERTISING AND DESCRIPTIVE CIRCULARS A book is advertised by the publisher at his own expense, unless the author by his contract shares the cost of publication. In either case, assistance can be given by the author. He can call the publisher's atten- tion to aspects of his work on which stress can be laid in advertising. He can furnish paragraphs of literary news for quotation in circulars or in news notes to the editors of literary columns in the newspapers. Lists of the members of societies or clubs likely to be interested in the book or in the author are always valuable for circulars. The methods of displaying advertise- ments in the newspapers and the magazines vary with the purpose of the advertiser and the nature of the books. An observant per- son, who makes it his business to understand these matters, will soon see whether the Advertising and Descriptive Circulars 43 advertiser is trying to draw attention to his firm rather than to his books. The repu- tation for extensive advertising is gained easily by the practice of selecting one or two expensive books and devoting to them much space in the daily papers. If a publisher, however, wishes to use his advertising in the interest of all the authors on his list, he will adopt the less showy and more effective plan of advertising all his books, giving each its place in the display, and placing the advertisement in the best papers in the country. This kind of advertising, backed by the proper equipment of first-class traveling salesmen and circulars, is the more just method. Each publisher will play to his own hand, and it is fair to assume that in pursuing either method he is regarding what in the long run will prove most ad- vantageous to the interests common to him- self and the authors whose books he is trying to sell. An author may understand the question 44 A Practical Guide for Authors more clearly by remembering that an inser- tion of a quarter of a column for one day in almost any daily paper in the larger cities costs from $10 to $18. That space in ten such papers for four days may therefore cost as much as $700. Space in the monthly magazines is far more costly than in the daily papers. All publishers distribute widely their an- nouncement lists of new books, their special and general catalogues. Skillful use of this descriptive material is one of the most effi- cient and attractive forms of advertising. The best form of advertising, however, is the most difficult to get. It is that which comes from mouth-to-mouth recommenda- tion at the table, in the drawing-room or the library. In the long run, this is the way a really valuable book wins success and brings a steady income to both author and pub- lisher. By an expensive advertising cam- paign, books of a popular nature, even if of little intrinsic value, may be forced on the attention of those who Snap at an attractive Advertising and Descriptive Circulars 45 bait. This method soon shows itself in its true colors as another form of gambling, which entails an unwise risk of capital. It is usually applied to fiction by speculative publishers, and is based on a mistaken analogy between books and baking-pow- der. Such a practice is unfair to the author not so favored. Having spent money freely in this form of speculative advertising, — to say nothing of equally speculative advance payments of royalties not yet earned, — the publisher must of necessity concentrate his efforts on books so advertised, to the neglect of those on which he has invested his money in a sound business fashion. PRESS COPIES In sending copies to the press at his own expense, the publisher uses his judgment as to which journals will give the best reviews. His aim is to get reviews in those papers or journals which are read by the largest number of people who are specially interested in the subject. An author can promote the success of his work by sending to the publisher the names of reviewers or journals likely to be inter- ested in it. One important point to be remembered by the author and publisher of a scholarly work is that American scholars read for- eign journals, philosophical, economic, his- torical, scientific, and literary. A scholarly work, therefore, should be sent to the best reviews in its field, in Germany, England, France, and Italy. The resulting notices and criticisms will have their due effect in Press Copies 47 sales among American scholars. The returns from the countries in question on the aver- age scholarly work are often likely to be in reputation rather than in sales; but a wise publisher or author will set a higher value on reputation than on cash in such a case. Reputation brings unsolicited manuscripts to a publisher's desk, and is one very potent cause of an author's future prosperity. PROOF-READING A specimen page should be sent to the author by the publisher to show the pro- posed style of type, the size of the printed page, and the number of printed pages which the manuscript will yield. The author should return this specimen at once with his criticism. If an author intends to make many cor- rections in the proof, he must warn the pub- lisher to send him his proofs in "galley" form, i. e. in strips not yet cut off into page lengths. 1 Always return the manuscript with each parcel of proofs. When the work is com- pleted, the manuscript will be returned to the author if desired. If the author wishes to read revised proof after his corrections have been made in the 1 A galley is the long frame on which the compositor places the lines as he sets them up in type. Proof- Reading 49 first proof, he should so advise the pub- lisher when returning the first proofs cor- rected. If the author wants a revised proof of only one or two pages, or of a chapter, it can be had for the asking. When the work is in page proof, the ad- dition of a phrase or of a sentence may make it necessary for the compositor to "over-run" each line on the page, and possibly to "over- run" several pages. While the correction thus involves but a few words, it may entail much labor on the printer, and a consequent expense to the author. It is generally easy for the author to make room for a few words by shortening an adjoining sentence, or by taking a word out here and there from the neighboring lines without loss to the sense. The final proofs are called "foundry," or "plate" proofs. These are printed from the electrotyped plates, and are usually dis- tinguished by the heavy black line made by the "guards" around the page. If the author and the printer have done their 5^\ WW I Indicates CAPITAL letters. Indicates small capital letters. Indicates italic letters. Indicates black type letters. Indicates BLACK CAPITALS. Indicates black small capitals. Indicates black italic. An EM dash. Denotes a break. Points or asterisks. Denote words left out. Denotes 5 point .... 5* u 6 ti 7 n 8 t< 9 it 10 u 11 (1 12 ii 14 ii SIZES OF TYPE GENERALLY USED IN BOOKS Pearl Agate Nonpareil Minion Brevier Bourgeois Long Primer, or 2-line Pearl Small Pica, or 2-line Agate Pica, or 2-line Nonpareil English, or 2-line Minion Columbian, or 2-line Brevier Great Primer, or 2-line Bourgeois There are many other sizes of type, but the foregoing are practically all that are used in general book-making. The kind of type will depend on the printer's stock of avail- able types or "fonts," or on his and the author's taste. 16 18 PROOF WITH CORRECTIONS AMERICAN t/xATION. t4X 'f > I— I Sir )/N I agree with the honourable g entl em an w h ^. stit spoke last ,4ha »this subject is not new in this House. , Very disagreeably to this House, veryunfortunately ff? UQaJoaJ to this ^ , and to the peace ana prosperity of — ' this whole empire, x o topic has been more familiar £,C, GJ w ' tn us -3 fiOJf CFor nine long years, session after session, we s» have been lashed round and round thiszmiserable *-* circle of occasional arguments and temporary ex- pedients, y am _ ^ire our heads/ mus ^turn, and our % stcmachs nauseate with them. We hav£«had""rrTem in every shape ; we have \o4ked &e* g mzm in every u:Jr, §}}&££ point.of^iew Invention is exhausted ; reason is gr fatigued ; expenenrfce has given judgment ; but ^ y? obstinacy is not yet conquered./ Vhe honourable J 07* of publ i c boncvolonoo gentleman has made one endeavour more to diversify the form of this dis- « «y gusting argument^ He has thrown out a/ speech ^ composed almost entirely of challenges. jfliallenges cqJ> d , i^are serious things ; and as he is a man of prudence U&&' /as well as resolution, I daresay he has very well weighed those challenges before he delivered them . win* I had long the happiness to sit/the\at|same side of ?£ /& the House/yand to agree with the honourable gentle- st,/ man ^ all the American questions. CZ. My senti- *—■ t&LC (Speech on American Taxation by Edmund Burke. Re^V printed, by permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Company , SiC* >tt" from/The Riverside Literature Series.. - ,,„ \ / CORRECTED PROOF AMERICAN TAXATION. Sir, — I agree with the honourable gentleman who spoke last, that this subject is not new in this House. Very disagreeably to this House, very unfortunately to this nation, and to the peace and prosperity of this whole empire, no topic has been more familiar with us. For nine long years, session after session, we have been lashed round and round this misera- ble circle of occasional arguments and temporary expedients. I am sure our heads must turn, and our stomachs nauseate with them. We have had them in every shape ; we have looked at them in every point of view. Invention is exhausted ; rea- son is fatigued ; experience has given judgment ; but obstinacy is not yet conquered. The honourable gentleman has made one en- deavour more to diversify the form of this dis- gusting argument. He has thrown out a speech composed almost entirely of challenges. Challenges are serious things; and as he is a man of prudence as well as resolution, I daresay he has very well weighed those challenges before he delivered them. I had long the happiness to sit at the same side of the House, and to agree with the honourable gentle- man on all the American questions. My sentiment (Speech on American Taxation by Edmund Burke. Re- printed, by permission of Houghton, Mifflin & Company, from "The Riverside Literature Series.") AMERICAN RULES FOR SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION, ETC. 1 Spelling and punctuation are dealt with in the following section, which is reprinted from the excellent pamphlet prepared for the use of their compositors by Messrs. J. S. Cushing & Co., the well-known printers of Norwood, Mass. Printers will carry out an author's explicit instructions as to spelling and punctuation. Office rules are followed in the absence of special instructions. Print- ers differ over a few points ; but in the main the following rules apply also to the practice of The Riverside Press, The University Press, The Athenaeum Press, of Cambridge, Mass. ; The Merrymount Press, of Boston; The Knickerbocker Press, The De Vinne Press, The Trow Press, of New York ; and, indeed, of any well-managed printing house. 1 If an author wishes his book to be sold to English as well as to American readers, a sagacious publisher will advise him to use the "u" in spelling the words "honour," "colour," etc., and to avoid "spelling reform" fads. The English are entitled to their prejudices. American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 61 Notice as to preference in spelling and punctuation, etc., should be clearly stated on the manuscript, or given to the pub- lishers before the work is sent to the printers. CONTENTS OF THIS SECTION Spellings preferred by both Worcester and Webster . 62 Spellings on which dictionaries differ 63 English and American practice in spelling ... 67 Preferences in spelling miscellaneous words ... 68 Compounds 69 Adverbs 71 Division of words 71 Capitals 72 Punctuation 7^ Miscellaneous points of style 78 Numbers .80 Spacing 81 O and Oh 81 Spelling of the Century and Standard Dictionaries 82 62 A Practical Guide for Authors i. The following spellings are preferred by both Worcester and Webster : — abridgment disk intrust aesthetic drought lackey bazaar dryly manikin behoove embarkation mediaeval 1 benefited, -ing embed mollusk blond (adj.) empale mustache blonde (n.) filigree naught bouquet gayety paralleled, -ing brier gayly poniard caliber glamour postilion calk good-by programme caravansary gossiped, -ing pygmy carcass gypsy raccoon check halyard reenforce checkered humbugged, -ing 1 riveted, -ing clew incase sandbagged, -in Combated, -ing incrust shyly corselet indorse slyly cotillon infold sobriquet criticise ingrain stanch crystallize ingulf story (a floor) demarcation inquire thraldom dike (except in insure veranda geological inthrall visor meaning) intrench zigzagged, -ing 1 There is nothing irregular in these forms, which are given because frequently misspelled. Compare fidgeted, inhabited, and profited. But similar verbs, when accented on the final syllable, double the consonant, according to both dictionaries, — e.g. admit, admitted, admitting; permit, permitted, permitting ; regret, regretted, regretting. American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 63 2. The dictionaries differ on the follow- ing words : — Worcester accoutre aide-de-camp amphitheatre 1 apparelled axe ay (yes) 1 biassed boulder 1 carolled centre chiccory cimeter cosey, cosily councillor counsellor 1 crenellated cyclopaedia defence despatch Webster accouter aid-de-camp amphitheater appareled ax aye biased bowlder caroled center chicory scimeter cozy, cozily councilor counselor crenelated cyclopedia defense dispatch 1 The past tense is here given for illustration, but it is of course understood that the present participle is formed on the same principle, e.g. apparelling, appareling ; tranquillizing, tranquilizing; worshipping, worshiping. This list contains only a few of the more common verbs of the class ending in al, el, il, and ol, but enough to show the principle on which the two dictionaries work in forming their past tense and participle. Verbs of this class accented on the final syllable have the same form in both Worcester and Webster, — e.g. impel, impelled, impelling ; propel, propelled, propelling ; etc. 64 A Practical Guide jor Authors Worcester Webster 1 dishevelled disheveled distil distill 2 dominos (a game) dominoes dulness dullness enamour enamor enclose inclose encumbrance incumbrance enrolment enrollment ensnare insnare 1 equalled equaled fetich fetish fibre fiber fledgling fledgeling 1 focussed focused 2 frescos frescoes fulfil fulfill fulness fullness gramme gram 2 grottos grottoes 1 See note 1, page 63. 2 The rule for nouns ending in is : If the singular ends in preceded by another vowel, the plural is formed regularly by adding s, — e.g. bamboo, bamboos ; cameo, cameos ; embryo, embryos; folio, folios. If in preceded by a consonant, by add- ing es, — e.g. buffalo, buffaloes ; desperado, desperadoes ; echo, echoes ; hero, heroes ; mosquito, mosquitoes ; motto, mottoes ; potato, potatoes. But the following exceptions add s only : — albino duodecimo piano sirocco canto halo proviso solo cento lasso quarto stiletto domino (when memento rotundo torso not the game octavo salvo tyro American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 65 Worcester Webster guerilla guerrilla 1 imperilled imperiled instalment installment instil instill jewellery jewelry 1 kidnapped kidnaped 1 libelled libeled litre liter. lodgement lodgment lustre luster manoeuvre maneuver marvellous marvelous maugre mauger meagre meager metre meter millionnaire millionaire mitre miter 1 modelled modeled mould, -ing mold, -ing nitre niter ochre ocher oesophagus esophagus offence offense pacha pasha pedler peddler phcenix phenix plough plow 2 porticos porticoes practise (v.) practice (v.) pretence pretense 1 See note i, page 63. 2 See note 2, page 64, 66 A Practical Guide for Authors Worcester Webster 1 quarrelled quarreled reconnoitre reconnoiter revery reverie 1 rivalled rivaled sabre saber saltpetre saltpeter saviour savior sceptic skeptic sceptre scepter sepulchre sepulcher Shakespearian Shakespearean 1 shrivelled shriveled skilful skillful smoulder smolder sombre somber spectre specter 1 sulphuretted sulphureted syrup sirup theatre theater 1 tranquillize tranquilize 1 travelled, -er traveled, -er vice (a tool) vise villanous, -y villainous, -y whiskey whisky wilful willful woful woeful woollen woolen 1 worshipped, -er worshiped, -er 1 See note i, page 63. 2 See note 2, page 64, American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 67 3. English Spelling. — In the English style of spelling, many words which in Amer- ican dictionaries end in or, end in our. Words thus ending in our are : — arbour favour parlour ardour fervour rancour armour flavour rigour behaviour harbour rumour candour honour savour clamour humour splendour clangour invigour succour colour labour tabour demeanour misbehaviour tumour discolour misdemeanour valour dolour neighbour vapour endeavour odour vigour Note that discoloration, invigorate, invig- oration, pallor, and tremor do not take the u. When an adjective is formed from any of the above words by adding ous, the ending of the original word is simply or, as in Ameri- can dictionaries, — e.g. clamorous, dolorous, humorous, laborious. While the our-words are always found in English spelling, it is only occasionally that English books follow the style which changes 68 A Practical Guide jor Authors verbs ending, in American dictionaries, in ize to ise, — e.g. civilise, realise, utilise. When this style is used, note that baptize always retains the z spelling. Distinctively English spellings (sometimes used and sometimes not) are the forms anyone, everyone, someone, and jor ever, and the following : — behove gaily reflexion briar gipsy shily connexion inflexion slily drily judgement staunch enquire lacquey storey (a floor) entrust pigmy verandah gaiety postillion For words which have more than one spelling in American dictionaries — e.g. cen- tre, counsellor — use Worcester. Compos- itors should ascertain to what extent the English style is to be followed on copy given out as taking the English spelling. The two important points to be borne in mind are the our- and ise-words. 4. Miscellaneous Words. — Give prefer- ence to the following forms : — American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 69 byways highroad subject-matter courtyard knickknack text-book downstairs long-suffering thoroughgoing employee lookout upstairs everyday newcomer well-nigh halfway nowadays widespread headquarters shan't By and by and by the bye are the right forms. Vender is ordinary usage, vendor the form used in law. Good day, good night, two words always. COMPOUNDS Follow the style given below on com- pounds : — Co, pre, and re. — With words beginning with the same vowel: cooperate, preempt, reembark, etc.; with a consonant or different vowel: colaborer, preoccupy, reconstruct, etc.; but where a word having a different meaning from that desired would be formed : re-creation, re-collect, etc. Colors. — Adjectives in ish : bluish red, yellowish green, etc.; but a noun compounded with a color: emerald-green, iron-gray, ivory-black, pearl-gray, etc. Ever. — Ever changing sea, ever memorable scene, ever watchful eye, forever emptied cradle, never ending talk, etc. Fellow. — Fellow-citizens, fellow-men, fellow- soldiers, etc. Fellowship is the sole exception. 70 A Practical Guide for Authors Fold. — Words of one syllable: twofold, tenfold, etc.; of more than one: twenty fold, hundred fold, etc. Half. — With adjectives: half -dead man, etc. (but I was half dead with shame) ; with verbs: half conceal, half understand, etc.; also half a dozen, half an hour. Like. — Businesslike, childlike, warlike, etc., except ball-like, bell-like, etc., and very unusual compounds: miniature-like, Mohammedan-like, etc. Over and Under. — With verbs and adjectives, one word : overbold, overestimate, overreach, underdressed. Party. — Party-coated, party-colored (and use this spelling). Points of the Compass. — Northeast, southwest; north-northeast, west-southwest, etc. Room. — Breakfast room, dining room, sleeping room, etc.; * but bedroom and drawing-room. School. — Schoolboy, schoolfellow, schoolgirl, school- house, schoolmaster, schoolmistress, schoolroom; school board, school children, school committee, school days, school district; school-ship, school-teacher, school-teaching. Self. — Self-absorbed, self-contempt, self-respect, etc. ; but selfsame. Skin. — Words of one syllable : calfskin, goatskin, etc.; of more than one: beaver skin, buffalo skin, etc. Tree. — Always two words : apple tree, forest tree, fruit tree, etc. An adverb and a participial adjective or a participle before a noun: prettily dressed girl, rapidly approaching winter, etc. 1 Some printers hyphenate these. American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 71 Anyway, Nowise, Awhile, Meanwhile, and Meantime Distinguish between the adverb anyway and the phrase in any way, nowise and in no wise, and awhile and for a while. Always make meantime and meanwhile one word: meantime, in the meantime, meanwhile, and in the meanwhile. DIVISION OF WORDS Divide when possible, and when it is a correct division, on the vowel: proposition, not prop-osition. Avoid two-letter divisions where possible. Avoid making the last line of a paragraph part of a divided word. In present participles carry over the ing: divid-ing, mak-ing, forc-ing, charg-ing (but iwin-kling, chuc-kling, dan-cing, etc.). Divide: derision, division, provision, reli-gion, etc. Divide: fea-ture, for-tune, pic-ture, pre- sump-tuous, etc. Divide in all cases espe-cial, inhabit-ant, 72 A Practical Guide jor Authors pecul-iar, pro-cess, know-ledge, atmos-phere, and hemi- sphere. Observe the following divisions: Wor. brill-iant, Web. bril-liant; Wor. jamil-i- arity, Web. famil-iar-ity; Wor. mill-ion, Web. mil-lion; Wor. pecu-li-arity, Web. pecul-iar-ity ; Wor. press-ure, Web. />m- swre; Wor. Ind-ian, Web. In-dian; Wor. Will-iam, Web. Wil-liam. CAPITALS Constitution of the United States should always be capitalized. Czar, etc. — Capitalize Czar, Pope, Presi- dent (of United States), Sultan (of Turkey), Dauphin, Bey (of Tunis), Khedive (of Egypt). Day. — Capitalize Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, Lord's Day, Founder's Day, Commencement Day, etc. De, Von, etc. — Capitalize names from foreign languages preceded by a preposition, when used without a title or a Christian name: De La Fayette, De' Medici, Der American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 73 Hougassoff, Von Stein; but Marquis de La Fayette, Catherine de' Medici, General der Hougassoff, Baron von Stein. Headings. — In chapter headings, side headings, names of books, etc., set in capi- tals and small capitals, or upper and lower case, capitalize nouns and adjectives only. As You Like It, Love's Labor 's Lost, and similar titles are exceptions. Heaven. — Capitalize Heaven when it stands for the Deity; as a place, lower case. Hell and paradise always lower case. He, His, etc. — Capitalize He, His, Him, Thou, etc., referring to members of the Trin- ity (except in extracts from the Bible). His Majesty, etc. — Capitalize all except the pronoun in his Majesty, their Royal Highnesses, your Excellency, his Lordship, etc. House. — Lower case house 0} Hanover, house 0} Suabia, etc. King, etc. — Capitalize King John, Bishop 0} Rheims, Duke 0} York, Emperor of Aus- tria, etc.; but lower case king of England, 74 A Practical Guide for Authors queen oj Sweden, prince of France, etc. (ex- cept the Prince of Orange and Prince oj Wales, and other mere titles with Prince). Middle Ages should be capitalized. Mountains. — Appalachian Mountains, White Mountains, etc. New World, Old World, New York City, New York State, Papacy (but lower case papal), Oriental, and Occidental should be capitalized. River, Lake, War, Valley, battle of, peace of, treaty of, etc. — Capitalize in cases like Hudson River, Crystal Lake, Seven Years' 1 War, Connecticut Valley, etc.; but note the plurals: Hudson and Mohawk rivers, the Seven Years' and the Hundred Years 1 wars, although Lakes Huron and Michigan. Lower case the river Charles, etc., and battle oj Waterloo, treaty oj Luneville, peace oj Amiens, etc. State, etc. — Lower case state (except New York State), commonwealth, and terri- tory (except Indian Territory, Northwest Territory). Note Southern states, Eastern American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 75 states, etc. But capitalize State meaning the government, as well as Church standing for the ecclesiastical authority or influence. Titles used in direct address should be capitalized. 1 PUNCTUATION Said he, quietly, etc. — Correct style: Said he, quietly (but he said quietly); said he, laughing; and he said, laughing. Comma in Series. — Correct style : George, John, and James are here; handsome, rich, but unhappy; he could not read, write, or figure. But this style does not apply to United States Law. Comma before Quotation. — Before a quo- tation in a paragraph, if of one sentence use a comma, if of more than one use a colon. As follows. — At the end of a paragraph, after phrases like as follows, the following, thus, and namely, and words like said, remarked, etc., use the colon and dash (except in mathematical work). 1 The above rules for capitalizing are not followed by all printers. 76 A Practical Guide jor Authors Comma and Semicolon. — In sentences containing two sets of subjects and predi- cates — in other words, two clauses — con- nected by and, but, or some similar conjunc- tion, the clauses should be separated by at least a comma; and if either clause is very long or contains a subordinate clause, use a semicolon. The foregoing sentence illus- trates the use of the semicolon. Quotation Marks. — In sentences terminat- ing in the close of a quotation and an excla- mation point or an interrogation point, do not quote the punctuation unless it is part of the quotation : — How absurd to call this stripling a "man"l but He cried out, "Wake up, something is going wrong! " In the case of a semicolon and the close of a quotation, if the quoted matter consists of one or two words or a mere phrase, do not quote the semicolon; but if a complete sub- ject and predicate is included within the quotation marks, some printers quote the semicolon too : — American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 77 The punctuation of "Tristram Shandy" will naturally differ from that of the " Rambler"; and in a less degree the punctuation in Burke, etc. Sir Walter said to him, "My friend, give me your hand, for mine is that of a beggar;" for, in truth, the house, etc. If the style of a book is to quote verse, letters, and other extracts, in poetry a new quote should begin on every new stanza, in prose on every paragraph and break-line. But in extracts from plays, place a quotation mark before the first word only of the ex- tract, and end after the last word. The proper form for quotes at the beginning and end of a letter is as follows : 1 — "6 Scrope Terrace, Cambridge, "June 20, 1898. "Dear Sir: With reference to the Vortexatom Theory, I would * * * concerned is very complex. "Believe me " Yours very truly, "J. J. Thomson. "Professor S. W. Holman." 1 Some printers never quote complete documents. 78 A Practical Guide for Authors MISCELLANEOUS POINTS OF STYLE 2d, Jd, not 2nd, 3rd. Forward, toward, etc., not forwards, to- wards, etc. Ms. and Mss. should be caps, and small caps. : Ms., Mss. [Some prefer caps. : MS., MSS.] B. C. and A. D. — Date before the letters, and letters in small caps. : 14 B. c, 28 A. d. A. M. and P. M. (for ante meridiem and post meridiem) in small caps. : a. m., p. m. $ and £ should always be close up to the number with which they belong, except in mathematical work. Henrys, Jerseys, Mussulmans, and the Two Sicilies are the correct plurals. An abbreviation — e.g., Fig., § — or a num- ber should not begin a sentence. Always spell out. Spell out titles like Colonel, General, and Professor (except in lists of names, cata- logues, etc.); but Dr., Hon., Mr., Mrs., Messrs., and Rev., occurring before a name, are proper abbreviations. American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 79 E.g., i.e., I.e., and s.v. should always be Italic when placed between, after, or before words in Roman, take no comma, and should be close up together. In Italic sentences they should be Roman. Cf., sc, and viz. should always be Roman. Possessive Case. — To form the possess- ive singular add the apostrophe and s: Keats's, countess's; except in the phrases for conscience' sake, for goodness' sake, for right- eousness' sake, etc., and in the case of a few words like Jesus, Moses, Achilles, Hercules, and Xerxes. Farther and Further.— Farther is applied to distance, — e.g. thus far and no farther, farther up the hill; further signifies " ad- ditional," — e.g. I have no further use for you, Further consideration of the matter. Books, Magazines, Ships, etc. — Names of books, plays, and paintings should be Roman and quoted, of magazines and pa- pers Italic, 1 and of characters in books, plays, etc., plain Roman without quotes. (But in 1 De italicis quot homines tot sententiae. — W. S. B. 80 A Practical Guide for Authors footnotes and side- notes books may go in Italic.) In general, poems should be Roman and quoted. Names of articles in maga- zines or cyclopaedias should be Roman and quoted. Names of ships set in Italic. In cita- tion of papers and magazines, do not treat the definite article the as part of the name, — e.g. the Century, the Chicago Inter-Ocean, the New York Herald. Numbers. — Spell out all numbers of less than three figures, and all round numbers. Numbers of three or more figures set in fig- ures. By round numbers are meant hun- dreds, thousands, etc., and all multiples of hundreds, thousands, etc. (When numbers occur in great frequency in a single para- graph or chapter, all numbers should be set in figures. Round numbers should also be set in figures when coming in close contrast with numbers not round. In United States Law and legal works in general, inquiry should be made as to the style to be followed.) Cases like 2300 should be spelled twenty-three hundred, not two thousand three hundred. American Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 81 The comma should be used only in numbers of five or more figures: 5560, but 55,670. Spacing. — En quads should be used to space the last line of a paragraph only when the lines above and below are wide spaced. Otherwise the ordinary 3-em spaces should be used. Always put a thin space after Italic/where it ends a line and before Italic/,/, and p at the beginning of lines, and before or after such other letters as would suffer mutilation without such spacing. Roman/ in Caslon in especial requires this thin space after it, as well as in some other old-style types, but none of the Roman modern-faced types need it. "0" and "Oh" O is an expression used (a) in directly addressing a person or a personified object; (b) in uttering a wish; and (c) to express surprise, indignation, or regret, when it is frequently followed by an ellipsis and that : a. O Lord, have mercy on us! Break on thy cold gray stones, O sea! 82 A Practical Guide for Authors b. O that I had wings like a dove! O for rest and peace! c. O [It is sad] that such eyes should e'er meet other object i O is also used in the expressions O dear and O dear me. Oh is used (a) as an interjection, and (b) as the colloquial introduction to a sentence : — a. Oh! my offence is rank. Oh, how could you do it? b. Oh, John, will you close the door? Oh, yes, with pleasure. Century and Standard Dictionaries. — The following lists are appended solely for refer- ence purposes. The spellings they contain are not to be regarded as authority except for work on which special instructions have been given to follow the Century or the Standard Dictionary. Both of these dictionaries use the er-ending in words like caliber, fiber, and theater, except accoutre in the Century and maugre in both Century and Standard ; both form the past tense and the participle in cases like appareled, appareling, biased, biasing, and worshiped, worshiping, after the A merican Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 83 model of Webster (see p. 63, § 2, above), with the exception of kidnapped, kidnapping, in the Century; and both use the 5-spelling in the words defense, offense, and pretense. It is not considered necessary after this statement to include these classes of words below. Both Century and Standard prefer the fol- lowing spellings: — abridgment cozy esophagus inquire ax crenelated esthetic instalment aye (yes) criticize fetish instil bazaar cyclopedia filigree insure behoove demarcation fledgling jewelry blond (adj. despatch frescos lackey and ».) dieresis fulfil lodgment boulder dike gaiety manikin bouquet disk gaily marvelous brier distil gipsy medieval calk dominoes (a glamour millionaire caravansary game) good-by mold carcass drought gram mollusk check dryly grottoes mustache checkered embarkation guerrilla naught chicory embed halyard pasha clue encumbrance incase phenix corselet engulf incrust plow cotillion enroll indorse poniard councilor enrolment infold postilion counselor enthrall ingrain program 84 A Practical Guide for Authors pygmy reverie savior (one who saves) Saviour (Christ) shyly simitar skeptic skilful slyly smolder sobriquet stanch story (a floor) Tatar (a native of Tatary) thraldom tranquilize veranda villainous, -y vise (a tool) vizor whisky wilful woolen zigzagged, -ing The Century prefers the following: — accoutre aide-de-camp dullness enamour envelop (n.) fullness inclose insnare intrench intrust kidnapped, -ing manceuver peddler porticos practice (n.) practise (v.) racoon reinforce syrup woeful The Standard prefers the following: — aid-de-camp dulness empale enamor enclose ensnare entrench entrust fulness maneuver pedler porticoes practise (n. and v.) raccoon sirup woful Distinctive Standard spellings are, cooper- ate, preempt, reenjorce, etc. ENGLISH RULES FOR SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, ETC. 1 The following section is taken from the nineteenth edition of the valuable pamphlet compiled for the use of compositors and readers at the University Press at Oxford, England, by Mr. Horace Hart, Printer to the University of Oxford; Dr. J. A. H. Murray and Dr. Henry Bradley, Editors of the New English Dictionary; Mr. H. Stuart Jones, and Professor Robinson Ellis. It comprises the best English usage, and can be com- pared with the best American usage shown in the preceding section compiled by Messrs. J. S. Cushing & Company at the Norwood Press. These English Rules apply generally; but directions to the contrary may be given 1 In a Bible house especially, it must always be remembered that the Bible has a spelling of its own; and that in Bible and Prayer Book printing the Oxford standards are to be exactly followed. — H H. 86 A Practical Guide for Authors in cases of works to be printed for houses which have also adopted a style of their own. CONTENTS OF THIS SECTION Some Words ending in -able 88 Some Words ending in -ise or -ize 89 Some Words ending in -ment 91 Some Alternative or Difficult Spellings .... 92 Doubling Consonants with Suffixes 97 In Poetry, Words ending in -ed, -ed 98 Formation of Plurals in Words of Foreign Origin 99 Phonetic Spellings 101 Digraphs 101 Foreign Words and Phrases when to be set in Roman and when in Italic 102 Hyphens 104 To print Contractions 107 Capital Letters 112 Small Capitals ... 113 Lower-case Initials 114 Special Signs or Symbols 114 Spacing 115 Italic Type 117 Division of Words — I. English 118 II. Some Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish . . 120 Punctuation 120 Figures and Numerals 134 Errata; Erratum 137 A or An 138 English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 87 Nor and Or 138 Possessive Case of Proper Names By Dr. J. A. H. Murray 139 Works in the French Language 141 Works in the German Language 163 Division of Latin Words By Prof. Robinson Ellis 171 Division of Creek Words By Mr. H. Stuart Jones 172 88 A Practical Guide for Authors SOME WORDS ENDING IN -ABLE Words ending in silent e generally lose e when -able is added, as — adorable arguable desirable excusable indispensable leisurable But this rule is open to exceptions, as to which authorities are not agreed. The fol- lowing spellings are in the New English Dictionary, and must be followed : — advisable dilatable linable analysable dissolvable liveable ascribable endorsable lovable atonable evadable movable baptizable excisable nameable believable exercisable provable blameable finable rateable bribable forgivable rebukeable chaseable framable receivable confinable immovable reconcilable conversable improvable removable creatable inflatable saleable datable irreconcilable solvable debatable lapsable tameable defamable likeable tuneable definable English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 89 If -able is preceded by ce or ge, the e should be retained, to preserve the soft sound of c or g, as — changeable chargeable knowledgeable lodgeable manageable noticeable peaceable serviceable Words ending in double ee retain both letters, as — agreeable. In words of English formation, a final con- sonant is usually doubled before -able, as — admittable deferrable incurrable biddable forgettable rebuttable clubbable gettable regrettable conferrable l SOME WORDS ENDING IN -ISE or -IZE The following spellings are those adopted for the New English Dictionary; — actualize alcoholize apostrophize advertise alkalize apprise (to in- advise anathematize form) affranchise anatomize apprize (to ap aggrandize anglicize praise) agonize apologize authorize 1 For an authoritative statement on the whole subject see the New English Dictionary, Vol. I, p. 910, art. -hie. 90 A Practical Guide for Authors baptize emphasize improvise brutalize emprise incise canonize enfranchise italicize capitalize enterprise jacobinize capsize epigrainmatize jeopardize carbonize epitomize kyanize catechize equalize latinize categorize eternize legalize cauterize etherealize localize centralize eulogize macadamize characterize evangelize magnetize chastise excise mainprize christianize exercise manumise cicatrize exorcize materialize circumcise extemporize memorialize civilize familiarize memorize colonize fertilize merchandise comprise formalize mesmerize compromise fossilize methodize contrariwise franchise minimize criticize fraternize mobilize crystallize gallicize modernize demise galvanize monopolize demoralize generalize moralize deodorize germanize nationalize desilverize gormandize naturalize despise graecize neutralize devise harmonize organize disfranchise humanize ostracize disguise hydrogenize oxidize disorganize idealize ozonize dogmatize idolize particularize economize immortalize patronize English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 91 pauperize scandalize surprise penalize scrutinize syllogize philosophize secularize symbolize plagiarize seise (in law) sympathize pluralize seize (to grasp) synthesize polarize sensitize systematize popularize signalize tantalize premise silverize temporize prise up (to) solemnize terrorize prize (a) soliloquize tranquillize pulverize specialize tyrannize rationalize spiritualize utilize realize sterilize ventriloquize recognize stigmatize victimize reprise subsidize villa nize revolutionize summarize visualize rhapsodize supervise vocalize romanize surmise vulgarize satirize SOME WORDS ENDING IN -MENT In words ending in -ment always print the e when it occurs in the preceding syllable, as — abridgement, acknowledgement, judge- ment, lodgement. 1 1 ' I protest against the unscholarly habit of omitting it from "abridgement'", "acknowledgement", "judgement'", " lodge- ment", — which is against all analogy, etymology, and orthoepy, since elsewhere g is hard in English when not followed by e or ». I think the University Press ought to set a scholarly example, instead of following the ignorant to do ill, for the sake of saving 92 A Practical Guide for Authors SOME ALTERNATIVE OR DIFFICULT SPELLINGS MORE OR LESS IN DAILY USE, ARRANGED IN ALPHABETI- CAL ORDER FOR EASY REFERENCE adaptable automobile by the by aerial axe 2 cablegram aeronaut ay {always) calendar aglow aye {yes ' the ayes calligraphy almanac l have it ') canst ambidexterity banjos canvas {cloth) analyse Barbadoes canvass {political) ankle bark {ship) carcass anybody battalion catarrhine any one bedroom cat's paw anything befall cauldron anywhere bethrall celluloid apanage bi-weekly chant apophthegm bluish chaperon apostasy bogie {a truck) cheque {on a armful bogy {apparition) bank) artisan brier chequered {career) ascendancy buffaloes chestnut assassin by and by dullness four e's. The word "judgement"" has been spelt in the Revised Version correctly.' - - J. A. H. M. 1 But the k is retained in The Oxford Almanack, following the first publication in 1674. — H. H. 2 In the New En t glish Dictionary, Vol. I, p. 598, Dr. J. A. H. Murray says, ' The spelling ax is better on every ground . . . than axe, which has of late become preva dent.' (But as authors generally still call for the commoner spelling, compositors must follow it. — H. H.) English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 93 cider cipher clench (fists) clinch (argument) cloak (not cloke) clue (but clew for part of a sail) coalesce coco-nut coeval coexist cognizance coloration commonplace common-sense (adj.) (but com- mon sense jor adj. and noun together) conjurer conjuror (law) connexion connivence conscience' sake contemporary couldst court martial courts martial curtsy dare say daybreak deflexion demeanour dependant (noun) dependence dependent (adj.) develop devest (law) dexterously diaeresis l dialyse dike ding-dong discoloration discolour disk dispatch (not de- spatch) distil disyllable doggerel dote dullness duodecimos easy chair ecstasy embarkation empanel empanelled enclose endorse enroll enrolment ensconce ensure (make safe) enthral entreat entrust envelop (verb) envelope (noun) ethereal everyday every one everything everywhere exorrhizal expense faecal faggot fantasy favour 1 The sign ["] sometimes placed over the second of two vowels in an English word to indicate that they are to be pro- nounced separately, is so called by a compositor. By the way, this sign is now only used for learned or foreign words; not in chaos nor in dais, for instance. Naive and naivete still require it, however (see pp. 103-4). — H. H. 94 A Practical Guide for Authors fetid filigree first-hand forbade foregone {gone be- fore) foretell for ever forgo l forme (printer's) frenzy fuchsia fulfil fullness gage (a pledge) gauge (a measure) get-at-able gipsy godlike good-bye good humour good-humoured good nature good-natured goodness' sake good night goodwill gramophone granter (one who grants) grantor (in law; one who makes a grant) grey hadst haemorrhage ha! ha! (laughter) ha-ha (a fence) half-dozen, -way handiwork havoc hob-a-nob holiday honour horseshoe humorist humorous humour hyena icing ill-fated ill health ill luck ill nature indoor inflexion inquire, -quiry 8 install instalment instil insure (in a so- ciety) Inverness-shire, &c. ipecacuanha jail 1 In 1896, Mr. W. E. Gladstone, not being aware of this rule, wished to include, in a list of errata for insertion in Vol. II of Butler's Works, an alteration of the spelling, in Vol. I, of the word 'forgo.' On receipt of his direction to make the alteration, I sent Mr. Gladstone a copy of Skeat's Dictionary to show that 'forgo,' in the sense in which he was using the word, was right, and could not be corrected ; but it was only after reference to Dr. J. A. H. Murray that Mr. Gladstone wrote to me, 'Person- ally I am inclined to prefer forego, on its merits; but authority must carry the day. I give in." — H. H. 2 'This is now usual. See Dictionary, s. v. Enq.' — J. A. H. M. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 95 jewellery moneys portray jews' harp and mosquitoes postilion jews' harps mottoes pot (size of pa- jugful negligible per) kinematograph negotiate potato ladylike net (profits) potatoes lantern never-ending practice (noun) licence (noun) noonday practise (verb) license (verb) no one premises (no sing., life-like octavos conveyancing) lifetime off saddle premiss, prem- liquefy oft-times isses (logic) loath (adj.) one-eighth primaeval loathe (verb) oneself printer's error, lovable onrush but printers' mamma outdoor errors x manifestoes out-of-date programme mattress out-of-door prophecy (noun) mayst overalls prophesy (verb) meantime overleaf provisos meanwhile oversea putrefy mediaeval ozone quartet midday parallelepiped quartos mightst paralyse quintet millennium partisan racket (bat) misdemeanour pavilion rackets (game) misspelling percentage racoon mistletoe petrify radium (small r) Mohammedan picnicking ragi (grain) moneyed poniard raja 1 Dr. J. A. H. Murray thinks that where there is any ambigu- ity a hyphen may also be used, as 'bad printers'-errors '. 96 A Practical Guide for Authors rarefy rase (to erase) ratios raze (to the ground) reappear re-bound (as a book) recall recompense (v. &■* ».) recompose re-cover (a chair) referable reflection ' reimburse reinstate (but re-enter, co-operate, pre-eminent, &c.) reopen ribbon rigorous rigors (in med.) rigour rime (both mean- ings) rout (verb) second-hand secrecy selfsame sergeant (mili- tary) serjeant (law) Shakespeare 2 shouldst show (v. cV «.) shrillness sibyl sibylline siliceous siphon siren skilful some one spadeful sphinx sponge spoonful stanch stationary (stand- ing still) stationery (paper) steadfast stillness story (both senses) stupefy such-like sycamore (ord. sp.) sycomore (Bible sp.) synonymous tallness tease tenor thyme (herb) tire (oj a wheel) 3 title-page toboggan, -ing toilet tomatoes topsy-turvy tranquillity transferable trousers 1 ' Etymology is in favour of reflexion, but usage seems to be overpoweringly in favour of the other spelling.'' — H. B. 2 < Shakspere is preferable, as — The New Shakspere Soci- ety.' — J. A. H. M. (But the Clarendon Press is already com- mitted to the more extended spelling. — H. H.) 3 ' But the bicycle-makers have apparently adopted the non- etymological tyre.'' — J. A. H. M. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 97 tumour villany whisky tyro visor whitish unmistakably volcanoes wilful up-to-date l wabble woful vender (as gener- wagon wooed, woos ally used) weasand wouldst vendor (in law) wellnigh wrongdoing vermilion whilom zigzag DOUBLING CONSONANTS WITH SUFFIXES Words of one syllable, ending with one consonant preceded by one vowel, double that consonant on adding -ed or -ing: e.g. drop stop dropped stopped dropping stopping Words of more than one syllable, end- ing with one consonant preceded by one vowel, and accented on the last syllable, double that consonant on adding -ed or -ing: e.g. allot allotted allotting infer inferred inferring trepan trepanned trepanning But words of this class not accented on the 1 As, up-to-date records; but print 'the records are up to date'. — H. H. 98 A Practical Guide jor Authors last syllable do not double the last consonant ' on adding -ed, -ing: e.g. — balloted, -ing banqueted, -ing bayoneted, -ing benefited, -ing biased, -ing billeted, -ing bishoped, -ing blanketed, -ing bonneted, -ing buffeted, -ing carpeted, -ing chirruped, -ing combated, -ing cricketing crocheting crotcheted, -ing, -y discomfited, -ing docketed, -ing ferreted, -ing fidgeted, -ing, -y filleted, -ing focused, -ing galloped, -ing gibbeted, -ing gossiped, -ing, -y junketed, -ing marketed, -ing packeted, -ing paralleled, -ing pelleted, -ing picketed, -ing piloted, -ing rabbeted, -ing rabbiting rickety riveted, -ing russeted, -ing, -y scolloped, -ing tennising trinketed, -ing trousered, -ing trumpeted, -ing velvety wainscoted, -ing IN POETRY words ending in -ed are to be spelt so in all cases; and with a grave accent when the syllable is separately pronounced, thus — ed ('d is not to be used). This applies to poetical quotations intro- duced into prose matter, and to new works. 1 'We must, however, still except the words ending in -el, as levelled, -er, -ing; travelled, -er, -ing; and also worshipped, -er, -kg.' — J. A. H. M. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 99 It must not apply to reprints of standard authors. Poetical quotations should be spaced with en quadrats. FORMATION OF PLURALS IN WORDS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN Plurals of nouns taken into English from other languages sometimes follow the laws of inflexion of those languages. But often, in non-technical works, additional forms are used, constructed after the English manner. Print as below, in cases where the author does not object. In scientific works the scien- tific method must of course prevail : — Sing, addendum PI. addenda x alumnus alumni amanuensis amanuenses animalculum animalcula antithesis antitheses appendix appendices arcanum arcana automaton automata axis axes basis bases beau beaux 1 See note i on next page. ioo A Practical Guide for Authors Sing. calix PI. calices chrysalis chrysalises corrigendum corrigenda 1 criterion criteria datum data desideratum desiderata dilettante dilettanti effluvium effluvia ellipsis ellipses erratum errata l focus focuses {jam.) formula formulae fungus fungi genius geniuses 2 {meaning a person or persons of genius) hypothesis hypotheses ignis fatuus ignes fatui index indexes 3 iris irises lamina laminae larva larvae libretto libretti maximum maxima medium mediums {jam.) memorandum memorandums 4 {meaning a written note or notes) 1 See reference to these words for another purpose on p. 1 37. — H. H. 2 Genius, in the sense of a tutelary spirit, must of course have the plural genii. — H. H. 3 In scholarly works, indices is often preferred; and in the mathematical sense must always be used. — H. H. 4 But in a collective or special sense we must print memo- randa. — H. H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 101 metamorphosis PL metamorphoses miasma miasmata minimum minima nebula nebulae oasis oases parenthesis parentheses phenomenon phenomena radius radii radix radices sanatorium sanatoria scholium scholia spectrum spectra speculum specula stamen stamens stimulus stimuli stratum strata thesis theses virtuoso virtuosi vortex vortexes {jam.) PHONETIC SPELLINGS Some newspapers print phonetic spellings, such as program, hight (to describe altitude), catalog, &c. But the practice has insufficient authority, and can be followed only by spe- cial direction. DIGRAPHS se and ce should each be printed as two letters in Latin and Greek words, e. g. 102 A Practical Guide for Authors Aeneid, Aeschylus, Caesar, Oedipus; and in English, as mediaeval, phoenix. But in Old- English and in French words do not separate the letters, as Alfred, Csedmon, manoeuvre. FOREIGN WORDS AND PHRASES WHEN TO BE SET IN ROMAN AND WHEN TO BE SET IN ITALIC Print the following anglicized words in roman type. In all of the French examples but two the spelling is according to Littr£. aide de camp a propos aurora borealis beau ideal bezique bona fide bouquet bravos bric-a-brac bulletin cafe cantos carte de visite charge d'affaires chiaroscuro cliche" connoisseur cul-de-sac d6bris d£but depot * detour diarrhoea dramatis personae eclat employe 2 1 For this and nearly all similar words, the proper accents are to be used, whether the foreign words be anglicized or not. — H. H. 2 Webster's Dictionary describes employee as an English word, but we follow the N. E. D. and prefer employd (masc.) and employee (Jem.). — H. H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 103 ennui manoeuvre regime entree memorandum rendezvous l etiquette l menu role facsimile naive savants fete omnibus seraglio gratis papier mache sobriquet habeas corpus per annum soiree hors-d'oeuvre post mortem versus innuendo poste restante via innuendoes precis vice versa levee prestige viva voce litterateur prima facie litterati protege The following to be printed in italics : — ab origine ad nauseam a fortiori amour propre ancien regime anglice a priori au courant au revoir bonhomie chef-d'(suvre chevaux de frise con amore confrere cortege 2 coup d'etat coup de grace de quoi vivre edition de luxe elite en bloc en masse en passant en route ex catliedra ex officio facile princeps felo de se garcon grand monde habitue hors de combat in propria per- sona laisser-faire lapsus linguae melee mise en scene modus operandi 1 Omit the accent from etiquette; and the hyphen from rendez-vous. — H. H. 2 For a statement as to this and other French words now printed with a grave accent, see p. 150. — H. H. 104 -4 Practical Guide for Authors more suo multum in parvo naivete nemine contra- dicente ne plus ultra nolens volens par excellence pari passu piece de resist- ance plebiscite pro forma pro tempore raison d'etre resume sang-froid sans ceremonie sans-culolle sine qua non sotto voce sub rosa tele a tete (adv.) tete-a-tete (noun) vis-a-vis The modern practice is to omit accents from Latin words. HYPHENS » The hyphen need not, as a rule, be used to join an adverb to the adjective which it qualifies : as in — a beautifully furnished house, a well calculated scheme. 1 See New English Dictionary, Vol. I, page xiii, art. 'Com- binations/ where Dr. Murray writes: ' In many combinations the hyphen becomes an expression of unification of sense. When this unification and specialization has proceeded so far that we no longer analyse the combination into its elements, but take it in as a whole, as in blackberry, postman, newspaper, pronouncing it in speech with a single accent, the hyphen is usually omitted, and the fully developed compound is written as a single word. But as this also is a question of degree, there are necessarily many compounds as to which usage has not yet determined whether they are to be written with the hyphen or as single words.' And again, in the Schoolmasters'" Tear-book for 1903, Dr. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 105 When the word might not at once be re- cognized as an adverb, use the hyphen: as — a well-known statesman, an ill-built house, a new-found country, the best-known proverb, a good-sized room. When an adverb qualifies a predicate, the hyphen should not be used : as — this fact is well known. Where either (1) a noun and adjective or participle, or (2) an adjective and a noun, in combination, are used as a compound adjective, the hyphen should be used : — a poverty-stricken family, a blood-red hand, a nineteenth-century invention. Murray writes: 'There is no rule, propriety, or consensus of usage in English for the use or absence of the hyphen, except in cases where grammar or sense is concerned; as in a day well remembered, but a well-remembered day, the sea of a deep green, a deep-green sea, a baby little expected, a little-expected baby, not a deep green sea, a little expected baby. . . . Avoid Headmaster, because this implies one stress, Headmaster, and would analogically mean "master of heads," like schoolmaster, ironmaster. ... Of course the hyphen comes in at once in combinations and derivatives, as head-mastership.' 106 A Practical Guide for Authors A compound noun which has but one ac- cent, and from familiar use has become one word, requires no hyphen. Examples : — blackbird mantelpiece teapot byname notebook textbook byword ndwadays torchlight hairdresser schoolboy upstairs handbook schoolgirl watchcase handkerchief seaport wheelbarrow Compound words of more than one accent, as — apple-tre'e, cherry-pie, gravel- walk, will- o'-the-wisp, as well as others which follow, require hyphens : — arm-chair bird-cage by-law by-way cousin-german dumb-bell ear-rings farm-house guide-book gutta-percha half-crown harvest-field head-dress hour-glass india-rubber knick-knack looking-glass man-of-war one-and-twenty quarter-day race-course sea-serpent small-pox son-in-law starting-point step-father title-deeds to-day top-mast year-book Half an inch, half a dozen, &c, require no hyphens. Print fellow men, head quarters, head master (see note on page 104), post office, revenue office, union jack, &c. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 107 TO PRINT CONTRACTIONS Note. — Some abbreviations of Latin words such as ad loc, &C, to be set in roman, are shown for the sake of contrast, on page 118. Names of the books of the Bible as abbre- viated where necessary : — Old Testament Gen. 1 Sam. Esther Jer. Jonah Exod. 2 Sam. Job Lam. Mic. Lev. 1 Kings Ps. Ezek. Nahum Num. 2 Kings Prov. Dan. Hab. Deut. 1 Ch ron. Eccles. Hos. Zeph. Joshua 2 Chron. Song of Joel Hag. Judges Ezra Sol. Amos Zech. Ruth Neh. Isa. New Testament Obad. Mai. Matt. Rom. Phil. 1 Tim. Heb. 1 John Mark 1 Cor. Col. 2 Tim. Jas. 2 John Luke 2 Cor. 1 Thess. Titus 1 Pet. 3 John John Gal. 2 Thess. Philem . 2 Pet. Jude Acts Eph. Apocrypha Rev. 1 Esdras Wisd. of Sol. Susanna 2 Esdras Ecclus. Bel and Dragon Tobit E-aruch Pr. of Manasses Judith Song of Three 1 Mace. Rest of Esth. Childr. 2 Mace. 108 A Practical Guide for Authors To abbreviate the names of the months: Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Where the name of a county is abbrevi- ated, as Yorks., Cambs., Berks., Oxon., use a full point; but print Hants (no full point) because it is not a modern abbreviation. 4to, 8vo, i2mo, 1 &c. (sizes of books), are symbols, and should have no full point. A parallel case is that of ist, 2nd, 3rd, and so on, which also need no full points. Print lb. for both sing, and pi.; not lbs. In y e and y l the second letter should be a superior, and without a full point. When beginning a footnote, the abbre- viations e.g., i.e., p. or pp., and so on, to be all in lower-case. References to the Bible in ordinary works 1 To justify the use in ordinary printing of these symbols (as against the use of 4 , 8°, 12 , a prevailing French fashion which is preferred by some writers), it may suffice to say that the ablative cases of the ordinal numbers quartus, octavus, duodeci- mus, namely quarto, octavo, duodecimo, are according to popular usage represented by the forms or symbols 4to, 8vo, i2mo; just as by the same usage we print 1st and 2nd as forms or symbols of the English words first and second. — H. H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 109 to be printed thus — Exod. xxxii. 32 ; xxxvii. 2. References to Shakespeare's plays thus — 1 Henry VI, iii. 2. 14, and so on. 1 Use ETC. in a cap. line and etc. in a small cap. line where an ampersand (&) will not range. Otherwise print &c. ; and Longmans, Green & Co.; with no comma before ampersand in the name of a firm. The points of the compass, N. E. S. W., when separately used, to have a full point: but print NE., NNW. These letters to be used only in geographical or similar mat- ter: do not, even if N. is in the copy, use the contraction in ordinary composition; print 'Woodstock is eight miles north of Carfax'. MS. = manuscript (noun), to be used in the printing of bibliographical details, but not when used adjectivally ; and it may be spelt out even when used as a noun, if 1 'A very bad system: in. ii. 14, is clearer.' — J. A. H. M. (But the University Press is already committed to the above form. — H. H.) no A Practical Guide for Authors clearer to the sense. Print the plural form MSS. Print PS. (not P.S.) for postscript or postscriptum; SS. not S.S. (steamship); but H.M.S. (His Majesty's Ship); H.R.H.; I.W. (Isle of Wight); N.B., Q.E.D., and R.S.V.P., because more than one word is contracted. Print the symbolic letters I O U, without full points. In printing S. or St. for Saint, the com- positor must be guided by the wish of the author, assumed or expressed. Print X-rays; and ME. and OE. in philo- logical works for Middle English and Old English. Apostrophes in similar abbreviations to the following should join close up to the letters — don't, 'em, haven't, o'er, shan't, shouldn't, 'tis, won't, there'll, I'll, we'll. An apostrophe should not be used with hers, ours, theirs, yours. Apostrophes in Place- Names. 1 — i. Use an 1 The selection is arbitrary; but the examples are given on the authority of the Cambridge University and Oxford Uni- English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. in apostrophe after the ' s ' in — Queens' College (Cambs.), St. Johns' (I. of M.). But 2. Use an apostrophe before the 's' in Connah's Quay (Flints.), Hunter's Quay (N. B.), Orme's Head (Cam.), Queen's Coll. (Oxon.), St. Abb's Head (N. B.), St. John's (Newfoundland), St. John's Wood (London), St. Mary's Loch (N. B.), St. Michael's Mount (Cornwall), St. Mungo's Well (Knaresboro), St. Peter's (Sydney, N. S. W.). 3. Do not use an apostrophe in — All Souls (Oxon.), Bury St. Edmunds, Husbands Bosworth (Rugby), Johns Hopkins Univer- sity (U. S. A.), Millers Dale (Derby), Owens College (Manchester), St. Albans, St. An- drews, St. Bees, St. Boswells, St. Davids, St. Helens (Lanes., and district in London), St. Heliers (Jersey), St. Ives (Hunts, and Cornwall), St. Kitts (St. Christopher Island, W. I.), St. Leonards, St. Neots (Hunts., but St. Neot, Cornwall), SomersTown (London). versify Calendars, the Post Office Guide, Bartholomew's Gazetteer, Bradshaw's Railway Guide, Crockford's Clerical Directory, Keith Johnston's Gazetteer, and Stubbs's Hotel Guide. ii2 A Practical Guide for Authors CAPITAL LETTERS Avoid beginning words with capitals as much as possible; but use them in the fol- lowing and similar cases : — Act, when referring to Act of Parliament or Acts of a play; also in Baptist, Christian, Nonconformist, Presbyterian, Puritan, and all denominational terms. His Majesty, Her Royal Highness, &c. The King of England, the Prince of Wales. Sir Roger Tichborne, J. Spencer, Esq., Mr. J. Spencer-Smith, &c. Christmas Day, Lady Day, &c. House of Commons, Parliament, &c. The names of streets, roads, &c, are to be separate words, with initial capitals, as — Chandos Street, Trafalgar Square, Kingston Road, Addison's Walk, Norreys Avenue. Pronouns referring to the Deity should begin with capitals — He, Him, His, Me, Mine, My, Thee, Thine, Thou ; but print — who, whom, and whose. O Lord, O God, O sir; but Oh, that, &c. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 113 SMALL CAPITALS Put a hair space between the letters of contractions in small capitals : — a.tj.c. Anno urbis conditae A. d. Anno Domini A. m. Anno mundi a.h. Anno Hegirae B.C. Before Christ. a.m. 1 (ante meridiem), p.m. 1 (post meridiem) should be lower-case, except in lines of caps, or small caps. When small caps, are used at foot of title- page, print thus : M dcccc iv 2 The first word in each chapter of a book is to be in small caps, and the first line usually indented one em; but this does not apply to works in which the matter is broken up into many sections, nor to cases where large 1 It is a common error to suppose that these initials stand for ante-meridian and post-meridian. Thus, Charles Dickens represents one of his characters in Pickwick as saying: ' Curious circumstance about those initials, sir ', said Mr. Magnus. 'You will observe — P. M. — post meridian. In hasty notes to inti- mate acquaintance, I sometimes sign myself "Afternoon". It amuses my friends very much, Mr. Pickwick.' — Dickens, Pickwick Papers, p. 367, Oxford edit., 1903. — H. H. 2 'Or better m cm iv' — J. A. H. M. ii4 A Practical Guide for Authors initials are used. (See bottom of p. 116, as to indentation.) References in text to caps, in plates and woodcuts to be in small caps. LOWER-CASE INITIALS FOR ANGLICIZED WORDS christianize, frenchified, herculean, laconic, latinity, latinize, tantalize. Also the more common words derived from proper names, as — boycott, d'oyley, guernsey, hansom-cab, holland, inverness, italic, japanning, may (blossom), morocco, roman, russia, vulcanize. SPECIAL SIGNS OR SYMBOLS The signs + (plus), — (minus), = (equal to), > ('larger than', in etymology signifying 'gives' or 'has given'), < ('smaller than', in etymology signifying 'derived from'), are now often used in printing ordinary scientific works, and not in those only which are mathematical or arithmetical. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 115 In such instances + ,—,=,>,<, should in the matter of spacing be treated as words are treated, i.e. in a line which needs wide spacing there should be more space, and in a line which requires thin spacing there should be less space, before or after them. For instance, in — spectabilis, Boerl. I. c. (== Haasia spectabilis) the = belongs to 'spectabilis' as much as to 'Haasia', and the sign should not be put close to 'Haasia'. SPACING Spacing ought to be even. Paragraphs are not to be widely spaced for the sake of making break-lines. When the last line but one of a paragraph is widely spaced and the first line of the next paragraph is more than thick-spaced, extra spaces should be used between the words in the intermediate breakline. Such spaces should not exceed en quads, nor be increased if by so doing the line would be driven full out. n6 A Practical Guide for Authors Break- lines should consist of more than five letters, except in narrow measures. But take care that bad spacing is not thereby necessitated. Avoid (especially in full measures) print- ing at the ends of lines — a, 1., 11., p. or pp., I (when a pronoun). Capt., Dr., Esq., Mr., Rev., St., and so on, should not be separated from names; nor should initials be divided: e.g. Mr. W. E. | Gladstone; not Mr. W. J E. Gladstone. Thin spaces before apostrophes, e. g. that 's (for 'that is'), boy's (for 'boy is'), to dis- tinguish abbreviations from the possessive case. Hair spaces to be placed between contrac- tions, as in e.g., i.e., q. v. Indentation of first lines of paragraphs should be one em for full measures in 8vo and smaller books. In 4to and larger books the identation should be increased. Sub-indentation should be proportionate; and the rule for all indentation is not to drive too far in. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 117 ITALIC TYPE Note. — A list of foreign and anglicized words and phrases, showing which should be printed in roman and which in italic, is given on pp. 102-4. In many works it is now common to print titles of books in italic, instead of in inverted commas. This must be determined by the directions given with the copy, but the prac- tice must be uniform throughout the work. Short extracts from books, whether foreign or English, should not be in italic but in roman (between inverted commas, or other- wise, as directed on p. 130). Names of periodicals and ships 1 should be in italic; and authorities at the ends of quotations or notes thus: Homer, Odyssey, ii. 15, but print Hor. Carm. ii. 14. 2; Hom. Od. iv. 272. This applies chiefly to quota- 1 Italicizing the names of ships is thus recognized by Victor Hugo: 'II l'avait nomme Durande. La Durande, — nous ne Tappelerons plus autrement. On nous permettra egalement, quel que soit Tusage typographique, de ne point souligner ce nom Durande, nous conformant en cela a la pensee de Mess Lethierry pour qui la Durande 6tait presque une personnel — V. Hugo, Travailleurs de la mer, 3rd (1866) edit., Vol. I, p. 129. — H. H. n8 A Practical Guide for Authors tions at the heads of chapters. It does not refer to frequent citations in footnotes, where the author's name is usually in lower-case letters. ad loc, cf., e.g., et seq., ib., ibid., id., i.e., loc. cit, q.v., u.s., viz., 1 not to be in italic. Print ante, infra, passim, post, supra, &c. Italic s. and d. to be generally used to express shillings and pence; and the sign £ (except in special cases) to express the pound sterling. But in catalogues and similar work, the diagonal sign / or 'shilling-mark' is sometimes preferred to divide figures repre- senting shillings and pence. The same sign is occasionally used in dates, as 4/ 2 /°4« DIVISION OF WORDS I. ENGLISH Such divisions as en-, de-, or in- to be allowed only in very narrow measures, and there exceptionally. Disyllables, as 'into', 'until', &c, are to be divided only in very narrow measures. 1 This expression, although a symbol rather than an abbre- viation, must be printed with a full point after the z. — H. H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 119 The following divisions to be preferred: — abun-dance estab-lish-ment pun-ish corre-spon-dence impor-tance respon-dent depen-dent inter-est dimin-ish minis-ter Avoid similar divisions to — star-vation, obser-vation, exal-tation, gene-ration, imagi-nation, origi-nally; but put starva-tion, &c. The principle is that the part of the word left at the end of a line should suggest the part commencing the next line. Thus the word 'happiness' should be divided happi- ness, not hap-piness. 1 Roman-ism, Puritan-ism; but Agnosti- cism, Catholi-cism, criti-cism, fanati-cism, tautolo-gism, witti-cism, &c. 1 I was once asked how I would carry out the rule that part of the word left in one line should suggest what followed in the nest, in such a case as 'disproportionableness 1 , which, according to Dr. J. A. H. Murray, is one of the longest words in the English language; or 'incircumscriptibleness ', used by one Byfield, a divine, in 1615, who wrote, 'The immensity of Christ's divine nature hath . . . incircumscriptibleness in respect of place" ; or again, 'antidisestablishmentarians', quoted in the recent biography of Archbishop Benson, where he says that 'the Free Kirk of the North of Scotland are strong antidisestablishmen- tarians\ — H. H. 120 A Practical Guide for Authors Atmo-sphere, micro-scope, philo-sophy, tele- phone, tele-scope, should have only this division. But always print episco-pal (not epi-scopal), &C. 1 II. SOME ITALIAN, PORTUGUESE, AND SPANISH WORDS Italian. — Divide si-gnore (gn = ni in 'mania'), trava-gliare (gli=//i in 'William'), tra-scinare {sc\=shi in 'shin'), i.e. take over gn, gl, sci. In such a case as 'all' uomo' divide, if necessary, 'al-1'uomo'. Portuguese. — Divide se-nhor (nh.=ni in 'mania'), bata-lha Qh=lli in 'William'), i.e. take over nh, lh. Spanish. — Divide se-nora (h=ni in 'mania'), maravi-lloso Ql=Ui in 'William'), i.e. take over fi, 11. PUNCTUATION The compositor is recommended to study attentively a good treatise 2 on the whole 1 'Even the divisions noted as preferable are not free from objection, and should be avoided when it is at all easy to do so.' — H. B. 2 For example, Spelling and Punctuation, by H. Beadnell (Wyman) ; Stops ; or, How to Punctuate, by P. Allardyce English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 121 subject. He will find some knowledge of it to be indispensable if his work is to be done properly; for most writers send in copy quite unprepared as regards punc- tuation, and leave the compositor to put in the proper marks. 'Punctuation is an art nearly always left to the compositor, authors being almost without exception either too busy or too careless to regard it.' * Some authors rightly claim to have carefully pre- pared copy followed absolutely; but such cases are rare, and the compositor can as a rule only follow his copy exactly when setting up standard reprints. 'The first business of the compositor,' says Mr. De Vinne, 'is to copy and not to write. He is enjoined strictly to follow the copy and never to change the punctuation of any author who is precise and systematic; but he is also required to punctuate the writings of all authors who are not careful, and to make written expres- (Fisher Unwin) ; Correct Composition, by T. L. De Vinne (New York, Century Co.) ; or the more elaborate Guide pra- tique du compositeur, &c, by T. Lefevre (Paris, Firmin-Didot). 1 Practical Printing, by Southward and Powell, p. 191. 122 A Practical Guide for Authors sion intelligible in the proof. ... It follows that compositors are inclined to neglect the study of rules that cannot be generally applied.' * It being admitted, then, that the com- positor is to be held responsible in most cases, he should remember that loose punc- tuation, 2 especially in scientific and philo- sophical works, is to be avoided. We will again quote Mr. De Vinne: 'Two systems of punctuation are in use. One may be called the close or stiff, and the other the open or easy system. For all ordinary de- scriptive writing the open or easy system, which teaches that points be used sparingly, is in most favor, but the close or stiff sys- 1 De Vinne, Correct Composition, pp. 241-2. 2 How much depends upon punctuation is well illustrated in a story told, I believe, by the late G. A. Sala, once a writer in the Daily Telegraph, about R. B. Sheridan, dramatist and M.P. In the House of Commons, Sheridan one day gave an opponent the lie direct. Called upon to apologize, the offender responded thus: ' Mr. Speaker I said the honourable Member was a liar it is true and I am sorry for it.' Naturally the person concerned was not satisfied; and said so. 'Sir," continued Mr. Sheridan, 'the honourable Member can interpret the terms of my statement according to his ability, and he can put punctua- tion marks where it pleases him.' — H. H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 123 tern cannot be discarded.' l The compositor who desires to inform himself as to the prin- ciples and theory of punctuation, will find abundant information in the works men- tioned in the footnote on p. 120; in our own booklet there is only space for a few cautions and a liberal selection of examples; authority for the examples, when they are taken from the works of other writers, being given in all cases. THE COMMA Commas should, as a rule, be inserted between adjectives preceding and qualifying substantives, as — An enterprising, ambitious man. A gentle, amiable, harmless creature. A cold, damp, badly lighted room. Peter was a wise, holy, and energetic man. 2 But where the last adjective is in closer relation to the substantive than the preced- ing ones, omit the comma, as — A distinguished foreign author. The sailor was accompanied by a great rough New- foundland dog. 2 1 De Vinne, Correct Composition, p. 244. 2 Beadnell, pp. 99-101. 124 A Practical Guide for Authors The following sentence needs no commas: — God is wise and righteous and faithful. 1 Such words as moreover, however, &c, are usually followed by a comma 2 when used at the opening of a sentence, or preceded and followed by a comma when used in the middle of a sentence. For instance : — In any case, however, the siphon may be filled. 1 It is better to use the comma in such sen- tences as those which immediately follow : — Truth ennobles man, and learning adorns him. 1 The Parliament is not dissolved, but only prorogued. The French having occupied Portugal, a British squadron, under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, sailed for Madeira. I believed, and therefore I spoke. The question is, Can it be performed ? My son, give me thy heart. The Armada being thus happily defeated, the nation resounded with shouts of joy. 1 All the examples in this page are from Beadnell, pp. 94- 110. 2 Nevertheless, the reader is not to be commended who, being told that the word however was usually followed by a comma, insisted upon altering a sentence beginning ' However true this may be,' &c, to ' However, true this may be,' &c. This is the late Dean Alford's story. See The Queen's English, p. 124, ed. 1870. — H.H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 125 Be assured, then, that order, frugality, and economy, are the necessary supporters of every personal and pri- vate virtue. Virtue is the highest proof of a superior understand- ing, and the only basis of greatness. THE SEMICOLON Instances in which the semicolon is ap- propriate : — Truth ennobles man; learning adorns him. The temperate man's pleasures are always durable, because they are regular; and all his life is calm and serene, because it is innocent. Those faults which arise from the will are intolerable; for dull and insipid is every performance where inclina- tion bears no part. Economy is no disgrace ; for it is better to live on a little than to outlive a great deal. To err is human; to forgive, divine. 1 Never speak concerning what you are ignorant of; speak little of what you know; and whether you speak or say not a word, do it with judgement. 1 Semicolons divide the simple members of a compound sentence, and a comma and dash come after the last sentence and before the general conclusion : — To give an early preference to honour above gain, when they stand in competition; to despise every advan- 1 All the examples in this page are from Beadnell, pp. 1 10-14. 126 A Practical Guide jor Authors tage which cannot be attained without dishonest arts; to brook no meanness, and stoop to no dissimulation, — are the indications of a great mind, the presages of future eminence and usefulness in life. THE COLON This point marks an abrupt pause before a further but connected statement : — In business there is something more than barter, exchange, price, payment: there is a sacred faith of man in man. Study to acquire a habit of thinking: no study is more important. Always remember the ancient maxim: Know thyself. THE PERIOD OR FULL STOP Examples of its ordinary use: — Fear God. Honour the King. Pray without ceasing. 1 There are thoughts and images flashing across the mind in its highest moods, to which we give the name of inspiration. But whom do we honour with this title of the inspired poet ? ' THE NOTE OF INTERROGATION Examples of its use in sentences not printed in quotation marks : — What does the pedant mean? 1 All the examples in this page are from Beadnell. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 127 Shall little, haughty ignorance pronounce His work unwise, of which the smallest part Exceeds the narrow vision of the mind? Was the prisoner alone when he was apprehended? Is he known to the police ? Has he any regular occupa- tion ? Where does he dwell ? What is his name ? Cases where the note of interrogation need not be used : — The Cyprians asked me why I wept. I was asked if I would stop for dinner. THE NOTE OF EXCLAMATION Examples of its ordinary use : — Hail, source of Being! universal Soul! How mischievous are the effects of war! O excellent guardian of the sheep! — a wolfl Alas for his poor family! Alas, my noble boy! that thou shouldst die! Ah me! she cried, and waved her lily hand. despiteful love! unconstant womankind! MARKS OF PARENTHESIS Examples : — 1 have seen charity (if charity it may be called) insult with an air of pity. 1 Left now to himself (malice could not wish him a worse adviser), he resolves on a desperate project. 1 1 Beadnell. 128 A Practical Guide for Authors Death onward comes, With hasty steps, though unperceived and silent. Perhaps (alarming thought!), perhaps he aims Ev'n now the fatal blow that ends my life. 1 THE DASH Em rules or dashes — in this and the next line an example is given — are often used to show that words enclosed between them are to be read parenthetically. Thus a verbal parenthesis may be shown by punctuation in three ways: by em dashes, by ( ), or by commas. 2 At the end of break-lines in conversa- tion and similar matter, insert a dash to mark continuation, as well as the natural point. An em rule should also be inserted at the end of a note before an authority, and at the end of a side-heading. 1 Beadnell, pp. 119-20. 2 Some writers mark this form of composition quite arbitrarily. For instance, Charles Dickens uses colons: 'As he sat down by the old man's side, two tears: not tears like those with which recording angels blot their entries out, but drops so precious that they use them for their ink: stole down his meritorious cheeks.' — Martin Chuzzlezvit, Oxford ed., p. 581. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 129 The dash is used to mark an interruption or breaking off in the middle of a sentence. 1 MARKS OF OMISSION To mark omitted words three points . . . (not asterisks) separated by en quadrats are sufficient; and the practice should be uniform throughout the work. Where full lines are required to mark a large omission, real or imaginary, the spacing between the marks should be increased; but the com- positor should in this case also use full points and not asterisks. PUNCTUATION MARKS GENERALLY The following summary is an attempt to define in few words the meaning and use of punctuation marks (the capitals are only mine by adoption) : — A Period marks the end of a sentence. 1 There is one case, and only one, of an em rule being used in the Bible (A.V.), viz. in Exod. sxxii. 32; where, I am told by the Rev. Professor Driver, it is correctly printed, to mark what is technically called an < aposiopesis , ) i. e. a sudden silence. The ordinary mark for such a case is a 2-em rule. — H. H. 130 A Practical Guide for Authors A Colon is at the transition point of the sentence. A Semicolon separates different state- ments. A Comma separates clauses, phrases, and particles. A Dash marks abruptness or irregularity. An Exclamation marks surprise. An Interrogation asks a question for answer. An Apostrophe marks elisions or pos- sessive case. Quotation marks define quoted words. Parentheses enclose interpolations in the sentence. Brackets enclose irregularities in the sentence. 1 QUOTATION MARES, OR ' INVERTED COMMAS ' (SO- CALLED) Single 'quotes' are to be used for the first quotation; then double for a quotation within a quotation. Whenever a poetic quotation, whether in 1 De Vinne, Correct Composition, p. 288. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 131 the same type as the text or not, is given a line (or more) to itself, it is not to be placed within quotation marks; but when the line of poetry runs on with the prose — or when all is prose and all runs on — then quotation marks are to be used. All signs of punctuation used with words in quotation marks must be placed according to the sense. If an extract ends with a point, then let that point be, as a rule, 1 included before the closing quotation mark; but not otherwise. This is an important direction for the compositor to bear in mind; and he should examine the examples which are given in the pages which follow : — 'The passing crowd' is a phrase coined in the spirit of indifference. Yet, to a man of what Plato calls ' uni- versal sympathies', and even to the plain, ordinary denizens of this world, what can be more interesting than 'the passing crowd'? 2 1 I say 'as a rule', because if such a sentence as that which follows occurred in printing a secular work, the rule would have to be broken. De Vinne prints: — ' In the New Testament we have the following words: "Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your law, "I said, 'Ye are gods'"?"" [H. H.] 2 Beadnell, p. 116. 132 A Practical Guide for Authors If the physician sees you eat anything that is not good for your body, to keep you from it he cries, ' It is poison! ' If the divine sees you do anything that is hurt- ful for your soul, he cries, ' You are lost! ' ' ' Why does he use the word " poison" ? ' But I boldly cried out, 'Woe unto this city! ' 2 Alas, how few of them can say, ' I have striven to the very utmost ' ! 2 How fearful was the cry: ' Help, or we perish'! 2 Thus, notes of exclamation and interroga- tion are sometimes included in and some- times follow quotation marks, as in sentences above, according to whether their applica- tion is merely to the words quoted or to the whole sentence of which they form a part. In regard to the use of commas and full points with 'turned commas', the general practice has hitherto been different. When either a comma or a full point is required at the end of a quotation, the almost uni- versal custom at the present time is for the printer to include that comma or full point within the quotation marks at the end of an extract, whether it forms part of the origi- 1 Beadnell, p. 126. 2 Allardyce, p. 74. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 133 nal extract or not. Even in De Vinne's examples, although he says distinctly, 'The proper place of the closing marks of quo- tation should be determined by the quoted words only,' no instance can be found of the closing marks of quotation being placed to precede a comma or a full point. Some writers wish to exclude the comma or full point when it does not form part of the original extract, and to include it when it does form part of it; and this is doubtless correct. There seems to be no reason for perpetu- ating a bad practice. So, unless the author wishes to have it otherwise, in all new works the compositor should place full points and commas according to the examples which follow : — We need not ' follow a multitude to do evil'. No one should ' follow a multitude to do evil', as the Scripture says. Do not ' follow a multitude to do evil'; on the con- trary, do what is right. And proceed in the same manner with other marks of punctuation. 134 -4 Practical Guide for Authors POINTS IN TITLE-PAGES All points are to be omitted from the ends of lines in titles, half-titles, page-head- ings, and cross-headings, in Clarendon Press works, unless a special direction is given to the contrary. PUNCTUATION MARKS AND REFERENCES TO FOOTNOTES IN JUXTAPOSITION The relation of these to each other is dealt with on p. 136. Examples of the right practice are to be found on many pages of the present work. FIGURES AND NUMERALS IN ARABIC OR ROMAN Nineteenth century, not 19th century. The following rule should apply only to specific numbers : — Figures to be used for money, weight, or measure. In other cases, numbers under 100 to be in words; but print '90 to 100', not 'ninety to 100 \ English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 135 Spell out in such instances as — • With God a thousand years are but as one day ' ; ' I have said so a hundred times'. Insert commas with four or more than four figures, as 7,642; but not in dates, as 1893; nor in pagination, even though there may be more than three figures. Roman numerals to be preferred in such cases as Henry VIII, &c. — which should never be divided; and should be followed by a full point only when the letters end a sentence. If, however, the author prefers the full title, use 'Henry the Eighth', not 'Henry the Vlllth'. Use a decimal point ( •) to express decimals, as 7-06. But when the time of day is in- tended to be shown, the full point (.) is to be used, as 4.30 a. m. Do not print May 19th, 1862, nor 19 May 1862, but May 19, 1862. 1 In descriptive 1 Dr. J. A. H.Murray says, ' This is not logical: 19 May 1862 is. Begin at day, ascend to month, ascend to year; not begin at month, descend to day, then ascend to year.' (But I fear we must continue for the present to print May 19, 1862: authors generally will not accept the logical form. — H. H.) 136 A Practical Guide for Authors writing the author's phraseology should be followed; e.g. 'On the first of May the army drew near'; not 'On May 1 the army drew near'. To represent pagination or an approxi- mate date, use the least number of figures possible ; for example, print : — pp. 322-30; pp. 322-4, not pp. 322-24; 1897-8, not 1897-98 (use en rules). In b. c. references, however, always put the full date, viz. b. c. 185-122. Print: pp. 16-18, not pp. 16-8; and not from 1672-74, but from 1672 to 1674. When preliminary pages are referred to by lower-case roman numerals, no full points should be used after the numerals. Print: — p. ii, pp. iii-x; not p. ii., pp. iii.-x. When references are made to two succes- sive text-pages print : pp. 6, 7, if the subject is disconnected in the two pages. But if the subject is continuous from one page to the other, then print pp. 6-7. Begin numbered paragraphs: 1. 2. &c; and clauses in paragraphs: (1) (2) (3), &c. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 137 If Greek or roman lower-case letters are written, the compositor must follow copy. Roman numerals (I. II. III.) are usually reserved for chapters or important sections. References in the text to footnotes should be made by superior figures — which are to be placed, as regards punctuation marks, according to the sense. If a single word, say, is extracted and referred to, the reference must be placed immediately after the word extracted and before the punctuation mark. But if an extract be made which includes a complete sentence or paragraph, then the reference mark must be placed outside the last punctuation mark. Asterisks, superior letters, &c, may be used in special cases. ERRATA ; ERRATUM Do not be guilty of the absurd mistake of printing 'Errata' as a heading for a single correction. When a list of errors has been dealt with, by printing cancel pages and otherwise, so that only one error remains, take care to alter the heading from ' Errata ' 138 A Practical Guide for Authors to 'Erratum'. The same remarks apply to Addenda and Addendum, Corrigenda and Corrigendum. A or AN a European a universal a ewe a university a ewer a useful a herb a usurper a herbal an habitual l a heroic an heir a hospital an heirloom a humble an historical a unanimous an honest a uniform an honour a union an hotel a unique an hour NOR and OR Print: (1) Neither one nor the other; neither Jew nor Greek; neither Peter nor James. (2) Either one or the other; either Jew or Greek; either Peter or James. Never print: Neither one or the other; neither Peter or James; — but when the sen- 1 This is in accordance with what seems to be the prepon- derance of modern usage. Originally the cover of the New English Dictionary had 'a historical', and the whole question will be found fully treated in the N. E. D., arts. A, An, and H. — H. H. English Spelling, Punctuation, etc. 139 tence is continued to a further comparison, nor and or must be printed (in the continua- tion) according to the sense. 1 Likewise note that the verb should be in the singular, as ' Neither Oxford nor Reading is stated to have been represented'. POSSESSIVE CASE OF PROPER NAMES Use 's for the possessive case in English names and surnames whenever possible; i.e. in all monosyllables and disyllables, and in longer words accented on the penult; as — Augustus's Hicks's Thomas's Charles's St. James's Square Zacharias's Cousins's Nicodemus's St. Thomas's Gustavus's Jones's Thoms's 1 The necessity of giving strict attention to this rule was once exemplified in my experience, when the printing of a fine quarto was passing through my hands in 1882. The author desired to say in the preface, ' The writer neither dares nor desires to claim for it the dignity or cumber it with the difficulty of an historical nover (Lorna Doom, by R. D. Blackmore, 410, 1883). The printer's reader inserted a letter n before the or; the author deleted the n, and thought he had got rid of it; but at the last moment the press reader inserted it again; and the word was printed as nor, to the exasperation of the author, who did not mince his words when he found out what had happened. — H. H. 140 A Practical Guide for Authors In longer names, not accented on the penult, 's is also preferable, though ' is here admissible; e.g. Theophilus's. In ancient classical names, use 's with every monosyllable, e.g. Mars's, Zeus's. Also with disyllables not in -es ; as — Judas's Marcus's Venus's But poets in these cases sometimes use s' only; and Jesus' is a well-known liturgical archaism. In quotations from Scripture follow the Oxford standard. 1 Ancient words in -es are usually written -es' in the possessive, e.g. Ceres' rites Xerxes' fleet This form should certainly be used in words longer than two syllables, e.g. Arbaces' Miltiades' Aristides' Themistocles' To pronounce another 's ( = es) after these is difficult. This applies only to ancient words. One writes — Moses' law; and I used to alight at Moses's for the British Museum. 1 See p. 89 (note). — H. H. French Spelling, etc. 141 As to the latter example, Moses, the tailor, was a modern man, like Thomas and Lewis; and in using his name we follow modern English usage. J. A. H. M. WORKS IN THE FRENCH LANGUAGE The English compositor called upon to set works in the French language will do well, first of all, to make a careful exami- nation of some examples from the best French printing-offices. He will find that French printers act on rules differing in many points from the rules to which the English compositor is accustomed; and he will not be able to escape from his difficulties by the simple expedient of 'following copy'. For works in the French language, such as classical textbooks for use in schools, the English compositor generally gets re- print copy for the text and MS. for the notes. It is, as a rule, safe for him to follow the reprint copy; but there is this difficulty, that when the work forms part of a series, it 142 A Practical Guide for Authors does not always happen that the reprint copy for one book corresponds in typographical style with reprint copy for other works in the same series. Hence he should apply himself diligently to understand the following rules ; and should hunt out examples of their applica- tion, so that they may remain in his memory. i. Capital and lower-case letters. — In the names of authors of the seventeenth cen- tury, which are preceded by an article, the latter should commence with a capital letter: La Fontaine, La Bruyere. 2 Exceptions are names taken from the Italian, thus : le Tasse, le Dante, le Correge. As to names of per- sons, the usage of the individuals them- selves should be adopted: de la Bruyere (his signature at the end of a letter), De la Fontaine (end of fable 'Le Lievre et la 1 I am greatly indebted to M. Desire Greffier, author of Les Regies de la composition typographique, a Vusage des composi- teurs, des correcteurs et des imprimeurs, and to his publisher, M. Arnold Muller, of the Imprimerie des Beaux-Arts, 36 Rue de Seine, Paris, for permission to translate and make extracts from this useful brochure. — H. H. 2 M. Greffier carefully explains that in putting capitals to the articles in the case of these and similar names he differs from the Academie frangaise. — H. H. French Spelling, etc. 143 Tortue'), Lamartine, Le Verrier, Maxime Du Camp. In names of places the article should be small: le Mans, le Havre, which the Academie adopts; la Ferte, with no hyphen after the article, but connected by a hyphen with different names of places, as la Ferte-sous-Jouarre. Volumes, books, titles, acts of plays, the years of the Republican Calendar, are put in large capitals: An IV, acte V, tome VI; also numerals belonging to proper names: Louis XII; and the numbers of the arron- dissements of Paris: le XV e arrondissement. Scenes of plays, if there are no acts, are also put in large caps.: Les Precieuses ridi- cules, sc. V; also chapters, if they form the principal division : Joseph, ch. VI. If, however, scenes of plays and chapters are secondary divisions, they are put in small capitals: Le Cid, a. I, sc. 11; Histoire de France, liv. VI, ch. vn. The numbers of centuries are generally put in small capitals: au xix e siecle. The first word of a title always takes 144 -4 Practical Guide for Authors a capital letter: J'ai vu jouer Les Femmes savantes ; on lit dans Le Radical. If a sub- stantive in a title immediately follows Le, La, Les, Un, Une, it is also given a capi- tal letter, thus: Les Precieuses ridicules. If the substantive is preceded by an adjective, this also receives a capital letter: La Folk Journee; if, however, the adjective follows, it is in lower-case: VAge ingrat. If the title commences with any other word than le, la, les, un, une, or an adjective, the words following are all in lower-case: De la terre a la lune ; Sur la piste. In titles of fables or of dramatic works the names of the characters are put with capital initials: Le Renard et les Raisins; Le Lion et le Rat ; Marceau, ou les Enfants de la Republique. In catalogues or indexes having the first word or words in parentheses after the sub- stantive commencing the line, the first word thus transposed has a capital letter: Homme (Faiblesse de 1'); Honneur (L'); Niagara (Les Chutes du). French Spelling, etc. 145 If the words in parentheses are part of the title of a work, the same rule is followed as to capitals as above given: Heloise (La Nouvelle); Mort (La Vie ou la). The words saint, sainte, when referring to the saints themselves, have, except when com- mencing a sentence, always lower-case ini- tials: saint Louis, saint Paul, sainte Cecile. But when referring to names of places, feast- days, &c, capital letters and hyphens are used: Saint-Domingue, la Saint- Jean. (See also, as to abbreviations of Saint, Sainte, P. 1 55-) I. Use capital letters as directed below: (1) Words relating to God: le Seigneur, l'Etre supreme, le Tres-Haut, le Saint-Esprit. (2) In enumerations, if each one com- mences a new line, a capital is put imme- diately after the figure: 1° L'Europe. 2° L'Asie, &c. But if the enumeration is run on, lower-case letters are used: 1° l'Europe, 2° l'Asie, &c. If, in works divided into articles, the first 146 A Practical Guide for Authors article is put in full (thus: Article premier), those that follow may be in figures and abbreviated (as Art. 2). (3) Words representing abstract qualities personified : La Renommee ne vient souvent qu'apres la Mort. (4) The planets and constellations: Mars, le Belier. (5) Religious festivals: la Pentecote. (6) Historical events: la Revolution. (7) The names of streets, squares, &c: la rue des Mauvais-Garcons, la place du Trone, la fontaine des Innocents. (8) The names of public buildings, churches, &c. : l'Opera, l'Odeon, eglise de la Trinite. (9) Names relating to institutions, public bodies, religious, civil, or military orders (but only the word after the article) : l'Aca- demie francaise, la Legion d'honneur, le Conservatoire de musique. (10) Surnames and nicknames, without hyphens: Louis le Grand. (n) Honorary titles: Son Eminence, Leurs Altesses. French Spelling, etc. 147 (12) Adjectives denoting geographical ex- pressions: la mer Rouge, le golfe Persique. (13) The names of the cardinal points de- signating an extent of territory: l'Amerique du Nord; aller dans le Midi. (See II. (2).) (14) The word Eglise, when it denotes the Church as an institution: 1' Eglise catholique; but when relating to a building, eglise is put. (15) The word Etat when it designates the nation, the country: La France est un puissant Etat. II. Use lower-case initials for — (1) The names of members of religious orders: un carme (a Carmelite), un templier (a Templar). But the orders themselves take capitals : l'ordre des Templiers, des Carmes. (2) The names of the cardinal points: le nord, le sud. But see I. (13) above. (3) Adjectives belonging to proper names: la langue francaise, l'ere napoleonienne. (4) Objects named from persons or places: un quinquet (an argand lamp); un verre de champagne. 148 A Practical Guide for Authors (5) Days of the week — lundi, mardi; names of months — juillet, aout. 1. In Plays the dramatis personae at the head of scenes are put in large capitals, and those not named in even small capitals : — SCENE V. TRIBOULET, BLANCHE, hommes, FEMMES DU PEUPLE. In the dialogues the names of the speakers are put in even small capitals, and placed in the centre of the line. The stage directions and the asides are put in smaller type, and are in the text, if verse, in parentheses over the words they refer to. If there are two stage directions in one and the same line, it will be advisable to split the line, thus: — (Revenu sur ses pas.) Oublions-les! restons. — (II s'assied sur un banc.) Sieds-toi sur cette pierre. Directions not relating to any particular words of the text are put, if short, at the end of the line : — Celui que Ton croit mort n'est pas mort. — Le voici! (Etonnement gdndral.) French Spelling, etc. 149 2. Accented Capitals. — With one excep- tion accents are to be used with capital letters in French. The exception is the grave accent on the capital letter A in such lines as — A la porte de la maison, &c; A cette epoque, &c; and in display lines such as — FECAMP A GENEVE MACHINES A VAPEUR. In these the preposition A takes no accent; but we must, to be correct, print Etienne, Etretat; and depot, eveque, prevot in cap. lines. 1 1 M. Reyne, proof-reader in the National Government Printing-Office, Paris, tells me that there is no uniformity of practice in French printing-offices in regard to the accentuation of capital letters generally, although there is a consensus of opinion as to retaining accents for the letter E. As to the grave accent on the capital letter A, the two extracts which follow are sufficient authority: — ' The letter A, when a capital, standing for a, is never accented by French printers. This, I know, is a rule without exception; and one of the reasons given is that the accented capital is " u gly'- A better reason is that the accent often "breaks off ".' — Mr. Leon Delbos, M.A., Instructor in French to Royal Naval Cadets in H.M.S. 'Britannia". ' The practice of omitting the grave accent on the preposition A (whatever the reason of it may be) is all but universal.'' — Mr. E. G. W. Braunholtz, M. A., Ph. D., Reader in the Ro- mance Languages in the University of Cambridge. [H. H.] 150 A Practical Guide for Authors 3. The Grave and Acute Accents. — There has been an important change in recent years as to the use of the grave and acute accents in French. It has become customary to spell with a grave accent (") according to the pronunciation, instead of with an acute accent ('), certain words such as college (instead of college), avenement (instead of avenement), &c. The following is a list of the most common: — allege eVenement piege l'Ariege florilege privilege arpege grege sacrilege avenement lege sacrilegement barege Liege, liege 1 siege college manege solfege Ie Correge mege [Norwege sortilege cortege la Norvege or sphege 3 4. Hyphens. — Names of places contaim ing an article or the prepositions en, de, 1 'The rule about e instead of e, as in college instead of college, should be strictly adhered to, as it now is by most French people. However, e cannot be changed into e unless it have that sound; hence it is not right to say Liegeois, for the sound is that of e ; but Liege is correct. Note that Liegeois takes an e after the g.' — Mr. Leon Delbos. 2 The list is from Gasc's Dictionary of the French and Eng- lish Languages: G. Bell & Sons, 1889. French Spelling, etc. 151 should have a hyphen between each com- ponent part, thus: Saint- Germain-des-Pres, Saint- Valery-en-Caux, although the Acade- mie leaves out the last two hyphens. Names of places, public buildings, or streets, to which one or more distinguishing words are added, take hyphens: Saint- Etienne-du-Mont, Vitry-le-Francois, rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, le Pont-Neuf, le Palais-Royal, l'H6tel-de-la-Monnaie. In numbers hyphens are used to connect quantities under 100: e.g. vingt-quatre; trois cent quatre-vingt-dix; but when et joins two cardinal numbers no hyphen is used, e.g. vingt et un; cinquante et un. But print vingt-et-unieme. 5. Spacing. — No spaces to be put before the 'points de suspension', i.e. three points close together, cast in one piece, denoting an interruption (...). In very wide spacing a thin space may be put before a comma 1 , or 1 The English practice, never to put a space before a comma, is regarded by the best French printers as bad. 'This vicious practice'' (i. e. putting no space before a comma), says M. Theotiste Lefevre, 'which appears to us to have no other motive 152 A Practical Guide for Authors before or after a parenthesis or a bracket. Colons, metal-rules, section-marks, daggers, and double-daggers take a space before or after them exactly as words. Asterisks and superior figures, not enclosed in parentheses, referring to notes, take a thin or middle space before them. Points of suspension are always followed by a space. For guille- mets see pp. 160-3. A space is put after an apostrophe follow- ing a word of two or more syllables (as a Frenchman reckons syllables, e.g. bonne is a word of two syllables) : — Bonn' petite... Aimab' enfant!... Spaces are put in such a case as 10 h. 15 m. 10 s. (10 hours 15 min. 10 sec), also printed 10 h 15 m 10 s . Chemical symbols are not spaced, thus C IO H I2 (OH)CO.OH. 6. Awkward divisions: abbreviated words and large numbers expressed in figures. — than the negligence of the compositor, tends unhappily, from day to day, to get introduced also into French composition.' — Guide pratique du compositeur et de rimpritneur typographes (p. 196, w.), par T. Lefevre. Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1883. — H. H. French Spelling, etc. 153 One should avoid ending a line with an apostrophe, such as: Quoi qu' I vous dites ? If a number expressed in figures is too long to be got into a line, or cannot be taken to the next without prejudice to the spacing, part of the number should be put as a word, thus: 100 mil- | lions. 7. Division of words. — Words should be divided according to syllables, as in what the French call epellation (i. e. syllabica- tion). Therefore a consonant should never be separated from the vowel following. Thus divide: amou-reux, cama-rade; and always take over vr : li-vraison. If a consonant is doubled, the consonants may be divided: mil-lion, pil-lard, in-nocent. It is optional to divide ob-scurite or obs-curite, according to convenience. Vowels are divided only in compound words: e.g. extra-ordinaire; not Mo-abite, mo-yen. In compound words an apostrophe may be divided from a consonant following; thus: grand'-mere, grand'-route. 154 A. Practical Guide for Authors Divide sei-gneur, indi-gnite (gn pronounced as ni in 'mania'), i- e. take gn over. The following divisions should be avoided : Ma-ximilien, soi-xante, Me-xique; e-legant. In a narrow measure a syllable of two letters may stand at the end of a line: ce-pendant, in-decis; but a syllable of two letters must not be taken over to the next line; there- fore £legan-ce, adversi-te, are not permis- sible; but elegan-ces, mar-que, abri-cot, are tolerated. Avoid terminating a paragraph with only the final syllable of a word in the last line. Verbs taking the so-called euphonic t should always be divided before the latter, thus : Viendra- I t-il ? Avoid dividing abbreviated words. Etymological division finds no favour in French, unless it is in accord with epellation, or syllabication, as in trans-porter, trans- poser. But divide transi-tion, transi-ger. Mute syllables may be turned over to the next line, thus: ils mar-quent, les hom-mes. 8. Abbreviations. — Such words as article, French Spelling, etc. 155 chapitre, scene, titre, figure, are abbreviated only when in parentheses, as references; in the text they are put in full. Saint, sainte, when they occur very often, as in religious works, may be abbreviated, taking a capital letter: S. Louis, Ste. Marie. But not when they form part of the name of a place, e.g. Saint-Germain-des-Pres; in which case Saint- and Sainte- take a capital and are followed by a hyphen. 1 (See also P- I45-) The words monsieur, madame, monsei- gneur, messeigneurs, messieurs, mesdames, mademoiselle, mesdemoiselles, are written in full and all in lower-case when address- ing a person: Oui, madame; Non, monsieur le due. Also in the following instances: J'espere que monseigneur viendra; j'ai vu monsieur votre pere. In most other cases M. (for monsieur), M me (for madame), Mgr. or M& (for monseigneur), and so on, are used. The words Sa Majeste, Son Eminence, 1 St-Germain, Ste-Catherine, l^glise de St-Sulpice, St> Hilaire, la St- Jean, are, however, met with in railway time- tables, &c. 156 A Practical Guide for Authors Leurs Altesses, when followed by another title, are put as initials, thus S. M. l'Empereur; but not otherwise. The name Jesus-Christ is abbreviated only when in parentheses after a date, thus: (337 avant J.-C). This is also frequently printed 337 A.J.C. Per cent, is generally put 0/0, but pour 100, p. 100, and % are also used. In business letters pour cent is always pour %, e.g. A trente jours, 3 pour % d'escompte. Other examples of abbreviations : — liv. (livre) c.-a-d . (c'est-a-dire) ch. (chapitre) c ie (compagnie) t. (tome) m. (metre) d° (ditto) 1. (litre) f (folio) D r (docteur) in-f° (in-folio) M e (maitre) in-8° (in-octavo) M lle (mademoiselle) in-4 (in-quarto) N.-S. J-C. ms. (manuscrit) (Notre-Seigneur) mss. (manuscrits) Jesus-Christ) n° (numero) C te (comte) P.-S. (post-scriptum M is (marquis) jer ) yve (veuve) l er \ (premier) S.A. V / (Son Altesse) II, 2 e (deuxieme) LL. AA. II. (Leurs Altesses etc. (et cetera) Imperiales) French Spelling, etc. 157 Put: 20 francs, 20 metres, 20 litres, 20 milligrammes. If, however, followed by frac- tions, then put — 20 fr. 50 ^ f 20 fr ,50 20 m. 50 I J 20 m ,50 20 1. 50 I ° r I 2()1 ' 50 20 milligr. 50 J ^ 20 milli s r ,50 In works crowded with figures, one can even put — m ,5 ^ ( 5 decimetres m ,15 V for < 15 centimetres m ,008 J ^ 8 millimetres The cubic metre followed by a fraction is given thus: 4 mc ,5co or 4 m3 ,5oo; the square metre thus: 4 mq ,5oo or 4™, 500. The French use a decimal comma instead of a decimal point — 2,3 = 2-3. The words kilogrammes, kilometres, and kilogrammetres, followed by fractions, are given thus: 50 kg. 30 or 50^,30; 5km. 3 or 5 km ,3; 2 kgm. 4 or 2 kgm ,4. In measures of the metric system the fol- lowing abbreviations are also common : — mq = metre carre mmq = millimetre carre mm = millimetre mmc = millimetre cube 158 A Practical Guide for Authors 9. Numerals. — When cardinal numbers are expressed in roman lower-case letters, the final unit should be expressed by a j, not an i, thus: ij, iij, vj, viij. Numbers are put in full if only occa- sionally occurring in the text. If used statistically, figures are used. Degrees of temperature are given thus: 15 , 15 (in English 15 15'). Age or the time of day must be given in full: huit ans, six heures (eight years, six o'clock). Dates, figures, &c, are put in full in legal documents: l'an mil neuf cent quatre (the year one thousand nine hundred and four). One should not put ' de 5 a 6,000 hommes ', but 'de 5,000 a 6,000 hommes'. Commas in figures are used as in English, thus: 20,250^.25 or 20,250^,25. But dates, and numbers in general, are put without a comma: annee 1466; page 1250; Code civil, art. 2000. Fractions with a horizontal stroke are preferred in mathematical and scientific French Spelling, etc. 159 works; but in ordinary works the diagonal stroke is used, thus: 1/2, 2/ 3 (# » # )■ 10. Roman and italics. — In algebraical formulae the capital letters are always put in roman and the small letters in italics. If, however, the text is in italics, the small letters are put in roman type. The titles of works, of plays, of journals, names of ships, of statues, and titles of tables mentioned in the text, are put in italics; thus La piece La Chatte blanche; J'ai vu Les Rois en exil; On lit dans Le Figaro; le journal Le Temps; le transport Bien-Hoa. Foreign words * and quotations are, as in English, italicized: Agir ab irato ; Cave canem ! lisait-on... Superior letters in words italicized should be in italics, thus : Histoire de Napoleon I"'. 11. Reference figures. — References to notes are generally rendered thus: (1), or thus : ! . Sometimes an asterisk between parentheses (*) or standing alone *, or italic superior letters (°), are used. The second 1 That is, words foreign to French. — H. H. 160 A Practical Guide for Authors example (*) is the best from the English point of view. The figure in the note itself is put either 1. or (1) or l . In many works the reference figure is put 1 , and the note-figure 1. 12. Metal-rules. — These serve in French to denote conversational matter, and take a thick space (or more, if necessary) after them. In fact, metal-rules, as in German, always have a space before 'or after, and are never put close to a word as in English. They are likewise never put after colons. They are also used to give more force to a point: II avait un cceur d'or, — mais une tete folle; et vraiment, — je puis le dire, — il etait d'un caractere tres agreable. They are likewise used, as in English, for intercalations : Cette femme — etrangere sans doute — etait tres agee. 13. Quotation marks. — The French use special quotations marks (( » (called guillemets). A guillemet is repeated at the head of every subsequent paragraph belong- ing to the quotation. French Spelling, etc. 161 In conversational matter, guillemets are sometimes put at the commencement and end of the remarks, and the individual utter- ances are denoted by a metal-rule (with a space after). But it is more common to dispense with guillemets altogether, and to denote the commencement of the conversa- tion by only a metal-rule. This is an impor- tant variation from the English method. If the )) comes after points de suspension, a middle space is put before and after it : — La cour a decrete qu' « attendu l'urgence... » . If, in dialogues, a passage is quoted, the (( is put before the metal- rule: — « — Demain, a minuit, nous sortirons enfin ! » In tables and workings the )) is used to denote an absent quantity : — 125 . 15 130 » 10 » 15 . 25 If a sentence contains a citation, the point at the end of the latter is put before the )), and the point belonging to the sentence after: — « Prenez garde au chien! » , lisait-on a l'entree des maisons romaines. 1 62 A Practical Guide for Authors If the matter quoted ends with a full stop, and a comma follows in the sentence, the full stop is suppressed : — « C'est par le sang et par le fer que les fetats gran- dissent » , a dit Bismarck. Also, if the point at the end of the citation is a full stop, and the sentence ends with a note of interrogation or exclamation, the full stop is suppressed : — A-t-il dit: « Je reviendrai »? If citation and sentence end with the same point, or if the sentence ends with a full stop, only the citation is pointed : — Quel bonheur d'entendre: « Je vous aime! » A-t-il dit: « Qui est ici? » II a dit: (< Je viendrai. » But if the punctuation of the citation differs from that of the sentence, both points are put : — A-t-il dit : « Quel grand malheur ! » ? Guillemets should have before and after them the same space as between words. In the case of a citation within a citation, German Spelling, etc. 163 the « must stand at the commencement of each line of the enclosed citation: — On lit dans Le Radical: « Une malheureuse erreur a e"te commise par un de nos artistes du boulevard. Ayant a dire: « Mademoiselle, je ne veux qu'un mot « de vous ! » , il a fait entendre ces paroles : « Mademoi- « selle, je ne veux qu'un mou de veau! » In passages quoted down the side put an en quad after the « commencing each line. Only one )) is put at the end of two cita- tions ending simultaneously. WORKS IN THE GERMAN LANGUAGE English compositors called upon to set up German should have clear directions be- forehand as to the founts to be used, whether English or German. If the MS. is in well- written German script, and the compositor is acquainted with the German characters, he will find little difficulty in setting this up in German type. It is otherwise if he has to set German in its own characters from MS. in Roman characters. This is owing principally to the numerous digraphs and the 164 A Practical Guide for Authors long and short s's used. The following rules will be found of use in both cases : — 1. Capitals and lower-case. — All German substantives are written with capital initial letters; and capital letters are also used for adjectives in geographical designations, e.g. ba§ (Ectfptfdje 9J?eer (the Caspian Sea); but as a rule adjectives, even when relating to nationality, have lower-case initials, not excepting titles of books, &c, thus: bag beutfdje 23ater(anb, bie franjbfifdje Sfebotution (the German Fatherland, the French Re- volution). The t)on in German names of persons begins with a small letter (unless of course when it commences a sentence), e.g. Men- tion 23iilott). The Don in such cases requires only a thin space after it: ©cfdjrieben toon t)on9?id)ter (written by von Richter). 2. The Reformed German Spelling. — All words ending in tlj, as Wlutt), $lat§, 2But(), now drop the f) and become Wlut, 9iat, 2But, &c. Zfyat has become Zat, £ljor is now Zox, German Spelling, etc. 165 tfjun is now spelt tun, 2Btflfitljr has become 2BiUfur. 2Ie, £)e, Ue, are now always rendered % £), a. Three identical letters should not come together. Consequently print <2d)tffa()rt, not ©djifffaljrt (but in dividing print (SdjtfHafyrt). The plural of (See is no longer ©eeen, but (Seen ; in narrow measure divide <3ee*en. The suffix nufc is now *tii$ : £>tnberm'$. 3 1S often used for (5, thus: ,3 cntrum f° r Centrum. The verbal suffix 4ren is now uniformly written 4eren, thus: abbieren, fubtrafyieren, mufti* pttgieren, bttobteren. A detailed list of the new German ortho- graphies * may be obtained through any foreign publisher. Many German writers object to the modern spelling; in such cases, of course, copy should be followed. 3. Hyphens in German. — If two or more words follow one another, relating to a com- mon part of speech with which they form a compound, all except the last take a hyphen, 1 A very useful little book is that by K. Duden, Meyer's Bibliographiscb.es Institut, Leipzig and Vienna, price 3J. — H. H. 1 66 A Practical Guide for Authors thus: £mt- unb ^ratnattenfabrifant (hat and tie manufacturer) ; Safe*, 93utter= unb 9#ttd)borrate (cheese, butter, and milk stores). Note that compound words in German are now printed as one word. 4. Division of words in German. — Prefixes should of course remain intact, such as an, auf, ent, emp, tor, iiber, ger. Thus: an^fangen, auHafyren, ent-gweien, emp*ftnben, t)or=rucfen, ilBcr* reben, ger=flo§en. (See under paragraph 2 of this section, 'Reformed Spelling', for three identical letters coming together. See also under 7, n, 14.) 5. Spaced words. — In these the following compound letters should never be spaced: tf), eft (or 1. £., = erfteS £eft, first number); 2. 93onb (or 2. 33b., = gtuetter 93ctnb, second vol- ume). This full point is often mistaken by compositors and readers for a full stop. For & in ' &c.' the Germans have a special character 2, thus: ic. Division oj Latin Words 171 DIVISION OF LATIN WORDS The general rules are practically Pris- cian's. They are well summarized in Gilder- sleeve's Latin Grammar. 1. 'In dividing a word into syllables, a consonant between two vowels belongs to the second: a-mo, li-xa. 2. 'Any combination of consonants that can begin a word (including mn, under Greek influence) belongs to the following vowel; in other combinations the first con- sonant belongs to the preceding vowel : a-sper, jau-stus, li-bri, a-mnis. 3. ' The combinations incapable of be- ginning a word are (a) doubled consonants: sic-cus; (b) a liquid and a consonant: al- mus, am-bo, an-guis, ar-bor. 4. 'Compounds are treated by the best grammarians as if their parts were sepa- rate words: ab-igo, res-publica. 1 To take a page of Cicero : — con-sequi so-lent ex-ponimus a-criter cri-mi-no-se dili-gen-ter a-gi re-rum con-se-quentium miseri-cor- dia com-movebitur au-di-to-ris a-ni-mus osten-demus 172 A Practical Guide jor Authors com-modis cu-ius cu-i quo-rum qui-bus-que (not qui- bu-sque) us-que (because the parts are separate) ca- ptabimus pote-statem sub-i-ci-e-mus pa-renti-bus neces- sariis cle-men-tia. Again : — eius-modi, cuitis-modi, huius-modi (not eiu-smodi, &c.) con-iun-clim (I should suppose, not con-iunc- tim) am-plifica-stis e-stis vetu-stas hone-stus onu-sius sus-cipere sub-trahit ad-trahit in-struit circu-it simul- tate re-ce-den-dum di-co di-xi-sti di-xe-rat di-ctum a-clum au-ctus ma-gnus i-gnis mali-gnus pi-gnus li- gna pec-catum demon-stra-stis (I am rather doubtful about this) ma-gis ma-xime dij-fi-cul-tas la-brum la- mna lar-gus lon-ge di-gnus sum-pserim su-mo sum- tnus su-prema propter-ea, and probably pro-pter-ea (but again I am in some doubt) dis-tin-ctus dis-tin-guo ad-spedus a-spedus tem-ptavit il-lu-stris. Most of these are already adopted in editions of authority, e. g. Nobbe's Cicero, Haase's Seneca. Robinson Ellis. DIVISION OF GREEK WORDS A syllable ends in a vowel except — 1. If a consonant is doubled, the con- sonants are divided. SrpaKowr-o-as (Bacch. *), 7roX-Xo3 (Thuc), and SO BaK-^os, 2a7r-<£co, 'At-0is. 1 The references are to the papyri. Division o) Greek Words 173 2. If the first of two or more consonants is a liquid or nasal, 1 it is divided from the others. (TWO Consonants) afx-cpaKes, iy-x*