207. Let each entry consist of four (or five) sentences:
| 1. the heading, | Cicero, Marcus Tullius. |
| 2. the title, including editors and translators, | Brutus de claris oratoribus; erkl. von O. Jahn. |
| 3. the edition, | 2e Aufl. {82} |
| 4. the imprint, as given by the book, | Berlin, 1856. |
| 5. the part of the imprint added by the cataloguer, | O. |
Which, if not the first title under Cicero, would read:
— Brutus de Claris oratoribus; erkl. von O. Jahn. 2e Aufl. Berlin, 1856. O.
Separate by a ; the title proper from the phrase relating to the editor, translator, etc. This requires a minimum of capitals. It will occasionally happen that the title can not be thrown into one sentence, but that should always be done when possible. It is usual to separate 4 and 5. The French, however, make one sentence of them (Paris, 1864, in–12). This has the advantage of agreeing with the best form of quoting a title (“see his Memoirs, London, 1874, O. in which,” etc.). It is useless for one who abridges titles to make any attempt to follow the punctuation. The spelling should be retained, but it is hardly worth while for Short or Medium to imitate the old printers in their indiscriminate use of i and j, u and v.
A library may have a collection of books or a few volumes which from their rarity deserve to be catalogued with every bibliographical nicety, with the most exact copying of punctuation, spelling, and forms of letters, and even with marks to show where the lines of the title end. Such collections are the Prince and the Ticknor books in the Boston Public Library, such single books are fifteeners or the rarest Americana. Yet it may be questioned whether a library does well to redescribe books already fully described by Hain, Harrisse, Thiele, Trömmel, Stevens, or Sabin. A simple reference to these works will generally suffice (§ 261).
208. Supply the proper accents if they are not given in the title.
In French and Greek titles printed in capitals the accents are often omitted. In the titles of rare books, copied exactly, accents should not be supplied.
209. Use [ ] only for words added to the title, and ( ) to express inclusion.
Ex.
Talbot, E. A. Five years’ residence in Canada, [1818–23].
Maguire, J. F. Canada. (In his Irish in America. 1868.)
Bale, J. Kinge John, a play; ed. by J. P. Collier. Westm., 1838. 4º. (Camden Soc., v. 2.)
210. If any title contains [ ] or ( ) omit them, using commas instead.
One sign should never be used to express two things, if that can be avoided; each should have one definite meaning. Also alter — into , or ; or . as the context may require.
211. Use italics for the words See or See also in references, In and In his in analytical, and for Same, Note, Contents, and Namely, and for etc. when used to indicate omission of part of the title, also for subdivisions of subjects (as France, History).
212. In long Contents make the division of the volumes plain either by heavy-faced volume-numbers or by giving each volume a separate paragraph.
Anyone will recoil from the labor of looking through a long undivided mass of small type; moreover the reader ought to be able to determine at once in what volume any article whose title he is reading is contained. {83}