Smith, Caleb. Sermon.
Smith, Charles. Address.
Smith, Conrad. Narrative.
not
Smith, Caleb. Sermon.
—, Charles. Address.
—, Conrad. Narrative.
139. Distinguish authors whose family name is the same by giving the forename in full or by initials.
In a card catalogue the names should always be given in full; in printing, initials are often used to save room; but the saving is small, and the advantages of full names are so considerable that any cataloguer who is relieved from the necessity of the greatest possible compression ought to give them. For the more common forenames fullness can be combined with economy by the use of the colon abbreviations (C: = Charles, etc. See Appendix V.) Under subjects it is rare that two persons of even the same family name come together and initials are sufficient; but here also the colon initials should be used. An exception may well be made in the case of men always known by a double name; as, Sydney Smith or Bayard Taylor. Nobody talks of Smith or Taylor. Taylor, B., conveys no idea whatever to most readers. Taylor, Bayard, they know. When one name alone is usual, as Gladstone, Shakespeare, and when both forms are used, as Dickens and Charles Dickens, initials will suffice. Of course there can be no uniformity in such practice, but there will be utility, which is better.
Forenames used by the author in a diminutive or otherwise varied form may be given in that form.