Twice crowned queen, A: Anne of Brittany. De
la Warr, Countess. 1906
For the classified catalogue the works of fiction, in a "free library" at any rate, will hardly be marked 823 (Literature—English Fiction), but will be treated as a class apart; all the entries being arranged alphabetically by author's names, not by the periods in which the books were written, or the nationalities of the authors. It is true there are other possibilities in arranging works of fiction in the classified catalogue, though they introduce an element of obscurity and hinder ready reference. Historical fiction can be kept apart and arranged under the countries and periods, or the idea can be carried further and the books sub-divided under such headings as Human Careers, Adventures Abroad, America, English Life, Irish Life, Scottish Life, Short Stories and Sketches, Detectives and Crime. It is conceivable that there are people who would appreciate a division of this kind, though it would not suit the general convenience. To bring all the works of fiction together under a heading "Novels" in the dictionary catalogue, as said previously, is foreign to its nature, and should not be attempted.
The foregoing illustrations were examples of Anglicized foreign prefixes. When the prefixes are to genuine foreign names they require careful consideration and varying treatment according to their character. If "De" is part of a name undoubtedly French, it is not the entry word, but the name which follows or precedes it. If a prefix embodies the definite article in it, as "Du," then that is the entry-word, whether the name be English or French, so also is the definite article of "de la", as shown in the de la Brète item below. The above points are all illustrated in the following examples:—
Harcourt, Louis d'. Le sabre du notaire.
Maupassant, Guy de. Fort comme la mort.
Du Boisgobey, Fortuné. La loge sanglante.
La Brète, Jean de. Mon oncle et mon curé.
Le Roux, Hugues. Le fils à papa.
When the prefix is embodied as part of the surname, then the whole name is regarded as a single one, and comes under the ordinary rule. It is as well to give examples of these also.
Decourcelle, A. Un homme d'argent.
Delaborde, Vicomte Henri. La gravure: précis
élémentaire. [1882]
All the above are works of fiction, the last excepted, and therefore receive the usual first-word title-entries in the dictionary catalogue, the rules governing the use of the article remaining the same for foreign fiction. To prevent misunderstanding, the correct form for such entries is here shown
Sabre, Le, du notaire. Harcourt, L. d'.
Fort comme la mort. Maupassant, G. de.
Loge sanglante, La. Du Boisgobey, F.
Mon oncle et mon curé. La Brète, J. de.
Fils à papa, Le. Le Roux, H.
Homme d'argent, Un. Decourcelle, A.
Whatever economy may be effected by leaving out the articles in English titles, it is better and more correct not to attempt it in French. The last of the books is on engraving, which word becomes the subject-heading, as under no circumstances should the name of any subject be given in any form but English in the catalogue unless, as happens in remote cases, there is no equivalent in English for the subject. Accordingly the entry is
Engraving:
Delaborde, Vicomte H. La gravure. [1882]