Red hand of Ulster, The. Birmingham, G. A.
When the entries are embodied in the dictionary catalogue, and the real name of the author is taken for the main-entry, the title-entry becomes
Red hand of Ulster, The. Hannay, J. O.
It must be admitted that this might puzzle a person who remembers the title of the book and could recognise it by the name of the author, but would fail to identify Hannay with Birmingham. The entry must, all the same, be given in this form to guide to the name of "Hannay," where the principal entry is to be found. The same remark equally applies to the title-entries requisite for Mr. Muddock's books, if they are all entered under "Muddock" in orthodox fashion and not divided. If divided the entries would be
Dead man's secret, The. Muddock, J. E. P.
Lost laird, The. Muddock, J. E. P.
Tales of terror. Donovan, D.
Sin, The, of Preaching Jim. Donovan, D.
The "Kruger" book comes under some such heading as
| Boers, The, and Boer Wars: | |
| Kruger's secret service, by One who was in it. | |
| 1900 | 968 |
with references thereto from "Africa, South," "Transvaal, The," and "Orange Free State."
At the risk of labouring the point—an important one which will bear emphasis—the last book affords an opportunity for again demonstrating the handling of a book for specific subject-entry in the dictionary catalogue. This form of entry requires that books bearing upon the Boer Wars, the French Revolution, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Gunpowder Plot, the American Revolution, or any other historical happening to which a definite name is attached, shall be entered under such specific name, not under the name of the country or countries concerned. It might be possible to evade this by giving a reference from the name of the event to the name of the country, but it is against the principles of the dictionary catalogue. The matter has to be reasoned out like this: a history of the last Boer War is not a history of South Africa, is not even a history of the Transvaal or of the Orange Free State, although it terminated the existence of the republics of those states. Similarly a history of the Crimean War is not a history of Russia, and has as much to do with Turkey, to say nothing of this country or of France; a history of the Franco-German War is neither a history of France nor of Germany, but merely a detached epoch in the history of both countries, however much it had to do with the founding of the present German Empire and the fall of the French Empire. Therefore, literal exactness requires, as already stated, that entry be made under the names whereby such events are known with See also references thereto from the names of the countries involved. It is also required that the term chosen for the heading shall be definite and not general. If the heading, say, of "Civil War" were taken in a British catalogue for books upon the great Civil War of the 17th century, it would be incorrect, because too inclusive, as books upon civil war in the abstract or on civil wars generally or in any country, as the Civil War between North and South in America, could all be grouped under it, therefore the heading must be "earmarked" in some way to show what particular civil war is meant, say, "Civil War, The Great," or "Civil War and Commonwealth," or even "Civil War, The." The addition of the definite article to the last heading serves to show that the Puritan revolution is meant, though it would not give the same meaning in an American catalogue. In this way headings to be adopted are reasoned out before being decided upon.
The "Life of a prig" is already sufficiently disposed of, though it is not a story, but is more or less in the nature of a satire recounting the troubles of an Oxford man, uncertain as to whether he should belong to the Anglican or Roman Church. It is marked for the classified catalogue as a satire of the late Victorian period. This is a type of book that is the bane of the cataloguer's life, and he is not to be blamed if he summarily disposes of it under any heading or title that does not altogether relegate it to obscurity. The last is