has no appearance of difficulty, as it is so obviously upon intemperance, but the question of concentration of books pro and con upon such a subject as this must be looked into. It is most undesirable to send an inquirer to a number of headings to find all the books upon the “drink question.” To effectively group them together, developes the heading into a class rather than subject, but even so, it has more justification than the grouping of say “Natural history” would have, because it is more distinctly a single subject regarded from several standpoints, and while “temperance” cannot be “intemperance,” yet to bring the two aspects of the question together adds more to the utility of the catalogue than to separate books with these words upon their title-pages under different headings. In looking into this matter, the subject was followed up in a good catalogue compiled upon strictly orthodox lines, and was found up and down under headings like Alcohol, Drink, Inebriety, Teetotalism, Temperance, Total Abstinence, Licensed Victuallers, Public Houses, Sunday Drinking. Most of the books under these various headings might have been brought together with advantage under a general term-heading like “Drink question,” with cross-references from the other topics to bind the whole together beyond possibility of mistake. There are other questions that admit of concentration in this way, as for example books upon Free Trade, Fair Trade, Reciprocity, and Protection can all safely be entered under “Free Trade” with references from the others.
Some books, on the other hand, must have several entries, as
Ruddock, E. H. Modern medicine and surgery on homœopathic principles. 1874
requires three entries, viz., under “Medicine,” “Surgery,” “Homœopathy.” The only method of avoiding this would be to enter the book under “Homœopathy,” with cross-references from the other headings, as
Medicine. See also Homœopathy.
In a small general library it would be possible to bring together all books upon subjects so closely allied as medicine and surgery under that heading, with a cross-reference,
Surgery. See also Medicine and surgery.
Another example of a book needing several entries, is
Garner, R. L. Gorillas and chimpanzees.
As this is not a work upon Monkeys generally, or even upon Apes, the correct procedure is to enter it under “Gorillas” and “Chimpanzees” respectively, as