New-York tribune., 1900-07-28
ALLURING TITLES.
cLEvERNEss SHOWN BY POPULAR AUTHORS IN
NAMING THEIR BOOKS.

NAMING THEIR BOOKS.
From The London Globe.
The effect which a taking title may or may not
have on the fortunes of a book is an open ques-
ton. When books spoken Of in this con
necton it is usually fiction that is in the speak
er's thoughts. There is little need or excuse IN
the fields of history and biography, topography
theology and science for the use of other than
perfectly plain, straightforward titles In the
domain of the essay fancy has more scope, ana
tere some writers have been happily inspired
Thackerays Roundabout Papers have tue
at once pleasant and truthfuly descriptive
Dickens's "Uncommercial Traveller was also
rather a happy thought The various titles in
vented by such present day graceful essay
writer's as Mrs. MeyneI and Vernon Lee are
perhaps ingenious than alluring. The
American essayist Miss Agnes Reppher tas
chosen very happy names for several or her
charming books. No one can deny that In the
DCzy Hours" Essays in IdleneSs' and Essays
in Miniature sound decidedly enticing; and II
the volumes be opened the headings of the vari-
Gus papers-"A Short Defence of Villains" >"
Books That Have Hndered Me" In Behalf
of Parents" and forth-are equally alluTing.
But if we allow ourselves to open the books, and
go from the title without to the subtitles within
we cannot forget Charles Lamb, many of whose
essays have names which are fragrant with his
own fancy and humor, such as Tor instance:
Imperfect Sympathies,' Dream Children
The Praise of Chimney Sweepers,' and "A
Bachelors Complaint OF the Behavior of Married
People,"
Ruskin may be said to have made a speciality
Of titles which, although attractive. were apt to
of SheepfOdS'' is said to have been in COnsidera-
bic demand for a short time after it's first ap-
pearance among moorland farmers, and great
must have been their disgust when they found
that the epfolds had relation to hurdles,
but We're distinctly theological. Allusiveness
and fgurativeness were always the characteris-
tic features OF Ruskin's titles. What can be
more enticing, more pictureSquely worded, than
such phrases as The Grown of Wild Olive,
Sesame and Lilies" and The Queen of the
Air.?
But after all, it is in regard to fiction that the
Some great nOvelists have taken but little
trouble in the matter 'Waverley Jane
Eyre Nicholas Nickleby.' "Middlemarch,"
Tom Jones'-to name a few examples at ran
dom-offer no special attraction to catch the
attention Of possible readers. None of Thacke-
rays or DiCkenss titles are of an alluring or
particularly suggestive turn. save perhaps Van
ity Fair The Mystery of Edwin Brood and
"A Tale of Two Cities Some other novelists
have devoted special care and thought to the
invention of attractive titles. Wilkie Collins
much exercised about the naming Of the
book known to fame as The Woman in White"
The story was finished and part Of 1t was al
ready in type for serial publication in "All the
Year Round" before n name had been found
Literally at the eleventh hour" said Collins
himself long afterward Il thought of The
Woman in White In various quarters this was
declared to be a vile melodramatic title that
would ruin the book. Among the very few
friends who encouraged me the first and fore
most Charles Dickens. Are you, too, dis
apponted?' l said to him. Nothing of the sort,
Wilkie, \ better title there cannot be "a YER
dict which the reading public not slow to
indorse. NO ThOroughfare'-the title of the
story written in collaboration by Dickens and
Collins-was another happy inspiration. Collins
carefully studied effectiveness in most of the
titles of his novels. No Name" After Dark, -
Miss or Mrs. % The Haunted Hotel" and the
like, have all proved alluring enough to hesitat-
ing readers George Eliots titles are mostly OF
the straightforward, pedestrian order, but she is
said to have had great trouble in fixing one
for the book which tells the history of Maggie
TulliVer, Stephen Guest and Philip Wakem.
The Tullivers'' and various others were sug-
ed he WAS HaH 70 Non ha
book by the not very happy title of THE Mill
or the Floss" Hawthorne. with his natural
instinct for the picturesque and the suggestive,
found titles which were not only attractive, but
full of suggestion. What could be better than
The Scarlet Letter" The House of the Seven
Gables and The Marble Faun"?
OF recent years novelists have We'd with one
another in the invention of far-fetChed names
intended to be arresting and enticing but which
are often merely "conCeted," in the old sense
Of the word, and strained. But for titles which
are full of quaint conceits we must go back to
the earlier days Of our literature Grammar is
not precisely an inviting study, though in the
Diversions of Purley'' 1t became almost at
tractive; but Horne Tooke's absurd title is alto
gether put In the shade by a sixteenth century
Latin grammar which had for a subtitle the
following hOneyed description: "A delysious
Syrupe newly Claryfed for Younge Scholars VT
thurste for the Swete Lycore of Latin Speche -
We wonder whether this highly sugared pill de-
celVed single one of the urchins for whom II
was so carefully prepared. Old dictionary
makers adopted similar devices A lexicon
sounded much more inviting when termed an
'Altearie.' or New World of Words" or
when dubbed 'Manipulus Voca bulorum'
For titles of the fanciful kind the Puritan
writer's distance all competitors. In their hands
allusion and metaphor often become simply
grotesque. Here are a few titles of theological
pamphlets and books: "A most delectabIa
Sweet Perfumed Nosegay for Gods Saints to
smell at pamphlet issued In 1886; The Snuff
fers of Divine Love-; Heel Pieces for thinning
sinners; The Spiritual Mustard Pot to make
the Soul sneeZe with Devotion" and so forth
Devotion is hardly the feeling which seems most
likely to be inspired by the perusal OF such alb
surdites. But the Purltans in the adoption of
these high flown and grotesque phrases simply
romancers Of EliZabethan days revened in fan
tastc titles. which doubtless enticing
enough TO the limited reading public of that dav
Painter's Palace of Pleasure" Is a type of many
book titles similarly constructed. The euphuistic
school, OF course let their fancy run riot in the
invention OF strange names for the tedious ro-
mances In which they discoursed of strange
birds and beasts and plants. Greene's "Philo-
mela; the Lady FltzWaters Nightingale or
'Morando. or the Tritameron OF Love" sound
much more attractive than any modern rea Ter
could possibly find 1t to be
Fashions In names have changed but the OH
Ject aimed at remains the same. The modern
novelist inVents far fetched or a startling title
In the nope OF stimulating curiosity and allurlng
readers and buyers just IN the same way that
MS predecessors OF three centuries ago strove to