The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-15
BOOE-TITLE MAKING.
A Tendency Among Authors TO Use
Few Words.


From the London Standard.
In the choice of a book title at the
present moment brevity is the first
consideration. Publishers object to
long names, booksellers dislike them,
and the general public cuts or multi
ates them. A title must be short, dis
tinct and easily remembered. Every
word beyond the three or four that
are absolutely necessary is a word too
much. 1t is better for a title to ex-
plain little or nothing than for it to
explain too much. When Kinglake
christened fascinating book Of trav-
els "Eothen," readers could draw no
possible foretaste Of its contents from
that mystic Eastern word; yet the
title was a good one Only those few
who understood Romany could judge
what to expect from Borrow's La
vengro;" yet that also is a master
piece of titles. At one time Borrow
factory title of "Life-A Drama"
which would have been both vague
and misleading. The choice of title
Is indeed, one Of an authors most diff
ficult and often worrying tasks.
Very Long Titles.
The old-fashioned title erred in try
ing to combine the duties of preface
and contents list with it's own natural
office. 1t would take far too much
space TO quote many such titles, but
as moderate example we may notice
the title of a popular work published
by William Hone in the year 1892. This
title runs as follows: The Year Book
of Daily Recreation and Information,
Concerning Remarkable men and Man
ners, Times and Seasons, Solemnities
and Merrymakings, Antiquities and
Novelties, on the Plan of the Every
day Book and Table Book; or Ever
lasting Calendar of Popular Amuse-
ments, Sports Pastimes, Ceremonies,
Customs and Events Incident to Each
of the Three Hundred and Sixty-five
Days in the Past and Present Times;
Forming a Complete History of the
Year and Perpetual Key to the AL
manac." OF course, this title admits
or ready condensation, and the book is
now always simply refererd to as THE
Year Book" but it is a fair sample
OF our forefathers' love of multiplying
words. We may take it for granted
that at no time would a bookseller
have entered the full name in his bills
Readers of the present day, whose
reading is often almost confined to
Swimming the headlines of a newspa-
per, would never wade through such
title as this. 1t must be understood
that neither of these is an extreme
specimen of what the old-fashioned
le-maker could do Even that de-
lightful work which we now briefly de-
scribe as "Boswelrs Johnson" has a
somewhat formidable front page-"The
Life of Samuel johnson, LII. D., Com
prising Series of His Epistolary Cor
respondence and Conversations With
Many Eminent Persons; and Various
Original Pieces of His Compositions,
With Chronological Account of His
Studies and Numerous Works, the
Whole Exhibiting a View Of Literature
and Literary Men in Great Britain for
Nearly Half a Century" Al opposed
to this, Lockhart gave US simply The
Life of Sir Walter Scott
Easy Titles to Choose.
In the case of a work of history or
biography, the choice of a title is US
ually easy and obvious; often there are
no alternatives to choose from. With
fiction 1t is difficult. Dickens consid-
cred twenty-one different names before
| he selected THE Tale OF Two Cities
He always liked to have his title chos-
en- before he seriously began to write
at tale. He said once, "I shall never
be able to do anything for
the work until it has a fixed
name" In general the best name for
novel is the name of its hero or heroine.
Dickens generally acted on this prin-
ciple himself, and his departure from
it, as in "Our Mutual Friend" and
Great Expectations" are not exactly
happy. Scott did the same for the most
part; but he sometimes bickered with
Constable about his titles. 1t was Con-
stable who prevailed on Scott to use
the name of "Kenilworth," instead of
calling that romance Gunner Hail."
and the publisher also suggested that
THE Abbot" should be christened THE
| Nunneyy," as a more fit companion to
'The Monastery"
In the last resort many an author
has been compelled to take the sugges-
| tons of his publisher in this matter of
| titles. 1t was Blackwood who persuad-
| ed George Eliot to select the name Of
The Mill on the Floss" instead of call
ing that tale Sister Maggie" The pub
fishers choice was the more pictur-
esque, though really less appropriate
| One of Hawthorne's novels was actu-
ally published under two distinct titles.
In America it appeared as THE Marble
| Faun;" in England as TRANSFORMS
ton" 1t was the English publishers
| who objected to the former title.
Neither can be called quite happy, but
certainly the American is the better.
Misleading Names.
Walt Whitman found the question of
names for his works a most trying
one, and only selected such titles as
Leaves of Grass and Specimen
Days" after long and careful consid-
GRAFTON. Sometimes book names, in
tentionally or otherwise, have been
absolutely misleading. Ouida's
Moths has been inquired for by en-
tomologists. and Ruskin's Treatise
on Sheepfolds" by farmers. Seamen
used to ask for Coleridge's "Ancient
Mariner" and Wordsworth's "Excur-
sion" was bought by holiday seekers.
Lorna Doone" was sought for at the
libraries because the good, loyal pub
lie, ladies chiefly, thought it had
something to do with the marriage of
the Princess Louise and the Marquis
OF Lorne. 1.-THE Bible in SPAIN"
though its title is absolutely correct,
proved a staggering surprise to many
worthy and pious subscribers to the
Bible Society. In one of his essays
Mr.. Birrell chuckles at the thought
of boys being allowed to read this work
of Borrow's on Sunday. under the idea
that IT was quite a Sunday book"
Other Authors Troubles.
That a title is truly of Importance
was proved by the fact that a tale
christened 1.-THE Champion of Virtue"