HOW AUTHORS NAME THEIR BOOKS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1970, 22 August 1889, Page 32

HOW AUTHORS NAME THEIR BOOKS.

In many respects the title page is the most important page of a book, and [the difficulty of procuring a good title is one which has tried almost every author. To enable a book to sell well, it must be well named, and only the most experienced author is capable of choosing a title which will catch on with the reading public. Do authors write their books first and then cast about for a good title, or do they seize on a taking title and write the book to fit it? Dickens, as a rule, followed the last method, and we find in his letters that the christening of his books gave him a great deal of trouble. Before beginning to write "The Chimes" he confesses "that it is a great thing to have my title, and to see my way how to work the bells." ! In 1859 he is about to begin a novel, and writes: "My determination to settle the title arises out of my knowledge that I shall never be able to do anything for the work till it has a fixed name." " The Tale of Two Cities " was selected out of a list of 22 titles, and " Hard Times " was chosen out of a list of 14. " Master Humphrey's Clock " was only settled after the claims of "Master Humphrey's Tale," "Master Humphrey's Narrative," "A Passage in Master Humphrey's Life," and other suggested titles had been carefully considered. " The Old Curiosity Shop and the Child " was the first form of the " Old Curiosity Shop," while the spirit of Diskens was much perplexed as to whether " MaTtin Chuzzlewit " should be sent into the world bearing the name of " Martin Chuzzletoe," " Chuzzlewig," " Chuzzleboy," or the euphonious cognomen of "Martin Sweezlewag." When " Household Words " was set agoing the pains of title- choosing were again felt, " The Robin " gave way to " Mankind," while that again gave place to " Charles Dickens," "The Household Voice," "The Household Guests," " The Rolling Years," and many others. Sir Walter Scctt was also troubled with his titles. He wished, on one occasion, that he knew, like Falstaff, where a commodity of good names was to be had. " Ivanhoe " was suggested by an old ballad. It has two good points, writes Scott, as a title : first, it has an ancient English sound ; and secondly, it contains no indication whatever of the nature of the story. This last quality is of extreme importance. When Thackeray was writing " Vanity Fair " he wrote to Mrs Fred Elliot that he could not hit upon a name for his book, For

a long time the novel was nameless, until one night, as the nov«list lay in bed thinking, there came a voice and whispered to him, " Vanity Fair." Thackeray states that when he heard this apt title he jumped out of bed and ran three times round his room, uttering as he went, " Vanity Fair," " Vanity Fair," "Vanity Fair." Victor Hugo, when writing "Notre Dame" prepared on the first day a bottle of ink, the last drop of which was exhausted with the last line of the novel. This gave him the notion of naming the book ■• Tbe Contents of a Bottle of Ink." He departed from this idea, however, and made over the title to Alphonse Karr, who has sent out several novels under this designation. George Eliot wrote the greater part of the "Mill on the Floss " under the title of " Sister Maggie." Her husband saw the weakness of this title, and suggested " The House of Tulliver ; or, Life on the Floss," " The Tullivers ; or, Life on the Floss." At Blackwood's (the publisher) suggestion it received its present name, though, as George Eliot points out in a letter, the mill is not exactly on the Floss, but on its small tributary, and the title is, in her opinion, of " rather laborious uttrance." When "The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton " was read by George Eliot to her husband, he exclaimed : " Oh ! what a capital title." Isiac D'lsraeli states that an ingenious writer, on being asked what page of his work had occasioned him the most perplexity, replied that it was the title page. Readers, too, sometimes have perplexity over title pages. A recent writer states that in a bookseller's shop he was overwhelmed to hear a Russian country gentleman inquire for a copy of "Ivanhoe" under the title of "Ivan's Hoe," believing it to be a work on Russian agriculture. A young fellow, given over to football, is said recently to bave asked at the London Library for " The Rise and Fall of the Roman Umpire," while booksellers say it is no uncommon thing to have orders for Thackeray's " Newcomes," as " The New Comers," and to be asked for "The Last Days of Pompey," ai.d "The Tramp Aboard," by Marcus Ward. Miss Edgeworth herself relates that her essay on "Irish Bulls" was gravely taken in by an agricultural association. Short titles are now generally selected by authors, but this was not always so. Life would become burdensome if books were christened in the fashion of 300 years ago. "Footpath to Felicity, Guide to Godliness, School of Skill, Swarm of Bees, Grove of Graces," is the title of a tiny booklet, while religious readers are called on to buy "Buttons and Button Holes for Believers' Breeches," or possess themselves of " High Heeled Shoes for those who are Dwarfs in Sanctity." Alliteration's artful aid is seen in " Crumbs of Consolation for Chickens of the Convent," I while a very doleful book must surely be " Sigh for the Sinners of Sion, coming from a Hole in the Wall, by an Earthern Vessel known among men by the name of Samuel Fish." All manner of quaint devices have been selected as titles : "We must All Die," " Just As I Am," " The World Went Very Well Then," "Not so Black as We're Painted " may be taken as specimens. A common expedient amongst novelists is to take the name of the hero or heroine of the story as the title of the book. Authors obtain exclusive rights to their titles by registering at Stationers' Hall. As the law of copyright at present stands, an author is possessor of an entered title for 42 years after publication, or if he should die before that time his rights may be secured to his heirs for seven years after the date of his death. Numerous,, cases occur in which authors have given names to their books, not knowing that books with similar names have been sent into the market. Such a case occurred recently with the novel "Mine Own Family Friend." This title having been used by an author 17 years ago, had to give place to the altered title of "The SandclifE Mystery," causing the publisher great trouble and expense. The literary sharks are always on the outlook for a title which has caught on. If you make a success with a book called " Cain," the shark., is at hand to snap up your profits with another called "Cane." The making of good titles i 3 a subtle branch of literary work, and it is one of the greatest agonies of authorship to have your good title snapped up by a shark. If anybody could invent a stock of the "one, and prevent the growth of the other, "he would earn the gratitude of numberless literary workers.