Words Into Type a Guide in the Preparation of Manuscripts; for Writers, Editors, Proofreaders and Printers Words ' Into Type
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WORDS INTO TYPE A GUIDE IN THE PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS; FOR WRITERS, EDITORS, PROOFREADERS AND PRINTERS WORDS ' INTO TYPE BASED ON STUDIES BY MARJORIE E. SKILLIN, ROBERT M. GAY, AND OTHER AUTHORITIES . APPLETON-CENTURY-CROFTS, INC. NEW YORK CoPYlliGHT, 1948, BY ' APPLETON-CENTIJRY-CROFTS, INC. All rights reserved. This boo I(, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. I'BlKTBD IX TBB UKITBD STATBB OF AIIBBICA PREFACE In the half century just passed the manufacture of printed matter has changed from the simple routine of the old-time printer, who had a few cases of text type and two or three boldface fonts with which to work, to a complex process involving machines and scores of different type faces. A phenomenal growth in volume of printing began when the invention of typesetting machines ac celerated the composing of type, at the same time decreasing the cost; and today an amazing number of persons are striving to write for publication, their output ranging from short articles in newspapers or periodicals to reports, essays, short stories, and book-length manuscripts. In the manufacture of printed matter, certain rules must be followed if the work is to conform to a high standard of good printing. Footnotes, for instance, are to be used for specific purposes and set in a certain fashion. The use of punctuation and the manner of setting punctuation marks are more or less definitely prescribed; italics are for particular purposes, not to be used with out reason. Th~;se rules of printing were formulated in the decades just pre ceding the widespread introduction of typesetting machines. Mechanization caused a general speeding up of all printing processes. Unless the author and the editor, who still have to a degree the time and opportunity to work mod erately and thoughtfully, prepare their manuscripts to conform with standards of good printing, the sensibilities of trained readers may be offended and their attention to the message of the writer thereby lost. Not all the rules of the old-time printer are worth retaining, and printing rules, like all others, are subject to change. But, it would be unfortunate indeed if the high standards once attained were lowered. Therefore, it is desirable to modernize and re-illustrate these rules for the guidance of authors and editors in preparing copy and for the convenience of all printing-<>ffice workers. For students and professionals this manual is a textbook of printing practice. M.E.S. R.M.G. y INTRODUCTION The text has been divided into six Parts and an Appendix, but not to indicate thereby that Part I is solely for writers, Part III for editors, fart V for students, and so on, but to achieve an orderly grouping of content which will make it easy for the searcher to find quickly whatever he is looking for. In Part I are presented instructions about desirable' physical form which the typist should observe, an explanation of the term "printing style," details relating to tht acceptable forms for headings, quotations, footnotes, bibliographies, and tables, and as much information about illustrations as a writer needs. Following these general instructions for printing are sections describing the special responsibili ties of a book writer and a brief summary of the copyright and libel laws. The aim is to show writers how t~ secure the best possible result without unnecessary expense. The first time a writer receives proofs from a publisher he may quite naturally be somewhat uncertain about what is expected and required of him and what he is entided to expect from the publisher and printer. Part ll therefore seeks to remove all these uncertainties, instructing him at the same time how to do his work on proofs most efficiendy. An incidental purpose of Part II is to present a picture of the work of editors, copyreaders, proofreaders, and copy holders that will reveal to the person unacquainted with these professions how intricate and exacting the work is. Part III is the most technical part of the book, dealing exclusively with prob lems of typography and illustration. It has been written expressly for the person beginning a career in an editorial office, the student of editorial practice, and the writer who wishes to inform himself about the problems of the editor of a book. Rules of present~ay usage in all the details of printing style arc presented in Part IV, with due recognition of the fact that rules are for guidance, not for slavish following, that they are continually changing, and that no rule can be universally applied to all kinds of printing. Part V, Part VI, and the Appendix deal with usage, grammatical and verbal, as well as the aspects of grammar and the usc of words that seem to be most troublesome to writers and editorial workers. What is given will suffice for those workers who a~ not concerned with complete discussions of disputed points. Several lists for further reference have been appended. M.E.S. R.M.G. yjj TABLE OF CONTENTS A BirJ's-Eye View of Book PART I-MANUSCRIPT TECHNICALITIES OF FORM 1 Use of ''op. cit.:' "ibid.," etc. 22 Physical Form 1 Capitalization 23 Typewritten manuscript 1 Page references 24 Margins 2 Tables 24 Spacing 2 Purpose 24 Reprint copy 6 Credit 24 Numbering 6 Construction 24 Additions 6 Column headings 2S Illustrations 6 Units of measurements 29 Shipping 6 Captions 30 Printing Style 6 Numbering 31 Spelling 7 Footnotes 31 Punctuation 7 Copy 31 Capitalization 7 1 Bibliographies 32 Abbreviations 7 ,.Content 32 Headings 7 Annotated bibliographies 3S Uses 7 The book-list style 36 Construction 8 Subheadings 8 Arrangement 36 Illustrations 36 · Side headings 8 Excerpts 11 Line engravings 36 Excerpts denoted by quotation Size 37 marks 12 Lettering 37 Reduced type 12 Halftones 37 Points of ellipsis 12 SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF Style within excerpts 13 THE BOOK WRITER J8 Acknowledgments 14 Front Matter 39 Footnotes IS Imprimatur 39 Uses IS Title page 40 References to footnotes 1 S Epigraph 40 Position of references 16 Dedication 40 Content and order 17 Preface 40 Shortened forms 21 Table of contents 41 Abbreviations 21 List of illustrations 41 ix X CONTENTS Indexes 43 Words with more than one mean- Procedure 43 ing 50 Kinds 43 Words with different uses 50 Index of authors 43 Singular and plural forms 51 Table of cases 44 Subheadings 51 Index of titles 44 Cross references 52 Index of authors and titles 44 Alphabetical Order 52 Compiling an Index of the The dictionary method. 52 Dictionary Form 45 The book-index method 53 Entries 45 Compound words 53 'Choice of the key w~rd 45 Names with a prefix 54 Compound nouns 45 Exact titles 54 Phrases 46 Apostrophes 54 Inversions 47 Abbreviations 54 Conciseness 47 Me and M' 55 Geographic names 48 Numerals 55 Names of persons 48 Insignificant words 55 , English compound names 48 LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF Spanish compound names 48 THE AUTHOR 55 Noblemen 48 The Copyright Law 55 Sovereigns, princes, writers 48 Infringement of copyright 56 Pseudonyms 49 Acknowledgments 56 Names with prefixes 49 Securing permission to quote 57 Arabic names 49 Securing a copyright 57 Oriental names 50 The Libel Law 58 Alternative foreign names 50 Libel of the dead 59 Right of privacy 60 PART II-TECHNIQUES FOR COPY AND PROOF 61 TECHNIQUES OF PREPARING Hyphens and dashes .65 COPY 61 Peculiar spellings 65 Final Reading of the Manuscript 61 WORKERS ON COPY AND Author's Corrections 62 PROOF 65 Editorial Marks 64 The Editor 66 Capitals and small letters 64 The Copyreader 68 Italic and boldface 64 The Proofreader 68 Paragraphs 64 Typographical 'errors 69 Insertions 64 : Style 69 Deletions 64 Grammar and rhetoric 69 Restorations 65 The Copyholder 70 Indentions 65 - · Reading practices 70 Alignment 65 Reading type and punctuation 70 Spaces 65 Reading names 71 Transpositions 65 Reading numbers 71 Abbreviations 65 Reading accents and signs 72 Superiors ..and inferiors 65 Application of methods 72 CONTENTS xi TECHNIQUES FOR READING lllustrations 76 PROOF 73 Return of proofs 76 Proofreader's Marks 73 Page proofs 76 The Author's Reading of Proof 73 Revision 77 Galley proofs 73 Long and short pages 77 Marking proofs 75 Cuts, etc. 77 Correction 75 Front matter 78 Queries 76 Return of proof 78 PART Ill-TYPOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATION 79 THE MECHANICS OF Finish 101 PRINTING 79 Weight 101 Type 80 Grain 102 Typesetting methods 80 Bulk 103 _ Parts of a type 81 Computation of paper needed 103 A type font 82 Book Sizes 104 LigaturQ 83 PROBLEMS OF TYPOGRAPHICAL Spacing material 83 STYLE 108 Fractions 83 Leading 109 Superior figures 83 Spacing 109 _ Reference marks 83 Text 109 The "slant'' 84 Sentences 110 Type Measurement 84 Punctuation 111 The point system 84 - Letterspacing 111 The em 85 Indention 112 Sizes of type faces 86 Paragraphs 112 Classification of Type Faces 88 Outlines and similar matter 112 COMPUTATIONS OF COPY Explanation of terms 113 AND TYPE 89 Headings 113 . Estimating the Length of Copy 90 Type 113 Character counts 90 Arrangement 114 Word counts 91 Punctuation 115 Ways to simplify estimating 91 Division 115 Computing the Length in Type 91 Figures 115 PROBLEMS OF FORMAT 93 Small capitals 115 The Tasks of the Editor 93 "Continued" 115 The Tasks of the Production Man 94 Side headings 116 The Size of the Book 94 Running headings 117 Determination of Page Dimensions 95 Excerpts 118 Margins 98 Prose 118 Choice of Size and Face 98 Poetry 118 Factors in choice of face 99 Footnotes 119 Limitations on choice 99 Copy check-up 120 Method of Printing_ 100 Tables 120 Paper 101 Type and spacing 120 Texture