I assume we use the most canonical name, but if in author is known by multiple names but only published under one is it okay to list other names in the description?

Sounds like the perfect place for them. :)

(I assume you mean the author description, not an individual book description, right?)

Yep, thanks.

What if an author is published under multiple names (same guy), most of which are due to transliteration differences across languages?

Alaa al Aswany
Alaa al Aswani
ALAA EL ASWANY
Ala Aswani
Ala El Aswani

The LC authority record is Aswānī, ʻAlāʾ, 1957- (don't know if diacritics will come through). What should be considered the "authoritative" version?

Names from other alphabets can be fairly complicated, particularly when they haven't become common/popular enough to have engendered a common transliteration.

I'd go with the first one; even the cover of the book under the second spelling actually has the name spelled as the first spelling, while the third appears to be the French transliteration.

I agree. I would merge them all to the first version, but note in the author's description that there are the other spellings. (I wouldn't use the diacritics, I think. Unless there already existed an author in GR listed that way.)

Thanks. Will do.

I just found a seperate author listing for V.C. Andrews under Virginia C. Andrews. The librarian who created the Virginia C. Andrews profile left a note in the profile asking if it was okay to have two author profiles as long as she had both authors connected to the book. I sent her a message saying I didn't think so but she should ask here. I haven't heard back from her, so before I undo all her work--is it okay to have two profiles for one author like that?

I know the librarian who wrote that...and she'll let you know for sure, but I believe the reasoning might be because of this: there were some books listed as Virginia C Andrews which she changed to V.C. Andrews...but another librarian didn't like that, and kept changing them back. This might be her way of compromising.

Likely so. There's also another issue, IIRC: V.C. Andrews is actually sometimes Virginia, and sometimes her ghostwriter. Also, different editions of the same book sometimes have the author listed one way and sometimes the other . . . and sometimes as Virginia Andrews, just to make things exciting.

Personally, I think this is a case that the LoC should have the final word: and that seems to be V.C. Andrews, interestingly enough. (It's actually Andrews, V.C. (Virginia C.), but that's just awkward.)

I went and looked for the post in another group where the librarian in question told me about this...and it was what I thought. one librarian listing them one way, and another one changing them back the other way. Which made combining a problem because books weren't all under one author name - even editions of the same book because reissues changed names. So I think listing them the way she has made combining possible.

JG - she probably hasn't gotten back to you because I know she has been having a lot of computer/connection troubles.

Also, the librarian did check in here before working on this author (see this topic)

Combining is only possible if the primary author is the same. Adding in another spelling as secondary doesn't make it any more possible to combine the editions.

The AKA feature would be really helpful . . .

I think she originally started out just trying to change the names all to one (V.C. Andrews), but then someone was changing them back (to Virginia C. Andrews). So then she opted to put V.C. Andrews as the first author and Virginia C. Andrews as the 2nd...that way both names were represented, pleasing hopefully everyone, and all editions could be combined.

You can't please all the people all of the time, but you can try really hard? ;)

It does sound like a reasonable compromise.

So the consensus is that it's okay and I should leave it alone? Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Yes, I've been in computer "hell." I caution anyone about installing the new service pack (one) to Vista! Even an uninstall and restore will not peal it off. It would NOT allow me to connect to the Internet. Fixed now, I hope.

I did received a message from JG and just sent her a note back. Nice to communicate in lieu of just changing things. Thank you for the heads up JG. Would have been awhile before I found this discussion...

I'm flexible on this. I remember it well. The V.C. Andrews books were a disaster. I posed the question here in the group and that's why I went with trying to put them under both her names.

Her books were on the site in various names including VC and V. C. and Virginia and Virginia C.

I was trying to put them under:

Author #1: Virginia C. Andrews

and

Author #2: V.C. Andrews

and combine, but another librarian was undoing them about as fast as I was doing that so I stopped and decided to wait for the AKA feature to get up and running.

But, I'm flexible on this. Whatever is best for the site works for me.

;-)

(Hi Isis!!)V.C. Andrews

(Kathrynn, if you are running Zone Alarm, that is the usual program whose not-playing-well-with-Vista's-updates causes the no-internet-connection hell.)

I "was" using PC Tools Internet Security and, apparently, it isn't playing nicely with Vista either.

But, my notebook has XP and it locked up the Internet, too. The fix was to remove PC Tools from both.

*eyes her (Vista-running) computer suspiciously, and prays it doesn't do anything untoward*

Thank you, Rivka.

I meant mine, but I'll look at yours suspiciously too, if you think it'll help. ;)

Here's another one.

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/102...

translated into

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/105...

He's an american author, but when translated the spelling has been altered.

I haven't changed anything because the spelling is correct if you go by the covers fo the books, but they are all by the same author.

....traslation?

Lanica, I would merge the authors. Ordinarily I'd recommend putting a note on R.A. Salvatore's profile saying that he's also listed as "R.A. Salvatores", but I think that may actually be a mistake in those covers -- the translation looks like German, I think, and none of the other German translations of his work have changed his name.

I agree, that spelling is unique to that set of audio CDs. I suspect someone saw the title as "R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf Saga..." (or whatever) but the apostrophe got dropped, thus adding the s to the end of his surname.

*Slaps Head* Duh, that makes a lot of sense. I'll work under that premise. Thanks.