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Serieses!
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Is this a series?
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rivka, Former Moderator
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Feb 26, 2015 11:41PM
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Are there any additional guidelines for distinguishing between series and imprints for NON-fiction? The help page mostly seems to assume fiction.
https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/3...
I've been working on a lot of nonfiction, and often there are series where the books are related by something other than author (for example, a series of Bible studies in a very specific format) or setting (because it's nonfiction, there often is no setting). But they are much more closely connected than Penguin Classics or Harlequin Blaze.
I've been trying to go with "only make it a series if it seems like it would be genuinely useful to be able to look up the other books", which is not generally the case with imprints (which are basically a variation on "other books by the same publisher").
Sarah,As far as I know there are no well-written guidelines for nonfiction series. When I try to decide about it, the question I ask myself is "Is this like a Time-Life series?" If it is, then it's a series; if it's not, then I don't think of it as a series.
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#109 Should be moved to the edition field IMO (and wow! historical racism)
Moved to the edition field in the 3 cases where it was sure and deleted the series
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...See #4 and 7 in the above thread.
Do these constitute series according to GR? The first one already has 17 books: https://www.goodreads.com/series/73571
(Not that I'm thinking of tackling these - undoable on an iPad)
lethe wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...See #4 and 7 in the above thread.
Do these constitute series according to GR? The first..."
In my opinion, these are not series by Goodreads standards. Using Rivka's question above "Does it apply to all editions?" I really can't say for sure. But looking at the page on the OU Press website, for example, they just don't feel like a series with similar covers, etc. It feels closer to an imprint.
That's what I thought. There is no uniformity and no mention of the series title on the covers. Apart from that, I also think there is another, implicit, criterion for deciding what is a series, namely finity.In the case of Time-Life, each series has a fixed number of volumes, be it 12 or 24, whatever, and then it's done. But the series in the above thread are on broad subjects and could potentially go on forever.
This is another example: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...
These books have a uniform look and the series title and number on the cover, and yet I am disinclined to create a series for them, because it's a long-running series on a broad subject with 2 to 3 titles added to it each year. I think the title and number should be added in the edition field instead.
If finity is indeed a valid criterion for deciding what is considered a (non-fiction) series according to GR standards, it would be great if it could be made explicit somewhere, preferably in the Manual, because there is nothing about non-fiction series there. It would prevent a lot of confusion.
(I'm not going to zap the series BTW, I'll leave that for rivka or a super to decide. - ETA I have just now deleted the Contributions in Military Studies series, because it listed only 4 of the at least 193 titles.)
https://www.goodreads.com/series/6463...When I translate the description, it seems not to be a series according to Goodreads. At least one book that is translated in Dutch does not have a mention of this series.
I'd like someone to confirm.
I'd say no. The subject is also very broad and the translated titles did not appear in this series. Edition field for the Polish titles, I'd say.
lethe wrote: "I'd say no. The subject is also very broad and the translated titles did not appear in this series. Edition field for the Polish titles, I'd say."There is already a Listopia. Removed the series, added in edition field to Polish editions.
This seems like an imprint to me, but I have enough doubt I ask for a more expert opinion.https://www.goodreads.com/series/1335...
#118 Same situation as in #112-114, I'd say.
the title of the series is: Collection of essays in 3 volumes https://www.goodreads.com/series/1467...-
#120 If it's a 3-volume set by the same author I'd say it is legit, even though we apparently have only this one volume on GR.
lethe wrote: "#120 If it's a 3-volume set by the same author I'd say it is legit, even though we apparently have only this one volume on GR."
To be a series, books should have characters and/or universes in common.
https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/3...
Looking at the 4 novellas (also published separately) I see not common universe or characters.
But they are essays, i.e. non-fiction. The GR manual is sorely lacking in this respect, only concentrating on fiction.
lethe wrote: "But they are essays, i.e. non-fiction. The GR manual is sorely lacking in this respect, only concentrating on fiction."Was the book originally published as a 3-volume work?
According to Google Translate they are not essays, but works.What is GR's stance on collected works? I would think that was a legitimate series.
ETA This seems to be vol. 1 (not linked --> indeed!) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Yes, I said the title of the series translates in that way. However the novellas are fiction. Here are the first two of them that have also been translated in English and you can see the descriptions.Омон-Ра: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
Жизнь насекомых:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
Elizabeth it is not one book that has been separated in three volumes, but the volume that is in the series page is 4 novellas published in one book.
If collected/selected works are not considered series on GR, at least that would solve this problem as well: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (#1-3).ETA I find it very odd that f.e. this Dutch edition of Dostoyevsky's collected works is apparently not considered a series (scroll down): https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...
They should be linked IMO.
I'm never sure, so I just post here and let it in the hands of more experienced librarians, as some rules always seem to elude me.(For example the series in post #96 still seem like an imprint to me then series)
lethe wrote: "Agreed about #96."Another one like 96: https://www.goodreads.com/series/1167...
I see 120 is still there as well. Are all these okay to stay?
#131 According to Google Translate this is the "world of knowledge series". Subject is far too broad and it doesn't apply to all editions. Not a series IMO.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1071...Cute though they are, I think this is a series like the Penguin 60s, i.e. the name belongs in the edition field.
if there are no objections, I can delete #131 (and 133)
Since I have never gotten answer on some "series" I already posted (#96, #120, #130) I will have to continue posting these as I see them:https://www.goodreads.com/series/9408...
Mod
It should be ok.
rivka wrote: "Re 138: For nonfiction, series are a bit harder to define. However, it does seem like all editions of each of these books are in this series, including translations.It should be ok."
Thanks :)
Shouldn't the Little Golden Books be a series?https://www.goodreads.com/work/editio...
This series was/is published in other languages as well. In Dutch they are called Gouden Boekjes and the name on the Finnish edition in the link also translates to Little Golden Books.
There are many of them though, and some are clearly abridged versions/adaptations and need to be separated from the full works (f.e. Peter Pan, Heidi, etc.), but they would need to be separated out anyway.
There is also the problem that original versions appeared in other languages. I know that the Dutch series includes several original, i.e. not translated, titles.
What say you?
I'd call the Golden Books an imprint. They really don't share anything other than branding. Otherwise they have individual authors, illustrators, subject matter. The adaptations should definitely be pulled out of the full versions though (that's probably quite a big project all by itself!)
I thought because the translations appear in the same series, they might be called a legit GR series. Here is another example: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..."Livro dourado" is the Portuguese series title.
"The adaptations should definitely be pulled out of the full versions though (that's probably quite a big project all by itself!)"
Yes, I think so too...
Yeah, by creating this series I would probably be biting off more than I can chew. From the Random House website: "January 2002: The Golden Books Library now includes over 1,200 unique titles!"And it seems more titles are added every year.
OK, I'll just stick to moving the name to the edition field and separating titles where necessary. *adding to the project list*
Mod
Looks like an imprint, and not even one that all editions of some of the books are from.
Krazykiwi wrote: "I'd call the Golden Books an imprint."
Agreed.
rivka wrote: "Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/series/5889..."Looks like an imprint, and not even one that all editions of some of the books are from."
Thanks
. . .
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1207...
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/series/list...I do not think these are series given that Kafka would not have originally been published in these languages.
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