Please add subtitle

[Campbell]

Please add the subtitle "The Way of the Cross". My permissions don't allow me to add it.

See: https://www.amazon.com/Message-Peter-...

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

Hi Campbell.

Sorry, that subtitle doesn't appear on the cover of this edition.

https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/2...

[Campbell]

Hi,

I think you are mistaken in interpreting the policy. It does not state that the subtitle must be on the cover, but that "The subtitle should also match the cover of the book". Subtitles are not always on covers; occasionally titles aren't even on covers. The policy does not specify what to do if the subtitle is not on the cover.

In any case, (1) the Original Title field for this book includes the subtitle; (2) books in this series usually include their subtitles despite *none of them appearing on any of their covers*, so not including it for this one introduces inconsistency; (3) each book in this series includes its subtitle on their title page; (4) as the above link showed, the book's Amazon page includes the subtitle; and (5) the book's subtitle is included in bibliographic data, see the British Library's catalogue: http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/li...

There is plenty of evidence that "The Way of the Cross" is the book's subtitle. To leave it off would be rather odd and inconsistent with how other books in the series are treated.

[Campbell]

I also note that other editions of the book include the subtitle despite it not appearing on their covers either.

[rivka, Librarian Moderator]

Then it should be removed from those editions.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

rivka wrote: "Then it should be removed from those editions."

Thanks rivka. I'll remove from the other editions when I have woken up a bit more!

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

I couldn't see the subtitle on any other English language edition, so I'll assume another librarian already got to this.

[Campbell]

Hi,

The fact is that these books have subtitles (as evidenced by the British Library catalogue link—if there was away of uploading images, I could provide images of the title page and page listing volumes in the series that have the subtitles).

If the policy requires removal of subtitles from books, then the policy needs changing. Removing these subtitles makes the database less accurate, confused, incomplete, and will lead to database bloat.

[lethe]

Campbell J. wrote: "Hi,

The fact is that these books have subtitles (as evidenced by the British Library catalogue link—if there was away of uploading images, I could provide images of the title page and page listing..."

GR policy is crystal clear: add the title according to the COVER of the book. So yes, title pages may show subtitles, but if those are not on the cover they shouldn't be added. (Libraries take their title info from the title page. Goodreads does not.)

[Campbell]

Well, the policy isn't clear. The "also" refers back to the Title section that has the ambiguous clause "if that information is available". Like many of the policies here it's rather opaque and arbitrary. The policy should be changed.

But it seems I'm banging my head against mindless bureaucracy. Clearly, goodreads is not hear to serve the users, the users are here to serve goodreads.