How should we name titled authors and authors with initials?

[Debbie is on Storygraph]

I've been cleaning up author profiles and noticed a discrepancy in how titled authors are listed in the databased. For example, Lord Byron is "George Gordon Byron" and Baroness Orczy is "Emmuska Orczy" in the database. But Lord Dunsanyis simply "Lord Dunsany" and not "Edward Plunkett."
I couldn't figure out what was considered right. Lady Gregory had two robust profiles - one as Lady Gregory and another as Isabella Augusta Gregory - which I combined under "Isabella Augusta Gregory." Both Byron and Gregory are regularly published as Lord and Lady, and not by their full names. Ocrzy can go either way depending on the publisher.

Relatedly, how should authors with initials in their published name be listed? W.B. Yeats is "William Butler Yeats" in the database, despite being published as "W.B. Yeats" yet "e.e. cummings" is "E.E. Cummings."

Is there some stated convention about above two issues? If not, I can see repeated duplicate profiles being made as new books are added.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

In general, NO titles. (http://www.goodreads.com/help/show/73...)

And Yeats should be W.B.

When in doubt, consult the LoC database for the preferred author spelling/listing.

[Debbie is on Storygraph]

The help page says to not use titles "unless necessary to avoid confusion" - I can see people being confused for authors who are best known by their titles - Lord Byron and Lord Dunsany comes to mind.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

And how are they listed on LoC?

[Debbie is on Storygraph]

Byron is George Gordon Byron. Dunsany is generally "Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett" but there is at least one book where he is "Dunsany, Lord".

I don't mean to be a pain but there are authors who are not commonly known by their full names. They didn't publish under them when they were alive, and their books are still not published under them.

Even the LoC isn't consistent - Lady Gregory's works are "Gregory, Lady" or just "Gregory" in the author field. It's no wonder that multiple profiles are being created for the same person.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Debbie wrote: "Byron is George Gordon Byron."

And is also credited this way on many volumes.


Debbie wrote: "Dunsany is generally "Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett" but there is at least one book where he is "Dunsany, Lord"."

Interestingly, I cannot find (at least not with a quick skim) any book covers where he is credited as anything other than Lord Dunsany.


Lady Gregory should probably be listed as "Lady Augusta Gregory".

[Debbie is on Storygraph]

I was referring to the LoC database, which has Lord Dunsany listed as "Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett" for most of his books (which is, by the by, incorrect as Dunsany is not his name but his title).

Hopefully all this will be a moot point if the author aka option rolls out.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Debbie wrote: "I was referring to the LoC database, which has Lord Dunsany listed as "Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett" for most of his books"

Yes, I know. It's interesting that this is the case when none of the books are so labeled. There is usually some overlap -- LoC is mostly useful for determine priority among multiple ways an author is listed on covers. In this case I'd stick with Lord Dunsany.