Middle name or not?

[Peter]

There are 2 profiles for the same author: Judson Philips and Judson Pentecost Philips. His published books do not use the middle name, although it is accurate. (He has several pseudonyms as well, but that is besides the point.) The middle name is not needed for disambiguation.

There are currently books under both profiles.
1. Should the profiles be combined?
2. Should the (usually unused) middle name be retained? Note: LC does not use the middle name

What is current policy?

[Peter]

Peter wrote: "There are 2 profiles for the same author: Judson Philips and Judson Pentecost Philips."

I just found a third, using AKAs for his pseudonyms:

Judson (AKA Owen, Philip AKA Pentecost, Hugh) Philips

All 3 are definitely the same author.

[Paula]

Go with what is on the cover of the books, LOC would be used as final decider should there be an issue but as you note LOC does not use middle name either.

[Peter]

Peter wrote: "Peter wrote: "There are 2 profiles for the same author: Judson Philips and Judson Pentecost Philips."

I just found a third, using AKAs for his pseudonyms:

[author..."

There are several books where he used his middle name, but they are very limited in number. I think Judson Pentecost Philips should be retained for those few books, and treated as any other pseudonym (ie. used only for the books he published that way). Some of these books are:

1. [book:Death Delivers a Postcard|13092451] LoC entry http://lccn.loc.gov/42009308
2. The Death Syndicate LoC entry http://lccn.loc.gov/38032629
3. The Fourteenth Trump LoC entry http://lccn.loc.gov/42022859
4. Murder in Marble LoC entry http://lccn.loc.gov/40005398
and 5. Red War LoC entry http://lccn.loc.gov/36010716

Paula wrote: "Go with what is on the cover of the books, LOC would be used as final decider should there be an issue but as you note LOC does not use middle name either."

LoC does not appear to be consistent. If you look at the entries in LoC for books by Philip Owen, books by Hugh Pentecost, or the 5 books listed above, that LoC does use the middle initial ("Judson P. Philips") in their Main title entry.
(eg. Mystery at a country inn / Philip Owen [i.e. J. P. Philips].
Death syndicate / Judson P. Philips.
The fourteen dilemma / Hugh Pentecost [i.e. J. P. Philips].)

If the goal is to duplicate what is on the book covers/title pages, then for his books published before 1950 the middle name is required.

N.B. I own some of these titles.